Brian Giles
Encyclopedia
Brian Stephen Giles (born January 20, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball
outfielder
. During his career he played for the Cleveland Indians
, Pittsburgh Pirates
and San Diego Padres
. The left-handed
Giles was a two-time All-Star
and had a career line of .291/.400/.502 with 287 home run
s, 411 doubles
, 1,078 RBIs
, and 1,183 walks in 1,847 games.
His younger brother, Marcus Giles
, is a former Major League infielder
who most recently played in the Philadelphia Phillies
organization.
, and attended Granite Hills High School. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians
in the 17th round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft
. By , Giles had worked his way up to Triple-A, where he batted
.313 for Charlotte
making the International League
All-Star team. In , Giles was again in Triple-A, where he batted .310 for Buffalo
and made his major league debut as a September callup on September 16. He was also an American Association
All-Star. Giles hit .355 in 51 games for the Indians in and hit .314 in 83 games with Buffalo, again making the American Association All-Star team. In , Giles established himself as a major league regular, playing 130 games for the Indians and 112 games in .
for pitcher
Ricardo Rincón
.
In with the Pirates, Giles emerged as a power-hitting outfielder who also hit for average and showed plate discipline. He began a streak of four straight 30-homer seasons, during which he batted no lower than .298 and was named Pittsburgh Pirates Player of the Year each year.
Giles led club in doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs and walks. His 123 RBI were eight shy of Paul Waner's
club record of 131 set in . He became the first Pirate ever to hit at least .300 with 30 plus home runs and 100 plus RBIs in back-to-back seasons, he became the third player in club history with 100 runs, 100 RBIs and 100 walks in same season, Barry Bonds
in 1992 and Ralph Kiner
from 1948-51. His 114 walks were the most by a Pirate since 1992, Bonds with 127. Giles' 74 home runs in two seasons with club represent the most in back-to-back seasons since Willie Stargell
hit 77 in 1972-73. He was named National League Player-of-the-Week after hitting .400 with two doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI between May 2 to the 7 and shared Player-of-the-Week honors with Colorado's
Todd Helton
after hitting .523 with three doubles, one triple, three home runs, eight RBI and six runs scored between August 12 to the 20. Giles was named to All- Star team for first time in career. He finished 9th in voting among National League outfielders.
In Giles established career highs in games played, at bats, runs and hits. He tied career highs in doubles, triples and stolen bases. At the end of the season he ranked tenth among N.L. players in runs, on-base percentage, .404, and slugging percentage, .590. He led the Pirates in batting, home runs and walks. He tied Dave Parker's
club record for most total bases, 340, by a left-handed hitter. Giles hit his 100th career home run as a member of the Pirates on August 9, he is one of just 17 players to homer 100 times as a Pirate. He was selected to play in the All- Star Game for the second consecutive year.
Giles ranked second in the league in walks behind San Francisco's
Barry Bonds led with 198 in . He also established the club record for most base on balls in a season by a left-handed batter. His .450 on-base percentage tied him for the second-best mark in the majors, he also ranked second in the league in slugging percentage with .622, sixth in home runs, second with 80 extra-base hits ranked second behind San Francisco's Jeff Kent
, tied for second in the league with 13 outfield assists and also finished third in the N.L. with 24 intentional walks. He homered once every 13.1 at bats, the third-best ratio in the league behind Bonds' 8.8 and Sammy Sosa's
11.3.
, Óliver Pérez
, and minor leaguer Corey Stewart.
From -, Giles played in over 150 games each season for the Padres, but in 2006, his batting average dropped to a career-low .263. On May 14, 2006, he drew 5 walks in a game, one shy of the record of 6. In , joined by his brother Marcus
, signed as a free agent
to be the starting second baseman
, Giles batted .271, but missed time with an injured knee.
In , Giles, in the third and final guaranteed year of his contract with the Padres, vetoed a potential trade to Boston
, citing a desire to remain close to his family In 2008, 58% of his strikeouts were "looking," by far the highest percentage in the major leagues.http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2008-pitches-batting.shtml
In 2009, through July 1 Giles had the lowest batting average (.191), slugging percentage (.271), and OPS (.548) in the major leagues.http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?sort=slugAvg&split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&type=reg&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&minpa=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&qual=true&count=161 However, he went on the disabled list soon afterward with an arthritic right knee and missed the rest of the season.
and received an invitation to spring training. However, after playing in just two spring training games as a designated hitter
, he announced his retirement on March 11, 2010.
. She dropped the allegations that Giles caused the miscarriage before the trial began. A jury found that both Giles and his girlfriend, Cheri Olvera, committed acts of domestic violence against each other but that there were no damages. The jury also refused to award damages on Olvera's contract claim, finding that Olvera's alleged terms were not clear enough so that both Olvera and Giles could understand what each was required to do. Instead, the jury found that Olvera must return the $107,000 engagement ring Giles provided to her or pay the $107,000 as damages.
Giles is a frequent guest on the show Live At Five
, and is known by the nickname "Gilly".
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. During his career he played for the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. The left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
Giles was a two-time All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
and had a career line of .291/.400/.502 with 287 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, 411 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 1,078 RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, and 1,183 walks in 1,847 games.
His younger brother, Marcus Giles
Marcus Giles
Marcus William Giles is a former Major League Baseball player. He played second base and batted right-handed. His older brother, Brian Giles, was an outfielder who also played in the Major Leagues.-Career:...
, is a former Major League infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
who most recently played in the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
organization.
Cleveland Indians
Giles was born in El Cajon, CaliforniaEl Cajon, California
-History:El Cajon is located on the Rancho El Cajon Mexican land grant made in 1845 to María Antonia Estudillo, wife of Miguel Pedrorena. In 1876 Amaziah Lord Knox , a New Englander who had recently moved to California, established a hotel there to serve the growing number of people traveling...
, and attended Granite Hills High School. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in the 17th round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft
1989 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1989 Major League Baseball draft.-Supplemental first round selections:-External links:*...
. By , Giles had worked his way up to Triple-A, where he batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.313 for Charlotte
Charlotte Knights
The Charlotte Knights are a minor league baseball team representing Charlotte, North Carolina. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox of the American League...
making the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
All-Star team. In , Giles was again in Triple-A, where he batted .310 for Buffalo
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
and made his major league debut as a September callup on September 16. He was also an American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
All-Star. Giles hit .355 in 51 games for the Indians in and hit .314 in 83 games with Buffalo, again making the American Association All-Star team. In , Giles established himself as a major league regular, playing 130 games for the Indians and 112 games in .
Pittsburgh Pirates
On November 18, 1998, he was traded to the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
for pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Ricardo Rincón
Ricardo Rincón
Ricardo Rincón Espinoza was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher.Rincón was a left-handed specialist who spent nearly his entire career as a middle reliever and setup pitcher. In his 10-year career, Rincón never started a game and only accumulated 21 saves...
.
In with the Pirates, Giles emerged as a power-hitting outfielder who also hit for average and showed plate discipline. He began a streak of four straight 30-homer seasons, during which he batted no lower than .298 and was named Pittsburgh Pirates Player of the Year each year.
Giles led club in doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs and walks. His 123 RBI were eight shy of Paul Waner's
Paul Waner
Paul Glee Waner , nicknamed "Big Poison", was a German-American Major League Baseball right fielder.-Pittsburgh Pirates:...
club record of 131 set in . He became the first Pirate ever to hit at least .300 with 30 plus home runs and 100 plus RBIs in back-to-back seasons, he became the third player in club history with 100 runs, 100 RBIs and 100 walks in same season, Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
in 1992 and Ralph Kiner
Ralph Kiner
Ralph McPherran Kiner is an American former Major League Baseball player and has been an announcer for the New York Mets since the team's inception. Though injuries forced his retirement from active play after 10 seasons, Kiner's tremendous slugging outpaced nearly all of his National League...
from 1948-51. His 114 walks were the most by a Pirate since 1992, Bonds with 127. Giles' 74 home runs in two seasons with club represent the most in back-to-back seasons since Willie Stargell
Willie Stargell
Wilver Dornell "Willie" Stargell , nicknamed "Pops" in the later years of his career, was a Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
hit 77 in 1972-73. He was named National League Player-of-the-Week after hitting .400 with two doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI between May 2 to the 7 and shared Player-of-the-Week honors with Colorado's
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
Todd Helton
Todd Helton
Todd Lynn Helton is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Colorado Rockies. He is a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, four-time National League Player of the Month, and three-time Gold Glove winner....
after hitting .523 with three doubles, one triple, three home runs, eight RBI and six runs scored between August 12 to the 20. Giles was named to All- Star team for first time in career. He finished 9th in voting among National League outfielders.
In Giles established career highs in games played, at bats, runs and hits. He tied career highs in doubles, triples and stolen bases. At the end of the season he ranked tenth among N.L. players in runs, on-base percentage, .404, and slugging percentage, .590. He led the Pirates in batting, home runs and walks. He tied Dave Parker's
Dave Parker
David Gene "The Cobra" Parker is an American former player in Major League Baseball. He was the 1978 National League MVP and a two-time batting champion. Parker was the first professional athlete to earn an average of one million dollars per year, having signed a 5-year, $5 million dollar contract...
club record for most total bases, 340, by a left-handed hitter. Giles hit his 100th career home run as a member of the Pirates on August 9, he is one of just 17 players to homer 100 times as a Pirate. He was selected to play in the All- Star Game for the second consecutive year.
Giles ranked second in the league in walks behind San Francisco's
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
Barry Bonds led with 198 in . He also established the club record for most base on balls in a season by a left-handed batter. His .450 on-base percentage tied him for the second-best mark in the majors, he also ranked second in the league in slugging percentage with .622, sixth in home runs, second with 80 extra-base hits ranked second behind San Francisco's Jeff Kent
Jeff Kent
Jeffrey Franklin Kent is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman. Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader in home runs among second basemen...
, tied for second in the league with 13 outfield assists and also finished third in the N.L. with 24 intentional walks. He homered once every 13.1 at bats, the third-best ratio in the league behind Bonds' 8.8 and Sammy Sosa's
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
11.3.
San Diego Padres
On August 26, , he was traded to his hometown San Diego Padres for Jason BayJason Bay
Jason Raymond Bay is a Canadian professional baseball player. An outfielder, he currently plays for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball...
, Óliver Pérez
Oliver Pérez
Óliver Pérez Martínez is a left-handed pitcher currently in the Washington Nationals organization.-San Diego Padres:...
, and minor leaguer Corey Stewart.
From -, Giles played in over 150 games each season for the Padres, but in 2006, his batting average dropped to a career-low .263. On May 14, 2006, he drew 5 walks in a game, one shy of the record of 6. In , joined by his brother Marcus
Marcus Giles
Marcus William Giles is a former Major League Baseball player. He played second base and batted right-handed. His older brother, Brian Giles, was an outfielder who also played in the Major Leagues.-Career:...
, signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
to be the starting second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
, Giles batted .271, but missed time with an injured knee.
In , Giles, in the third and final guaranteed year of his contract with the Padres, vetoed a potential trade to Boston
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, citing a desire to remain close to his family In 2008, 58% of his strikeouts were "looking," by far the highest percentage in the major leagues.http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2008-pitches-batting.shtml
In 2009, through July 1 Giles had the lowest batting average (.191), slugging percentage (.271), and OPS (.548) in the major leagues.http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?sort=slugAvg&split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&type=reg&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&minpa=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&qual=true&count=161 However, he went on the disabled list soon afterward with an arthritic right knee and missed the rest of the season.
Retirement
On February 7, 2010, Giles signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and received an invitation to spring training. However, after playing in just two spring training games as a designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
, he announced his retirement on March 11, 2010.
Personal
Giles was sued by his former girlfriend for more than $10 million. She alleged Giles broke an oral and/or implied agreement that he would take care of her for an indefinite period of time. She alleged Giles began abusing her in 2002, and battered her while she was pregnant with Giles’ child, and caused her to have a miscarriageMiscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
. She dropped the allegations that Giles caused the miscarriage before the trial began. A jury found that both Giles and his girlfriend, Cheri Olvera, committed acts of domestic violence against each other but that there were no damages. The jury also refused to award damages on Olvera's contract claim, finding that Olvera's alleged terms were not clear enough so that both Olvera and Giles could understand what each was required to do. Instead, the jury found that Olvera must return the $107,000 engagement ring Giles provided to her or pay the $107,000 as damages.
Giles is a frequent guest on the show Live At Five
Live at Five
Live at Five is a name used by several television stations in some countries to refer to their 5:00pm newscasts or talk shows.* The name was coined by WNBC-TV in New York City in 1980 for a lifestyle and celebrity news show...
, and is known by the nickname "Gilly".
See also
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- Top 100 MLB leaders in base on balls (walks)Top 100 MLB leaders in base on balls (walks)The following table lists the top 100 career base on balls leaders in the MLB.Bold denotes active players. Stats are updated through the 2011 season.-See also related lists:*Baseball statistics*Top 100 MLB leaders in base on balls allowed...