Garrett Atkins
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| Colorado Rockies — No. 27 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born: December 12, 1979 Orange, California |
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| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| August 3, 2003 for the Colorado Rockies | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through May 15, 2008) |
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| Batting average | .305 |
| Home runs | 75 |
| Runs batted in | 358 |
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Garrett Bernard Atkins (born December 12, 1979 in Orange, California) has been the third baseman for the Major League Baseball team the Colorado Rockies since 2003. He bats and throws right-handed. As a hitter, Atkins has established himself as a key element to the Rockies' premier offense, which includes Matt Holliday, and team veteran, Todd Helton. In 2005, his 89 runs batted in led not only the Colorado Rockies, but all major league rookies as well. In 2006, Atkins had a breakout year and ranked in the top ten of nearly all batting categories in the National League, posting a .329 batting average with 120 runs batted in and 117 runs scored.
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[edit] High school career
Atkins attended University High School in Irvine, California. As a senior, he was named the Irvine World News All-City MVP, after posting a .557 batting average, along with a school single-season record 13 home runs.
[edit] College career
After being drafted by the New York Mets in 1997 out of high school, Atkins elected to attend college instead -- he was recruited by Pepperdine, USC, Oklahoma State, Cal State Fullerton and UCLA, choosing the latter. At UCLA, Atkins majored in sociology and became the first three-time All-American. He established himself as the premier freshman hitter in the school's history -- his accomplishments included compiling a 33-game hitting streak and batting cleanup just as many times. He began as a first baseman before converting to third base, where he made 51 starts in 1998. However, in 1999, his sophomore campaign, Atkins played first base again and led the team in hits. He was a teammate of Philadelphia Phillies' second baseman Chase Utley, and along with him, was one of only two Bruins to start every game. Atkins was drafted in 2000 out of UCLA by the Colorado Rockies in the fifth round (137th overall). This time, he chose to accept the offer from an MLB club and began the process of reaching the majors.
[edit] 2005 season
- In 2005, Atkins hit .287 with 13 home runs and 89 runs batted in.
- In June, Atkins was named the National League Rookie of the Month. He topped all NL rookies in hits (39), at-bats (107) and doubles (9), while compiling a .533 slugging average and .381 on-base percentage. His 26 RBI for the month were second-most in Colorado team history by a rookie, trailing only Todd Helton's 29 in August of 1998.
- An injury during spring training prior to the 2005 season opened the door for rookie Jeff Baker to play the first 12 games of his big league career.
- One of the main highlights of Atkins' young career occurred on June 28, 2005. He hit a game-winning grand slam off Houston Astros relief pitcher Russ Springer, in front of a home crowd at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.
Below are some other accomplishments:
- Finished 4th in NL in Rookie of the Year balloting.
- Unanimous selection at third base on the Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.
- Excelled with runners in scoring position, batting .309 with 74 RBI (home: .306, 39 RBI/road: .313, 35 RBI).
- Led the Rockies and all Major League rookies with 89 RBI, the fifth highest total by a National League rookie in the last 26 years.
- Became the first rookie in Rockies history to lead the club in RBI.
- Led NL rookies in total bases with 221.
- Led NL rookies in doubles with 31.
- Led NL rookies in extra-base hits with 45.
- Led NL rookies in walks with 45.
- Longest hitting streak by any Major League rookie and any Rockie in 2005 (16 games), tying the Rockies' rookie record.
- Tied for second in NL and tied Rockies' all-time record with two grand slams in one season, including a game-winner on June 28[1].
- Led Rockies and finished 8th in the NL by putting ball in play on 54.5% of his swings.
- One of the toughest 20 hitters to strike out in the NL.
- Five of his 13 home runs tied the game or gave the Rockies the lead.
- Led NL third basemen in zone rating and finished sixth in fielding percentage.
- Committed only one error in his last 40 games and none in his final 25 games.
- NL Rookie of the Month for June (.364, three home runs, nine doubles, 26 RBI).
- Batted .314 with 10 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 30 RBI in September/October.
- Finished tied for third in NL for RBI in June with 26.
- Finished second in NL and third in majors for RBI in September with 29, tying a Rockies' franchise record for most RBI in a month by a rookie.
- Hit safely in 32 of his last 36 games, batting .315 with 13 doubles, four home runs and 32 RBI during this stretch.
[edit] 2006 season
- Led MLB in runs produced with 208.
- Led MLB in batting average from the three-hole (.353).
- Finished fourth in the NL and 8th in MLB in batting average (.329).
- Finished fifth in NL in home batting average (.346) and ninth in NL in road batting average (.313).
- Finished fifth in the NL and tied for ninth in MLB in RBI (120).
- Excelled with runners in scoring position, batting .341 with 62 hits (second in MLB and 93 RBI (second in MLB).
- Only NL player in top 10 in batting average, hits, RBI, runs scored, on base percentage, and slugging percentage.
- One of four MLB players who batted .320+ with 20+ home runs, 100+ RBI and 100+ runs scored.
- One of five MLB players who hit 25+ home runs and more walks than strikeouts.
- Led Rockies in batting average and RBI.
- Among top five in MLB in most post-All-Star offensive categories, including batting average (.354, third), hits (102, tied for first), RBI (62, fifth), on base percentage (.437, second), slugging percentage (.625, fourth) and OPS (1.062, third).
- Two-time NL Player of the Week winner (4/3-4/8 and 9/26-10/1).
[edit] 2007 season
Hit .301 overall, batting .349 at mile-high Coors Field, but hit only .254 in away games. However, it should be noted that one of the reasons for any substantial differences in home and road splits for Rockies batters is that they have to make adjustments in how they see pitches away from Coors Field - particularly breaking balls, such as sliders and curve balls - since those pitches act differently at Coors Field than on the road.[1]
[edit] Awards and honors
- 2005 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team; 3B
- National League Rookie of the Month (June 2005)
[edit] Personal
Atkins' parents are Ron and Diana. His mom is a 14 year survivor of breast cancer; she beat it in 1994. He has a younger sister named Kristen. Atkins used to reside in Irvine, California during the off-season, before moving to the Denver area after the 2006 season. For the past four seasons, he has lived with teammate Matt Holliday and family during spring training, even serving as babysitter to Holliday's two young sons. One of Atkins' primary hobbies is golf.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Colorado Rockies official website - Biography and statistics
- ESPN - Profile and daily updates
- Baseball Reference - Statistics and analysis
- [www.mlb.com]- Mother's Day article
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ryan Church |
National League Rookie of the Month June 2005 |
Succeeded by Zach Duke |
| Preceded by Chad Tracy |
Topps Rookie All-Star Third Baseman 2005 |
Succeeded by Ryan Zimmerman |
