Brad Eldred

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Brad Eldred

Pittsburgh Pirates — No. 35
First Baseman
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
July 22, 2005 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Selected MLB statistics (through August 16,2006)
Avg	.221
RBI	27
HR	12

Bradley Ross Eldred (born July 12, 1980 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL) is a first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nicknamed "Big Country" by Altoona Curve Teammates because of his size (6'5", 270 pounds) and his home run power.

Eldred was drafted by the Pirates out of Florida International University in the 6th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. In 2004, the Pirates named him their minor-league player of the year after he hit .301 with 38 home runs and 137 RBI for the A-level Lynchburg Hillcats and the AA Altoona Curve.

He made promoted to the Pirates' major league roster on July 21, 2005, after he hit .297 with 28 home runs and 75 RBI for the Curve and the Indianapolis Indians. With the Pirates, he hit .221 with 12 home runs and 77 strikeouts in 55 games. After the season was over, the Pirates sent him to play in the Arizona Fall League so he could work on his plate discipline.

Eldred got injured in the first week of the 2006 season, and was unable to play for the rest of the year. After a strong Spring Training in 2007, in which he began playing the outfield to increase his versatility, he was added to the Pirates' Opening Day Roster.