| Brooks Conrad | |
|---|---|
Conrad with the Braves in 2009 |
|
| Free Agent | |
| Second baseman / Third baseman | |
| Born: January 16, 1980 San Diego, California |
|
| Bats: Switch | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 21, 2008 for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Career statistics (through 2011 season) |
|
| Batting average | .229 |
| Home runs | 14 |
| Runs batted in | 56 |
| Teams | |
Brooks Litchfield Conrad (born January 16, 1980 in San Diego, California), nicknamed "Raw Dog",[1] is a Major League Baseball second baseman, third baseman, and pinch hitter who is currently a free agent.
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Conrad is a graduate of Monte Vista High School.[2] He was a member of the Arizona State baseball team from 1999-2001.[3] He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the eighth round (236th pick) of the 2001 Draft.[4] He played with the Astros AAA team the Round Rock Express. Conrad played in the Houston Astros organization from 2001-2007 before becoming a minor league free agent after the 2007 season.
Conrad signed with the Oakland Athletics organization prior to the 2008 season. He was called up to play with the A's against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 21, 2008. He became a free agent at the end of the season and signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Atlanta Braves on November 18.
On July 3, 2009, Conrad hit his first major league home run - a 3-run shot as a pinch-hitter in the Braves 9-8 win over the Washington Nationals after being called up from AAA Gwinnett.[5] On July 7, 2009, Conrad hit his first career Major League triple off of Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano. On September 1, 2009, Conrad was called back up to the Atlanta Braves
Brooks Conrad's 2010 season consisted of extreme highs and even lower lows.
Fans lauded him for frequently picking up clutch hits at the end of games, but shunned him for defensive miscues at the end of the season and postseason.
On May 20, 2010, Conrad came to the plate with one out, the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, with the Braves trailing 9-6. He hit a walk off grand slam against Cincinnati Reds' pitcher, Francisco Cordero, to cap an eight run comeback for his team.
On June 12, 2010, dropped down an eventual game winning suicide squeeze bunt to score Gregor Blanco in the 9th inning against the Minnesota Twins.
On July 24, 2010, Conrad hit his second go-ahead grand slam of the year, in the 8th inning against Burke Badenhop of the Florida Marlins. The Braves went on to win, 10-5.
On August 10, 2010, with a runner on first and no outs in the top of the 9th, Conrad hit a two run homer to put the Braves ahead of the Houston Astros, 3-2, in a game that the Braves would go on to win.
On August 13, 2010, Brooks hit his final game winning home run of the season. This one came in the bottom of the 7th, against Hiroki Kuroda of the Los Angeles Dodgers.[6]
In game three of the 2010 NLDS, Brooks Conrad made three errors in a loss to the San Francisco Giants, who would eventually go on to win the World Series. His first error, in the second inning, let in a Giants' run. His third error was far more important. After Eric Hinske hit a memorable two-run, eight-inning pinch-hit home run to put the Braves ahead by one run, Conrad had a ball go between his legs in the top of the ninth. This error allowed the game-winning run to score. The Giants took a 2-1 series-lead.
Conrad's three errors tied a Division Series record.
This horrifying game ended the season for Conrad, who would be benched the following game. He was replaced by veteran third baseman Troy Glaus in game four, a series-clinching win for the Giants. The infielder committed eight errors in his final seven games of the year. [7]
Despite the disappointment of the postseason from the year before, Conrad returned as a member of the Atlanta Braves for the 2011 season in the same utility role he served in the season before.
On May 1st in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Conrad came off the bench to hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Braves a 6-5 victory.
Later in the month on May 25th in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Conrad launched a go-ahead and ultimately game-winning 2-run homer in the 11th inning. It was Conrad's fifth career pinch-hit homer and also his fifth career game-winning hit.