Lance Berkman

Biography Scouting Report Berkman is a switch hitter that excels in hitting the ball to the opposite field. He is stronger batting left-handed and uses the short fence in left field at Minute Maid Park often. Hitting Berkman is one of the best, if not the best, switch-hitter in the game today. He has a great eye at the plate and rarely gets himself out, forcing opposing pitchers to work at retiring him. While it's no secret he fares better as a left-handed hitter, he's made strides from the right side of the plate in recent seasons. As a left-handed hitter he has power to all fields and is just as adept at lining doubles into the gaps as he is at popping the ball out of any part of any ballpark. He has excellent bat control and is willing to hit the ball where it's pitched, making him an extremely dangerous hitter. As a right-handed hitter he has as much raw power as any hitter in the game but has a hard time translating it to the field. Early in his career he struggled so much from the right side that there was talk that he should stick to hitting left-handed, but he's recently squashed those talks. He's become more adept at going to right field but his home run power remains almost strictly to left. When he does get ahold of one he can hit some tape measure shots. Like any hitter, Berkman does have his weaknesses. He will chase high fastballs in almost any count and tends to chase pitches in the dirt when behind in the count. He has a hole inside when batting left-handed, but pitchers have to be nearly perfect when trying to hit that spot or he will punish the ball. Baserunning and Defense Tearing his ACL prior to the 2005 season might have actually helped Berkman on the bases. The injury caused him to slim down and lose weight, making him a little quicker on his feet after he fully recovered from the injury. He was never a burner but his speed is slightly above average. He'll never be a stolen base threat as his baserunning instincts leave something to be desired. He's essentially a station-to-station runner. Defensively, Berkman has been moved around quite a bit in his career. He played first base in college and throughout his minor league career but had to be moved due to Astros legend Jeff Bagwell being entrenched at that position. He was mostly relegated to the corner outfield spots where he was serviceable, but was forced into center field in 2002, where every fly ball was an adventure with him. When Bagwell's arthritic right shoulder cost him his career early in the 2005 season, Berkman took over at first base and figures to stick there for the rest of his career. Berkman has quickly readjusted to first base. He's a very quick fielder with soft hands and is great at digging low throws. His days in the outfield seem to have served him well as he shows tremendous range at the position. His arm is about average for right field and is therefore pretty strong for a first baseman. Outlook Berkman is one of the most overlooked and underrated hitters in the game today and has the tools to average 40 or more home runs per season as well as a .300 average every season. Statistics <stats> Player=Lance Berkman Type=Batting </stats> Batting Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP +--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+ 1999 23 HOU NL 34 93 10 22 2 0 4 15 5 1 12 21 .237 .321 .387 83 36 0 1 0 0 2 2000 24 HOU NL 114 353 76 105 28 1 21 67 6 2 56 73 .297 .388 .561 130 198 0 7 1 1 6 RoY-6 2001 25 HOU NL 156 577 110 191 55 5 34 126 7 9 92 121 .331 .430 .620 162 358 0 6 5 13 8 MVP-5,AS 2002 26 HOU NL 158 578 106 169 35 2 42 128 8 4 107 118 .292 .405 .578 152 334 0 3 20 4 10 MVP-3,AS 2003 27 HOU NL 153 538 110 155 35 6 25 93 5 3 107 108 .288 .412 .515 137 277 1 3 13 9 10 2004 28 HOU NL 160 544 104 172 40 3 30 106 9 7 127 101 .316 .450 .566 161 308 0 6 14 10 10 MVP-7,AS 2005 29 HOU NL 132 468 76 137 34 1 24 82 4 1 91 72 .293 .411 .524 146 245 0 2 12 4 18 MVP-14 2006 30 HOU NL 152 536 95 169 29 0 45 136 3 2 98 106 .315 .420 .621 161 333 0 8 22 4 11 MVP-3,AS 2007 31 HOU NL 153 561 95 156 24 2 34 102 7 3 94 125 .278 .386 .510 128 286 0 5 11 8 11 +--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+ 9 Seasons 1212 4248 782 1276 282 20 259 855 54 32 784 845 .300 .412 .559 147 2375 1 41 98 53 86 +--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+ 162 Game Avg 568 105 171 38 3 35 114 7 4 105 113 .300 .412 .559 147 317 0 5 13 7 11 Career High 160 578 110 191 55 6 45 136 9 9 127 125 .331 .450 .621 162 358 1 8 22 13 18 References Related Articles

Template:Hall of Fame Voting Lance Berkman http://houston.astros.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_400058.jpg Position: First Base/Outfield Team: Houston Astros Uniform Number: [[17 (uniform number)|17) Years in League: 9 Age: 31 Height: 6'1" Weight: 205 lbs Bats: Switch Throws: Left College: Rice University Selection: 1st round, 16th pick of the 1997 amateur draft Drafted By: Houston Astros Major League Debut: July 16, 1999 Salary: (2007) $14,500,000 Date of Birth: February 10, 1976 Place of Birth: Waco, Texas