Lance Berkman
Lance Berkman | |
---|---|
Outfielder / First baseman | |
Born: Waco, Texas, U.S. | February 10, 1976|
Batted: Switch Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
July 16, 1999, for the Houston Astros | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 17, 2013, for the Texas Rangers | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .293 |
Home runs | 366 |
Runs batted in | 1,234 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
William Lance Berkman (born February 10, 1976), nicknamed "Fat Elvis" and "Big Puma", is an American
A standout baseball player at Canyon High School, Berkman attended Rice University, where he played college baseball for the Owls. The Astros selected Berkman in the first round of that year's amateur draft, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1999. He joined the Astros' vaunted "Killer B's" lineup that included Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio as all three players were instrumental in the club's playoff success. The Astros traded Berkman to the Yankees at the 2010 trade deadline. He signed with the Cardinals as a free agent for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Berkman played a key part in the Cardinals winning the 2011 World Series, hitting a game-tying single in the bottom of the tenth inning of Game 6, with the Cardinals just one strike away from elimination. He played the 2013 season with the Rangers before signing a one-day contract with Houston to officially retire as an Astro. In fifteen seasons of baseball, he had an Adjusted On-base plus slugging (OPS)+ at 150 or above six times (the baseline average is 100) while having 100 walks in a seasons three times and 100 RBIs in a season six times. Among OPS leaders all-time, he is tied for 30th all-time while being 23rd among players with less than 10,000 plate appearances.[1]
Active in charity work,
Early life
Berkman was born in Waco, Texas, the son of Cynthia Ann (née Thomas) and Larry Gene Berkman.[3][4][5] His paternal grandfather, whose family's surname was originally "Björkman", was of Swedish descent.[5] Berkman graduated from Canyon High School in New Braunfels, Texas, in 1994.
College career
Berkman then attended Rice University playing on the Owls baseball team, where he played for the legendary Wayne Graham, and was named a first team All-America by Collegiate Baseball Magazine, Baseball America and The Sporting News.[6] He was invited to visit the White House and dined with President Clinton along with the rest of the Baseball America honorees.
Throughout college, he batted a collective .385 with 67 home runs and 272 RBI. His 41 home runs in 1997 ranked third-most in NCAA history. That year he also made the all-time record book in RBIs (2nd-134), slugging percentage (6th-1.031) and total bases (4th-263) while leading the Rice Owls to their
In 1996, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), where he won the league's Thurman Munson Award for leading all hitters with a .352 batting average.[8] Berkman was named to the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2023.[9]
Berkman returned to Rice in 2014 to finish his degree.[10]
Professional career
Draft and minor leagues
The
In
Houston Astros (1999–2010)
1999–2004: Early Astros career
Throughout his entire high school, college, and minor league career, Berkman had almost exclusively played first base. The Astros, who called him up to the major leagues for the first time in 1999 and already had Jeff Bagwell entrenched at first, shifted Berkman to the outfield so he could regularly hit in the starting lineup. Because of his last name and reputation as a strong hitter, Berkman gained distinction as one of the Astros' "Killer B's" early in his career, which included Bagwell and Craig Biggio, two formidable veteran players who helped established the club as perennial playoff contenders in the 1990s and 2000s. In fact, journalist Dayn Perry jocosely noted in 1999 that the Astros, "in pursuit of arcane history, used eight players whose last names began with 'B.'"[12] The eight included Bagwell, Paul Bako, Glen Barker, Derek Bell, Sean Berry, Berkman, Biggio, and Tim Bogar.[13] After appearing in 34 games in 1999, Houston demoted Berkman to the minor leagues for more seasoning.
The demotion proved brief, however; 31 games into the
2002 saw his batting average drop to .292, although he kept his OBP high at .405. His power output increased also, resulting in 42 home runs. Berkman scored 106 runs and drove in 128, good enough to lead the league. He made his second All-Star appearance and was third in the NL in the Most Valuable Player voting.[15]
In
In May
2005–10
Berkman signed a six-year, $85-million deal in March 2005.
In Game 4 of the
On Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, Berkman was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation.[23] On September 13, 2006, Berkman became only the second switch hitter in Major League history to hit 40 or more homers in multiple seasons, with Mickey Mantle being the first.[24]
During the 2006 season, Berkman hit 45 home runs and had 136 RBI. He broke the Astros' single season record for RBI, previously set by Bagwell in 1997 with 135.[25] He also had a .315 batting average, an on-base percentage of .420, as well as a slugging percentage of .621.[15] He also hit a career high 5 home runs from the right side of the plate.[26] He finished third in the MVP voting behind Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols.[27]
Berkman started the 2007 season in a bit of a slump,[28] batting .261, well below his career average, but rebounded for a strong second half of the season. Berkman finished the 2007 season with a .278 batting average, 34 home runs and 102 RBIs, along with 7 stolen bases.
Berkman started the 2008 season batting well above .385 through April, won the NL Player of the Month in May and two separate Player of the Week awards, one which he went 29–32 (batted .906) with 6 home runs, including a McCovey Cove splash landing.[29] At the All-Star break, he was in the NL's top four in batting average, with 22 home runs, and was on pace for 130+ RBIs. However, despite the rest of the team picking up steam behind the likes of Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodríguez, Hunter Pence, and Ty Wigginton's rebound second half, Berkman's individual performance dipped significantly, and by season's end, he batted .312, with 29 home runs (7 of which were right-handed, setting a new career high), 106 RBI, and an NL-leading 46 doubles. Berkman was fifth in the voting for the 2008 NL MVP award, behind Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Ryan Braun, and Manny Ramirez.[30]
Berkman hit his 300th home run against Arizona Diamondbacks starter Jon Garland on June 13, 2009.[31]
New York Yankees (2010)
On July 31, 2010, Berkman was traded to the
The Yankees announced on October 27 that the club declined to exercise their option for Berkman for 2011.[34]
St. Louis Cardinals (2011–2012)
2011 season: Comeback and World Series championship
Berkman was under contract with the Cardinals for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. An advertisement was made of him because he was unable to wear no. 17, and many other numbers, as they were all retired.[35]
On July 5, 2011, Berkman hit his 350th career home run, and his long-ball was the second farthest home run ever hit in the new Busch Stadium.
2011 became a comeback year for Berkman, as he was one of the team leaders in batting average, home runs and RBI. He was named the
Berkman made key contributions in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series against the Texas Rangers. He hit his first home run in a World Series game in the first inning and in the ninth, with St. Louis down to their final strike before elimination, Berkman was driven home followed by Albert Pujols after a game-tying 2-run triple by David Freese.[36] After Texas scored two runs in the top of the tenth and Ryan Theriot hit a run-scoring groundout, Berkman hit a two-out two-strike RBI single scoring Jon Jay to tie the game. Berkman won his first World Series championship as the Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers in the series in 7 games.
2012 season
On April 22, 2012, Berkman was placed on the disabled list due to a calf injury. On May 21, 2012, Berkman was again placed on the disabled list due to right knee injury. An MRI revealed that there was significant cartilage damage to both sides of the knee and a torn meniscus, requiring arthroscopic surgery. Berkman returned on July 14, 2012. He was then placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 3, 2012 due to knee inflammation. It was the third time Berkman went on the DL in the 2012 season. On September 10, 2012, he was again put on the disabled list after having to go for a secondary meniscus surgery in the same knee. On October, 3rd, 2012, Berkman had his last at bat as a Cardinal. He spent the 2012 postseason on the physically unable to perform list as the Cardinals won the
Texas Rangers
On January 5, 2013, Berkman agreed to a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers for approximately $10 million.[37] In 73 games, Berkman hit .242 with six home runs and 34 RBIs in 256 at bats. On October 31, the Rangers declined his option, which made him a free agent.[38] On January 29, 2014, he decided to retire.[39] Berkman, along with former teammate Roy Oswalt signed a one-day contract with Houston to officially retire as a member of the Astros on April 5, 2014.[40]
Career statistics
In 1,879 games over 15 seasons, Berkman posted a .293
Coaching career
Current position | |
---|---|
Title | Head coach |
Team | Houston Christian |
Conference | Southland |
Record | 29–73 (.284) |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
2016–2019 | Second Baptist |
2020–2021 | St. Thomas (assistant) |
2022–present | Houston Christian |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 29–73 (.284) (college) |
In 2009, Berkman stated that after his major league career he would like to coach baseball at the
As of 2015, Berkman is serving as the head baseball coach at Second Baptist School in Houston, Texas, along with his former Astros teammate Andy Pettitte serving as assistant coach.[43] Berkman and Pettitte led Second Baptist to a Tapps State Title in 2016.
Berkman was eligible for the
He was an assistant manager for the University of St. Thomas baseball team during the 2021 season.[45]
On May 31, 2021, Berkman was named the head baseball coach of the Houston Christian Huskies.[46]
Head coaching record
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston Baptist/Christian Huskies (Southland Conference) (2022–present) | |||||||||
2022 | Houston Baptist | 18–36 | 11–13 | 6th | |||||
2023 | Houston Christian | 11–37 | 7–16 | 9th | |||||
2024 | Houston Christian | 13–20 | 6–5 | ||||||
Houston Baptist: | 42–93 (.311) | 24–34 (.414) | |||||||
Total: | 42–93 (.311) | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
Career achievements
Title | Times | Dates | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
National League champion | 2 | 2005, 2011 | |
World Series champion | 1 | 2011 |
Title | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|
Texas Sports Hall of Fame inductee | 2009 |
- Awards
- Darryl Kile Good Guy Award (2011)
- GIBBY/This Year in Baseball Award for Comeback Player of the Year (2011)
- 6× MLB All-Star (2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011)
- National League Comeback Player of the Year (2011)
- 2× National League Player of the Month (May 2004, and May 2008).
- 4× National League Player of the Week for April 21–27 and May 5–11 in 2008; April 11–17 and April 25 – May 1 in 2011.
- Players Choice Award for Comeback Player of the Year (2011)
- The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award (2011)
- Statistical achievements
Notes: Per Baseball-Reference.com.
Category | Times | Dates |
---|---|---|
Doubles leader | 2 | 2001, 2008 |
Runs batted in leader | 1 | 2002 |
Category | Times | Seasons | Category | Times | Seasons |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adjusted on-base plus slugging | 6 | 2001, 2004−06, 2008, 2011 | Home runs | 4 | 2002, 2006, 2007, 2011 |
Bases on balls
|
10 | 2001−09, 2011 | On-base percentage | 9 | 2001−06, 2008, 2009, 2011 |
Batting average | 4 | 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008 | On-base plus slugging percentage | 7 | 2006–08, 2010–13 |
Runs batted in
|
5 | 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 | |||
Doubles | 2 | 2001, 2008 | Runs scored | 3 | 2002, 2003, 2008 |
Extra base hits
|
4 | 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008 | Slugging percentage | 5 | 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2011 |
Games played | 3 | 2002, 2004, 2008 | |||
Hits | 1 | 2001 | Times on base | 7 | 2001−04, 2006, 2008, 2011 |
Total bases | 4 | 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008 |
- Hit better than .300 five times, with a career high batting average of .331 in 2001.
- 43rd all-time in on-base percentage (.406).
- 40th all-time in slugging percentage (.537).
- 28th all-time in OPS (.943).
- National League record holder for most single season RBIs (136) as a switch hitter.
- National League record holder for most single season Home Runs (45) as a switch hitter (tied with Chipper Jones).
- Record holder for most home runs in day games at Minute Maid Park in Houston (147).[47]
- Record holder for most career home runs at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati for an opposing player (23).[48]
- Record holder for the date with home runs in most consecutive years: September 21, 2001-2007 (tied with Lou Gehrig, June 8, 1932-1938).[49]
Personal life
Berkman and his wife, Cara, live in
In 2001, Berkman began leading a charity called "Berkman's Bunch" where 50 underprivileged kids could meet Berkman before each Saturday home game for autographs and other gifts.[53] In April 2012, Forbes named Berkman one of the 30 most generous celebrities as he and his wife had donated $2,412,245 to a foundation they established called To The Lord's Fund.[54]
In July 2013, Berkman purchased a
Berkman filmed an advertisement against the
Nicknames
He is most popularly known as "Fat Elvis" and "The Big Puma." Before the 2006 season started, in an interview with a local Houston sports radio station, Lance joked "I'm more like a puma so I'm not sure why people call me Fat Elvis."[59] The show's hosts, John Granato and Lance Zierlein, ran with the moniker and Houston fans and media latched onto "The Big Puma." When questioned further, Berkman explained the nickname is simply logical. "Agile, athletic, sleek ... all the things that describe my game", he said, somewhat tongue-in-cheek.[60] With his outstanding start in 2008, this nickname also became known on a national level.[61] That same year, a Lance Berkman fan club calling themselves "The Little Pumas" emerged. During Berkman's long tenure with the Astros, they could be seen wearing puma costumes and foam puma paws at most Astros home games near the Conoco Pump in left-center field. The group became relatively well-known among Astros fans, as they were shown often during Astros broadcasts on Fox Sports Houston.[62]
Berkman was also one of the Astros' "Killer B's" in the mid-2000s, along with Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Derek Bell.[63]
See also
- Houston Astros award winners and league leaders
- List of Houston Astros team records
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career bases on balls leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career on-base percentage leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career OPS leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career slugging percentage leaders
- List of Rice University people
- St. Louis Cardinals award winners and league leaders
References
- ^ "Career Leaders & Records for On-Base Plus Slugging".
- ^ Antunes, Anderson. "The 30 Most Generous Celebrities". Forbes. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ "San Antonio Express-News, Archives | mySA.com". Nl.newsbank.com. June 15, 1996. Retrieved April 3, 2013. (subscription required)
- ^ "NewsBank for Statesman | www.prod.statesman.com". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ a b "William Lance BERKMAN: SweAme". Swedesintexas.com. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ Wild, Danny (October 16, 2009). "Path of the Pros: Lance Berkman". MLB.com. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
- ^ "Rice University Records" (PDF). Retrieved August 3, 2010.
- ^ "Lance Berkman, 37, retires after 16 big league seasons". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ "2023 CCBL Hall of Fame Class Announced". capecodbaseball.org. June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ Duarte, Joseph (October 12, 2014). "Berkman's back in the game as a student at Rice". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ "Astros Legend Lance Berkman Inducted into College HOF". Climbing Tal's Hill. March 4, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ Perry, Dayn (December 23, 2012). "Remembering the 'Killer B's'". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- ^ "1999 Houston Astros: Batting, pitching, & fielding statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- ^ "2000 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Lance Berkman statistics & history". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Lance Berkman wants instant replay. "We have the technology," Archived June 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine The Faster Times
- ^ "Astros most comical moments". MLB.com.
- ^ "Tower of Twinkies power". Chicago Tribune. June 3, 2003.
- ^ Footer, Alyson (June 2, 2004). "Berkman NL Player of the Month". MLB.com. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
- ^ "Home Run Derby (2000–2008)". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
- ^ Antonen, Mel (July 12, 2004). "Tejada blasts way to victory in Derby". USA Today. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ Footer, Alyson (March 19, 2005). "Astros, Berkman reach six-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved August 1, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Lance Berkman Pink Louisville Slugger Bat for Breast Cancer Awareness Big Time Bats
- ^ "BASEBALL: NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP; Peavy Is Dominant As Padres Rout Reds". The New York Times. September 14, 2006. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
- ^ "Houston Astros Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
- ^ Lance Berkman Player Profiles
- ^ Molony, Jim (November 20, 2006). "Berkman finishes third in MVP voting". Major League Baseball. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
- ^ Lance Berkman's long slump. Letterman books a real star. SportsJustice, by Richard Justice
- ^ Splash Hits List MLB.com
- ^ Leach, Matthew (November 17, 2008). "Crowning achievement: Pujols NL MVP | MLB.com: News". MLB.com. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
- ^ Ortiz, Jose de Jesus (June 14, 2009). "Berkman, Tejada put milestones to good use". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
- ^ "Yankees make Berkman Deal Official". Yankees.lhblogs.com. July 31, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
- ^ McTaggart, Brian (July 30, 2010). "Astros finalize Berkman deal with Yankees". Pressbox.mlb.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
- ^ Yankees decline options on Berkman, Wood, Johnson The LoHud Yankees Blog
- ^ "St. Louis Cardinals - "Berkman's Number" Commercial - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ Thriving Berkman marvels at Series' drama MLB.com
- ^ "Rangers Reach Deal With Lance Berkman". CBS Dallas/Fort Worth. January 5, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "Texas Rangers decline $12 million contract option for Lance Berkman". Dallas Morning News. Associated Press. October 31, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ Durrent, Richard (January 29, 2014). "Lance Berkman decides to retire". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ "Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt retire". ESPN.com. April 5, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
- ^ "Berkman has dreams of coaching at UT". MLB.com. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
- ^ "Wayne Graham on Lance Berkman: 'A great legacy'". Ultimate Astros. January 29, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ^ "Former Astros great Lance Berkman hired as Second Baptist baseball coach". Sports Update. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
- ^ "Berkman, Oswalt fall off Hall of Fame ballot". MLB.com. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ^ "Baseball". Archived from the original on May 31, 2021.
- ^ "Astros legend Lance Berkman named head baseball coach at Houston Baptist University". www.abc13.com. ABC. May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Lance Berkman Athletic Celebrity Marketing
- ^ Berkman plays despite sore hand MLB.com
- ^ Stark, Jayson. "Really fun record for most consecutive years homering on the same date in the regular season". The Athletic. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ "Berkman's Just Fine As Is". chron.com. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
- ^ "Faith and America's Favorite Pastime". chron.com. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
- ^ "Lance Berkman: True Satisfaction – The 700 Club". Cbn.com. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ Baldwin, Tony. "Berkman is clutch both on and off the field". EveryJoe. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
- ^ Pollock, Bill (April 18, 2012). "Berkman makes Forbes' list of 30 Most Generous Celebrities". MissouriNet. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
- ^ "Lance Berkman to donate fire truck to West". Houston Chronicle. July 4, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ "Lance Berkman appears in controversial ad over Houston's equal rights bill – For The Win". For The Win. September 25, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ^ "Annise Parker hits back at Lance Berkman for anti-HERO advertisement". Houston Chronicle. October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ^ Peralta, Eyder (November 4, 2015). "In Houston, Voters Reject A Closely Watched Equal Rights Ordinance". NPR. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ^ "The Z Report: I am partly responsible for the nickname "Big Puma"...well, kind of". chron.com. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
- ^ "Mailbag: Berkman the 'Big Puma?'". MLB.com. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
- ^ "Berkman enjoying fruits of labor". MLB.com. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
- ^ "Little Puma Roster". Thelittlepumas.com. May 23, 2008. Archived from the original on June 3, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
- ^ "MLB Pro Blog: NLCS: Astros v Cardinals". Birth of the B's. Major League Baseball. October 19, 2005. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)