Brian Dopirak
Encyclopedia
Brian Allan Dopirak is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional baseball
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...

 first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

 who is a free agent.

High school

Dopirak attended Dunedin High School
Dunedin High School
Dunedin High School is a high school in Dunedin, Florida, U.S.A. It is operated by the Pinellas County Schools school district. The school mascot is Freddie the Falcon...

. He was originally selected by Chicago Cubs in the second round (56th overall) of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft
2002 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5.This year's draft is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book Moneyball.-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Compensation Selections:...

.

Chicago Cubs

Dopirak spent 2002, his first professional season, with the Arizona League Cubs batting .253 with no home runs and 6 runs. In 2003, Dopirak played for the Boise Hawks
Boise Hawks
The Boise Hawks are a minor league baseball team, located in Boise, Idaho. The team is currently a farm team for the Chicago Cubs and play in the Short-Season Class A Northwest League.-History:...

 of the Northwest League
Northwest League
The Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A-Short Season minor baseball league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...

, one of the Cubs Class-A level teams batting .240 while clubbing 13 home runs and 37 runs batted in. He was then promoted to another Class-A team the Lansing Lugnuts
Lansing Lugnuts
The Lansing Lugnuts are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays, that plays in the Midwest League.The Midwest League came to Lansing, Michigan in 1996. The franchise began in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1955; after two seasons it moved to Waterloo, Iowa, where it...

 of Midwest League
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...

, concluding the 2003 hitting another 2 more home runs. In 2004, he hit 39 homers and 120 RBIs with Lansing to go along with a .307 batting average.

After the 2004 season, Dopirak experienced injury problems. He hit below .300 and compiled only 35 home runs from 2005 to 2007. The Cubs designated Dopirak for assignment, culminating in his release following the 2007 season.

Toronto Blue Jays

Dopirak signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in March 2008. Dopirak was assigned to Class-A the Dunedin Blue Jays
Dunedin Blue Jays
The Dunedin Blue Jays are a minor league baseball team based in Dunedin, Florida. They play in the Florida State League, and are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club...

, where he hit .308, while hitting 27 home runs and 88 RBIs. He was promoted to the Blue Jays Double-A team the New Hampshire Fisher Cats
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a minor league baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major-league club....

 where he stayed for the 2008 season. He hit .287 with 2 home runs and 13 RBIs.

He started the 2009 season with the Fisher Cats and hit .308 to go along with 19 homers and 68 RBIs. He then earned another promotion to the Jays Triple-A team the Las Vegas 51s
Las Vegas 51s
The Las Vegas 51s, formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars, are a minor league baseball team. They are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. They play at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team competes in the Pacific Coast League...

. He hit .330 with 8 home runs and 34 RBIs.

Prior to the 2010 season, Dopirak's contract was purchased by Toronto, adding to the 40-man roster. He became a free agent after the season.

Houston Astros

Dopirak signed a one-year minor league contract with the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

 for the 2011 season, with an invitation to spring training.
He was released on June 16.

Awards

  • High School All-American 2002 (DH)
  • League MVP - Minors Midwest League
    Midwest League
    The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...

     2004
  • Top Prospect MLB (#21)
  • FSL
    FSL
    The abbreviation FSL may refer to:* Florida State League* FMRIB Software Library* Freescale Semiconductor stock symbol* Free-space path loss or free-space loss in telecommunications* Finnish Sign Language* French Sign Language...

    Post-Season All-Star
  • FSL Player of the Week 2008
  • FSL Mid-Season All-Star 2008
  • R. Howard Webster Award 2008 (Dunedin Blue Jays
    Dunedin Blue Jays
    The Dunedin Blue Jays are a minor league baseball team based in Dunedin, Florida. They play in the Florida State League, and are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club...

    )
  • Topps
    Topps
    The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...

     Double-A All-Star
  • EAS
    EAS
    EAS may stand for:* EAS , sports nutrition company* EAS, IATA airport code for the San Sebastián Airport* Early Admissions Scheme , university entrance program in Hong Kong that allows students to bypass the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination* Early American Studies, an academic journal published...

    Post-Season All-Star 2009
  • EAS Mid-Season All-Star 2009
  • EAS Player of the Week 2009
  • EAS Player of the Week 2009
  • R. Howard Webster Award 2009 (New Hampshire Fisher Cats
    New Hampshire Fisher Cats
    The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a minor league baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major-league club....

    )

External links

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