Michael Bourn
Encyclopedia
Michael Ray Bourn is a professional baseball
outfielder with the Atlanta Braves
of Major League Baseball
. He serves as the Atlanta Braves
leadoff hitter. He has also been a member of the United States national baseball team
.
Bourn was raised in Houston, where he attended Nimitz High School
, graduating in 2000. He later played college baseball at Houston
as a scholarship player, before being drafted into the Major League. In 2009 and in 2010, Bourn won consecutive Gold Glove Awards
.
, where he played for three seasons. While he displayed little power, collecting only two home runs and 23 extra-base hits in 644 at-bats, he won attention from professional scouts by posting a .431 on-base percentage and stealing
90 bases in 119 attempts.
In June of , immediately following his junior year season, Bourn was drafted in the 4th round (115th overall) of baseball's first-year player draft by the Philadelphia Phillies
, who were attempting that season to stockpile players with speed. Bourn signed shortly after the draft and was assigned to play for the Batavia Muckdogs
of the short-season New York - Penn League
.
In , Bourn broke out as a legitimate major league prospect with an outstanding season as the starting center fielder for the Lakewood BlueClaws
of the Low-A South Atlantic League
. Bourn ended the season with a .433 on-base percentage and an OPS
of .903, earning 85 bases on balls in 109 games. He also stole 57 bases in 63 attempts – a success rate of over ninety percent. Following the season, he was named to Baseball America's
Top Ten Prospects list for the Phillies organization.
Bourn was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
of the International League
late in July . In early September 2006, Bourn took a brief hiatus from his professional obligations to play for the USA Olympic qualifying team, for whom he hit two home runs to help Team USA defeat Cuba
in the gold-medal game. Bourn was then promoted to the expanded major league roster. He was sent to home plate to bat only 11 times during the month of September, but was used frequently as a pinch runner
as the Phillies competed for the National League's
wild card
position (ultimately coming up two games short) to the Los Angeles Dodgers
. Disappointingly, he stole only one base in three attempts during the month, and was memorably tagged out after accidentally oversliding second base on a steal attempt in a late-season loss against the Washington Nationals
on September 26, 2006.
After a strong performance during spring training
in , Bourn won a position on the Phillies' major league roster to begin the year. He was used sparingly, appearing primarily as a frequent defensive replacement in left field
for Pat Burrell
.
On July 27, Bourn was in the Phillies' starting lineup for the first time due to injuries to both Chase Utley
and Aaron Rowand
, and had his first 4-hit game in an 8–1 rout of the Pirates, in which he scored two runs.
Bourn was third among all NL rookies with 18 stolen bases, and was caught only once. He batted .277.
On July 15, 2007, Bourn hit his first career home run as the Phillies recorded their 10,000th franchise loss by losing to the St. Louis Cardinals
10–2.
and Michael Costanzo to the Houston Astros for Brad Lidge
and Eric Bruntlett
. Houston's General Manager, Ed Wade
, declared Bourn as the 2008 Astros' leadoff hitter and starting center fielder, effectively moving Hunter Pence
to right field.
Bourn stole 41 bases in 2008. Among players who had enough plate appearance
s to qualify, Bourn's OPS
was the worst in the Majors in 2008. He finished the season with a .229 batting average and a major league-low .288 on-base percentage and a major league-low OPS of .588, while striking out 111 times in his 467 at-bats.
In 2009 spring training, Bourn led all players in steals, with 13, while being caught twice. Bourn had a major turnaround year, as he finished with 61 stolen bases, which was tops in the National League and second in the Majors only to the 70 steals by Jacoby Ellsbury
, to go along with a .285 BA and a .354 OBP in 157 games, as well as 27 doubles and 12 triples (tied for second most in the Majors with Stephen Drew
) in 606 ABs. Bourn's OPS went from .588 in 2008 to .738 in 2009, which was the eighth best improvement in the Majors. His much improved play prompted former manager Cecil Cooper
to informally name him the club MVP before he was fired. The Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America
formally named Bourn the Astros 2009 team MVP shortly after the end of the season.
Changing his uniform number to 21, Bourn followed up his breakout season with another successful year in 2010, being elected to the National League All-Star team and was in the outfield when the final out of the game was recorded. Bourn suffered an oblique injury on September 19 while swinging at a pitch, causing him to miss the final 3 weeks of the season. He finished the year hitting .265 with a .341 on-base percentage and a .346 slugging percentage. He won a Fielding Bible Award
for his statistically-based defensive excellence in center field during the year. He was later awarded his second consecutive Gold Glove award
on November 10.
for Jordan Schafer
, Brett Oberholtzer, Paul Clemens
and Juan Abreu
.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
outfielder with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
of Major League Baseball
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...
. He serves as the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
leadoff hitter. He has also been a member of the United States national baseball team
United States national baseball team
The United States National Baseball team represents the United States in international baseball competition. The United States has won the previous two Baseball World Cups, having lost this title to the Netherlands in 2011, and is currently second in the IBAF World Rankings, behind Cuba.The team...
.
Bourn was raised in Houston, where he attended Nimitz High School
Nimitz High School (Harris County, Texas)
Chester W. Nimitz Senior High School is a public secondary school made up of two campuses located in unincorporated Harris County, Texas. The campuses have Houston addresses...
, graduating in 2000. He later played college baseball at Houston
Houston Cougars baseball
The Houston Cougars baseball team is the college baseball team of the University of Houston.Along with the university's other athletic teams, the baseball team is a member of the Conference USA as a Division I team. They play their home games at Cougar Field. In addition to numerous NCAA...
as a scholarship player, before being drafted into the Major League. In 2009 and in 2010, Bourn won consecutive Gold Glove Awards
Rawlings Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
.
Collegiate career
Bourn earned an NCAA Division I baseball scholarship at the University of HoustonUniversity of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, where he played for three seasons. While he displayed little power, collecting only two home runs and 23 extra-base hits in 644 at-bats, he won attention from professional scouts by posting a .431 on-base percentage and stealing
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
90 bases in 119 attempts.
Philadelphia Phillies (2003-2007)
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...
, who were attempting that season to stockpile players with speed. Bourn signed shortly after the draft and was assigned to play for the Batavia Muckdogs
Batavia Muckdogs
The Batavia Muckdogs are a minor league baseball team based in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. The Muckdogs are the current Short-Season A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals...
of the short-season New York - Penn League
New York - Penn League
The New York – Penn League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the northeastern United States. It is classified as a "Short-Season A" league; its season starts in June, after major-league teams have signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ends in early...
.
In , Bourn broke out as a legitimate major league prospect with an outstanding season as the starting center fielder for the Lakewood BlueClaws
Lakewood BlueClaws
The Lakewood BlueClaws are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the South Atlantic League, a Class Single-A baseball league. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Park located in Lakewood Township, New Jersey...
of the Low-A South Atlantic League
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...
. Bourn ended the season with a .433 on-base percentage and an OPS
On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League...
of .903, earning 85 bases on balls in 109 games. He also stole 57 bases in 63 attempts – a success rate of over ninety percent. Following the season, he was named to Baseball America's
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
Top Ten Prospects list for the Phillies organization.
Bourn was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees are a professional minor league baseball club located based in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area. They currently play in the International League's Northern Division and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball club...
of 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...
late in July . In early September 2006, Bourn took a brief hiatus from his professional obligations to play for the USA Olympic qualifying team, for whom he hit two home runs to help Team USA defeat Cuba
Cuba national baseball team
The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...
in the gold-medal game. Bourn was then promoted to the expanded major league roster. He was sent to home plate to bat only 11 times during the month of September, but was used frequently as a pinch runner
Pinch runner
A pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted...
as the Phillies competed for the National League's
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
position (ultimately coming up two games short) to the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los 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...
. Disappointingly, he stole only one base in three attempts during the month, and was memorably tagged out after accidentally oversliding second base on a steal attempt in a late-season loss against the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
on September 26, 2006.
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in , Bourn won a position on the Phillies' major league roster to begin the year. He was used sparingly, appearing primarily as a frequent defensive replacement in left field
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
for Pat Burrell
Pat Burrell
Patrick Brian "Pat" Burrell , nicknamed "Pat the Bat," is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He stands tall and weighs . He bats and throws right-handed...
.
On July 27, Bourn was in the Phillies' starting lineup for the first time due to injuries to both Chase Utley
Chase Utley
Chase Cameron Utley is a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. A native of the Greater Los Angeles area, he was raised in the city of Long Beach. He was a star baseball player at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, before moving on to UCLA...
and Aaron Rowand
Aaron Rowand
Aaron Ryan Rowand is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who has played for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies. He was released by the Giants in September 2011.-Early life and college career:...
, and had his first 4-hit game in an 8–1 rout of the Pirates, in which he scored two runs.
Bourn was third among all NL rookies with 18 stolen bases, and was caught only once. He batted .277.
On July 15, 2007, Bourn hit his first career home run as the Phillies recorded their 10,000th franchise loss by losing to the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
10–2.
Houston Astros (2008-2011)
On November 7, 2007 Bourn was traded along with Geoff GearyGeoff Geary
Geoffrey Michael Geary is a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently a reliever for the York Revolution of the Atlantic League.-Biography:...
and Michael Costanzo to the Houston Astros for Brad Lidge
Brad Lidge
Bradley Thomas "Brad" Lidge is a reliever who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "Lights Out", he is the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings among pitchers with at least 200 appearances in their career...
and Eric Bruntlett
Eric Bruntlett
Eric Kevin Bruntlett is a retired Major League Baseball utility player who last played in the New York Yankees organization. He was known for his defensive versatility; he usually played second base or shortstop, but has also played left field. Bruntlett played every position except for catcher...
. Houston's General Manager, Ed Wade
Ed Wade
Ed Wade is the former General Manager of the Houston Astros.-Early career in baseball:Wade started his baseball career in 1977 as an intern in the Phillies public relations department. In 1977, he was named public relations assistant for the Astros and was promoted to public relations director in...
, declared Bourn as the 2008 Astros' leadoff hitter and starting center fielder, effectively moving Hunter Pence
Hunter Pence
Hunter Andrew Pence is a Major League Baseball outfielder with the Philadelphia Phillies. Pence stands tall and weighs . He bats and throws right-handed.-Early life:...
to right field.
Bourn stole 41 bases in 2008. Among players who had enough plate appearance
Plate appearance
In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance each time he completes a turn batting. A player completes a turn batting when: He strikes out or is declared out before reaching first base; or He reaches first base safely or is awarded first base ; or He hits a fair ball which...
s to qualify, Bourn's OPS
On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League...
was the worst in the Majors in 2008. He finished the season with a .229 batting average and a major league-low .288 on-base percentage and a major league-low OPS of .588, while striking out 111 times in his 467 at-bats.
In 2009 spring training, Bourn led all players in steals, with 13, while being caught twice. Bourn had a major turnaround year, as he finished with 61 stolen bases, which was tops in the National League and second in the Majors only to the 70 steals by Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ; born September 11, 1983) is an American professional baseball center fielder with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball....
, to go along with a .285 BA and a .354 OBP in 157 games, as well as 27 doubles and 12 triples (tied for second most in the Majors with Stephen Drew
Stephen Drew
Stephen Oris Drew is a shortstop in Major League Baseball who plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is the younger brother of Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew and former major leaguer Tim Drew....
) in 606 ABs. Bourn's OPS went from .588 in 2008 to .738 in 2009, which was the eighth best improvement in the Majors. His much improved play prompted former manager Cecil Cooper
Cecil Cooper
Cecil Celester Cooper , nicknamed "Coop," is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball and the former manager of the Houston Astros. From through , Cooper played for the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers...
to informally name him the club MVP before he was fired. The Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America
Baseball Writers Association of America
The Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...
formally named Bourn the Astros 2009 team MVP shortly after the end of the season.
Changing his uniform number to 21, Bourn followed up his breakout season with another successful year in 2010, being elected to the National League All-Star team and was in the outfield when the final out of the game was recorded. Bourn suffered an oblique injury on September 19 while swinging at a pitch, causing him to miss the final 3 weeks of the season. He finished the year hitting .265 with a .341 on-base percentage and a .346 slugging percentage. He won a Fielding Bible Award
Fielding Bible Award
A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each fielding position in Major League Baseball based on statistical analysis. John Dewan and Baseball Info Solutions conduct the annual selection process...
for his statistically-based defensive excellence in center field during the year. He was later awarded his second consecutive Gold Glove award
Rawlings Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
on November 10.
Atlanta Braves (2011-present)
Prior to the trade deadline, Bourn was traded to the Atlanta BravesAtlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
for Jordan Schafer
Jordan Schafer
Jordan James Schafer is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the Houston Astros.-Baseball career:...
, Brett Oberholtzer, Paul Clemens
Paul Clemens (baseball)
Paul Clemens is a pitcher who is currently on the Houston Astros 40 man roster.-Professional career:Clemens was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft...
and Juan Abreu
Juan Abreu
Juan Abreu is a right-handed baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros.-Baseball career:Abreu was signed as a minor league free agent by the Atlanta Braves before the 2010 season after being in the Kansas City Royals organization, reaching no higher than the AA level of their minor league...
.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases