| MLB Player Profile: Lance Berkman |
| By Sally Haase June 23, 2011 After spending over a decade with the team that drafted him, the Houston Astros, Lance Berkman was traded to the New York Yankees to help the team with their playoff run. Had the Yankees made the World Series last season Berkman would have been the starting first baseman for the Series. In his ten plus years with the Astros, Berkman put up some pretty great numbers, he hit nearly .300 every year and has a career batting average of .297. When drafted by the Astros, Berkman was a first baseman, playing his entire college career at the bag. But with the veteran Jeff Bagwell rock solid at first for the Astros, the Astros needed to find a way to get Berkman in the line up, so he was turned into an outfielder. Berkman played solid defense in the outfield at Minute Maid Park with a few highlight reel plays. Once Bagwell retired, Berkman moved to first base where he played the rest of his career with the Astros. After the Yankees decided against renewing the option on Berkman’s contract, his first choice was to go back to the Astros, but the Astros declined and in stepped the Cardinals where Berkman has rejuvenated his career. Right now Berkman is the Cardinals leader in home runs (17) and RBI (51) and now with the Cardinals’ regular first baseman Albert Pujols out of the lineup for up to two months with a broken wrist, Berkman will likely take the bulk of the work at first base. With the numbers that Berkman is posting this season six weeks of him in the lineup everyday could be just what the struggling Cardinals need. |
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