Marcus Giles
| Marcus Giles | ||
|---|---|---|
Runs batted in | 333 | |
| Teams | ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
Marcus William Giles (born May 18, 1978) is a former
Career
Giles was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 53rd round of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft and made his major league debut in 2001. He hit a grand slam for his first career home run off Mike Hampton of the Colorado Rockies.[1] He became the first Braves player in 24 years to have his first MLB home run be a grand slam.[2] Despite usually having success during his opportunities in majors, he spent the next two years shuttling between Atlanta and their Triple-A affiliate in Richmond. In 2002, his year was marred by a severe ankle sprain in May, and the death of his premature daughter, Lundyn Mae. Giles lost his second base starting job to the injury and, shortly after returning, was demoted to Richmond. He did not play in Atlanta again until August.
In
In 2004, Giles was poised to wage a campaign similar to 2003 but, on May 15, 2004, against the Milwaukee Brewers, while drifting way back into center field to catch a pop fly, he collided with center fielder Andruw Jones. Giles suffered a broken collarbone, a concussion, and a bruised right wrist and did not play again until July 15, 2004, missing 52 games.
Giles avoided fluke injuries in 2005 and was able to again be a consistent contributor for the Braves. He doubled 45 times (second most in the National League), scored a career high 104 runs, and was 16 for 19 in stolen base attempts.
With the departure of shortstop Rafael Furcal in late 2005, the Braves moved Giles to the lead-off position in the lineup for the 2006 season. By the end of the season, Giles had become vocal in his objections over batting leadoff. His .262 average was his lowest since becoming a starter.
Giles was hospitalized in Philadelphia on September 2, 2006, after experiencing pain in his chest and abdomen.
In a cost-cutting measure, and due to a decline of production, the Braves non-tendered Giles on December 12, making him a free agent.[7]
He signed a one-year deal with the Padres before the 2007 season, but did not live up to expectations and was waived on October 26, 2007.
Due to a poor performance in 2007, Giles could not get a major league contract and settled for a minor league deal with the
On January 6, 2009, he signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.[9] He did not make the team, and was released on March 30.[10]
In 792 games over seven seasons, Giles compiled a .277
Personal life
Giles and his ex-wife, Tracy, have 3 daughters.
References
- ^ Rockies/Braves Marcus Giles Grand Slam. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11.
- ^ "2002 Topps baseball card # 637".
- ^ "Marcus Giles Statistics and History – Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ^ "Braves' Giles sent home to test for heart valve defect". 4 September 2006.
- ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060902&content_id=1642714&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl&partnered=rss_atl [dead link]
- ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060904&content_id=1645664&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb [dead link]
- ^ "Braves make no offers to Giles, Reitsma | ajc.com". Archived from the original on 2006-12-14.
- ^ "Dodgers Almost Sign Marcus Giles".
- ^ "Phillies sign veteran 2B Giles". Yahoo! Sports. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
- ^ Phillies release Giles Archived 2009-04-01 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs