Craig Brazell
Encyclopedia
Craig Walter Brazell is a professional baseball
player and first baseman
who currently plays for the Hanshin Tigers
.
in Montgomery, Alabama. He hit
.536 in his senior year to capture the All-Metro batting championship. He was drafted out of high school by the New York Mets
as the 154th overall pick in the 5th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft
.
Brazell made his major league debut on August 17, , for the New York Mets. He played first base and played a total of 24 games, mainly as a pinch hitter
. In , he only played in Triple-A for the Norfolk Tides
and was released after the season.
He signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers
for the season. He played for the Jacksonville Suns
, their Double-A affiliate, for the whole season. He hit just .249 with 21 home run
s in 421 at-bats for the Suns. He was released following the 2006 season.
He signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals
for the season. He began playing for the Wichita Wranglers
, the Royals Double-A affiliate, in the 2007 season. He played 30 games and batted .349 with 7 home runs in 109 at-bats before being promoted to the Omaha Royals
, the Royals Triple-A team. He made the Pacific Coast League
All-Star team and finished the season with Omaha batting .307 with 32 home runs. His combined 39 home runs led the minor leagues in 2007, as he won the Joe Bauman Home Run Award
. He was released by the Royals on November 28, 2007.
On December 6, 2007, Brazell agreed to a contract with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Japan
's Nippon Professional Baseball. He was released after hitting .234 with 27 home runs and 87 RBI.
On January 15, , he signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles
, only to be released in April 2009.
After a short stint with the St. Paul Saints
of the American Association
, an independent league, Brazell signed with the Hanshin Tigers
of Nippon Professional Baseball on May 28, 2009.
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...
player and 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 currently plays for the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
.
Early life
Brazell attended Jefferson Davis High SchoolJefferson Davis High School (Montgomery, Alabama)
Jefferson Davis High School is public high school with grades 9 through 12 located in Montgomery, Alabama. The principal is Cheryl Fountain-Notable Alumni:Hosea Chanchez, actor, plays Malik Wright on The Game Jefferson Davis High School is public high school with grades 9 through 12 located in...
in Montgomery, Alabama. He hit
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 :...
.536 in his senior year to capture the All-Metro batting championship. He was drafted out of high school by the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
as the 154th overall pick in the 5th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft
1998 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1998 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1998...
.
Baseball career
Brazell played in Rookie ball from 1998 to . He began playing in Single-A in and did not get promoted to Double-A until . He was promoted to Triple-A in .Brazell made his major league debut on August 17, , for the New York Mets. He played first base and played a total of 24 games, mainly as a pinch hitter
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
. In , he only played in Triple-A for the Norfolk Tides
Norfolk Tides
The Norfolk Tides are a minor league baseball team in the Triple-A International League. They play at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. Since 2007 they have been a farm team of the Baltimore Orioles; prior to that, they had a 38-year affiliation with the New York Mets.-Franchise history:The...
and was released after the season.
He signed a minor league contract with 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...
for the season. He played for the Jacksonville Suns
Jacksonville Suns
The Jacksonville Suns are a minor league baseball team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The team is currently a member of the Southern League and is the class Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball team...
, their Double-A affiliate, for the whole season. He hit just .249 with 21 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 in 421 at-bats for the Suns. He was released following the 2006 season.
He signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
for the season. He began playing for the Wichita Wranglers
Wichita Wranglers
The Wichita Wranglers were a minor league baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team, which played in the Texas League, was the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major-league club from 1995 to 2007, and of the San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1994. The Wranglers played in...
, the Royals Double-A affiliate, in the 2007 season. He played 30 games and batted .349 with 7 home runs in 109 at-bats before being promoted to the Omaha Royals
Omaha Royals
The Omaha Storm Chasers are a United States minor league baseball team currently based in the Omaha suburb of Papillion, Nebraska. The team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major league club and has been a member of the expanded Pacific Coast League since 1998. From 1969 to 1997,...
, the Royals Triple-A team. He made the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
All-Star team and finished the season with Omaha batting .307 with 32 home runs. His combined 39 home runs led the minor leagues in 2007, as he won the Joe Bauman Home Run Award
Joe Bauman Home Run Award
The Joe Bauman Home Run Award is the award given to the minor league baseball player who hit the most regular season home runs that year. The award, first given in 2002, is named after Joe Bauman, who set a then-professional record with 72 home runs in 1954, while playing for the Roswell Rockets of...
. He was released by the Royals on November 28, 2007.
On December 6, 2007, Brazell agreed to a contract with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's Nippon Professional Baseball. He was released after hitting .234 with 27 home runs and 87 RBI.
On January 15, , he signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, only to be released in April 2009.
After a short stint with the St. Paul Saints
St. Paul Saints
The St. Paul Saints are a professional baseball team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. The Saints are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
of the American Association
American Association (21st century)
The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, based in Durham, North Carolina, is a professional baseball league founded in 2005 and independent of Major League Baseball...
, an independent league, Brazell signed with the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
of Nippon Professional Baseball on May 28, 2009.