Hubie Brooks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hubie Brooks |
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| Right fielder / Third baseman / Shortstop | |||
| Born: September 24, 1956 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 4, 1980, for the New York Mets | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 2, 1994, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .269 | ||
| Home runs | 149 | ||
| Runs batted in | 824 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Hubert "Hubie" Brooks (born September 24, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). His career lasted from 1980 to 1994.
Brooks played for five different teams. These included the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, and Kansas City Royals. He was a versatile player, meaning he could play many positions. He played as a right fielder, third baseman, and shortstop. Brooks was chosen third overall in the 1978 Major League Baseball draft by the New York Mets. He was also selected as an All-Star twice during his career.
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Becoming a Baseball Star
Hubie Brooks was first drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1974. However, he decided to go to college instead. He attended Mesa Community College and then Whittier College. Later, he transferred to Arizona State University.
While playing for the Arizona State Sun Devils, Brooks played in two NCAA College World Series. His team won the championship in 1977. He was drafted several more times by different teams. But he chose not to sign with any of them. After finishing college, the New York Mets drafted him in 1978. He was the third player chosen overall.
When he started playing professionally, Brooks was sent to a minor league team. This team was the double-A Jackson Mets. He later became a third baseman and also played some outfield.
Playing for the New York Mets
Brooks joined the New York Mets in September 1980. He played well in his first 24 games. He hit for a high average of .309. In 1981, he became the starting third baseman. He was very popular with fans. He finished the season with a .307 batting average. He also had four home runs and 38 runs batted in (RBIs). He finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
In 1984, Brooks had a great hitting streak. He got a hit in 24 games in a row. This was a Mets record at the time. During this streak, he batted .398. He also set new personal bests for home runs (13) and RBIs (61). Later that season, the Mets traded for another third baseman. Brooks then moved to play shortstop for the rest of the year.
Time with the Montreal Expos
In December 1984, Hubie Brooks was part of a big trade. The Mets sent him and other players to the Montreal Expos. In return, the Mets received star catcher Gary Carter.
With the Expos, Brooks became a top player. He won the Silver Slugger Award in 1985 as a shortstop. This award goes to the best offensive player at each position. He had a career-high 100 RBIs that year. In 1986, he was batting .333 with 14 home runs. This earned him his first All-Star selection. However, he got injured shortly after the All-Star break. He tore ligaments in his left thumb, which ended his season. Even with the injury, he still won his second Silver Slugger Award.
Brooks faced another injury early in the 1987 season. He had a broken bone in his right wrist. But when he returned, he continued to play very well. He hit 7 home runs and had 30 RBIs. This earned him his second All-Star selection. The All-Star game went into extra innings. Brooks helped the National League win by scoring a run in the thirteenth inning.
In 1988, the Expos moved Brooks to right field. He was not happy about this change. But he still had one of his best seasons. He batted .279 with 90 RBIs and a career-high 20 home runs. He played one more season in right field for the Expos. After that, he became a free agent.
Later Career Teams
After leaving the Expos, Brooks signed with his home team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in 1990. He continued to play right field. In his only season with the Dodgers, he batted .266. He also hit 20 home runs and had 91 RBIs. After this season, he was traded back to the New York Mets.
Brooks was not happy about being traded back to the Mets. His performance on the field was not as good in 1991. He batted .238 with 16 home runs and 50 RBIs. His season ended early due to a pinched nerve in his back.
In 1991, the Mets traded him to the California Angels. He played as a designated hitter for the Angels. He batted .213 with 7 home runs and 30 RBIs before a neck injury sidelined him in 1992.
The Kansas City Royals signed Brooks in 1993. He played as a right-handed pinch hitter off the bench. He batted .303 in this role. He continued with the Royals until the middle of the 1994 season. He was then released from the team.
Career Stats and Achievements
Hubie Brooks played in 1645 games during his career. He had 1608 hits and 149 home runs. He also had 824 RBIs. His career batting average was .269.
Brooks was known for his strong hitting. He achieved career highs in home runs (20) in both 1988 and 1990. His career-high for RBIs was 100 in 1985. In 1981, he finished 8th in the league for batting average, hitting .307.
