Dan Uggla
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| Florida Marlins — No. 6 | |
| Second Baseman | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
|---|---|
| April 4, 2006 for the Florida Marlins | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2006) |
|
| HR | 27 |
| BA | .282 |
| RBI | 90 |
Daniel Cooley Uggla (born March 11, 1980 in Louisville, Kentucky) is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the Florida Marlins. Uggla lost out to Hanley Ramirez of the Marlins for the 2006 NL Rookie of the year. Uggla finished third behind Ramirez and Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals.
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[edit] Early career
After graduating from Columbia Central High School in Columbia, TN, in 1998, Uggla attended the University of Memphis where after his junior season he was named an All-American by Baseball America, Baseball Weekly, and Collegiate Baseball.
[edit] Professional Career
[edit] Minor Leagues
Drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 11th Round (338th overall) of the 2001 amateur entry draft, Uggla spent five seasons in the Diamondbacks organization. He amassed a .276 career minor league batting average, .341 on-base percentage, and .443 slugging percentage, to go along with 64 home runs, 311 runs batted in, and 62 stolen bases. Although he was 25 years old, which would make him the same age as many AAA players, and moderately successful in 2005, he never advanced past the AA level.
Uggla was left off the Diamondback's 40-man roster in 2005, and the Marlins selected him in the Rule 5 Draft.
[edit] Florida Marlins
Starting the 2006 season with the Marlins, Uggla would get his first major league hit just one day later when he singled off Houston Astros pitcher Andy Pettitte.His first home run was on April 13 against San Diego Padres starter Dewon Brazelton. And his first stolen base was a steal of home plate against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 21.
Uggla was named to the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 2, 2006, as a reserve; he is believed to be the first player in history to be selected for the All-Star Game in the same season in which he had been a Rule 5 pick. [1]
On September 15, 2006, Uggla hit his 25th home run, breaking Joe Gordon's record for most home runs by a rookie second baseman. Because he received less publicity as a prospect than some of his fellow rookies in Major League Baseball, such as Prince Fielder, Ryan Zimmerman, and Nick Markakis, Uggla's display of power in the majors and his selection to the National League All-Star team caused him to suddenly draw more attention. [2] Throughout his rookie season, Marlins television announcers Rich Waltz and Tommy Hutton have exclaimed, "And his name is... DAN UGGLA!", when Uggla has hit home runs.
