Johnny Briggs (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Johnny Briggs |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Outfielder | |||
| Born: March 10, 1944 Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: April 17, 1964, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| NPB: April 3, 1976, for the Lotte Orions | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: September 28, 1975, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| NPB: June 4, 1976, for the Lotte Orions | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .253 | ||
| Home runs | 139 | ||
| Runs batted in | 507 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .227 | ||
| Home runs | 7 | ||
| Runs batted in | 24 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
John Edward Briggs, born on March 10, 1944, is a former American professional baseball player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams. These included the Philadelphia Phillies (from 1964 to 1971), the Milwaukee Brewers (from 1971 to 1975), and the Minnesota Twins (in 1975). He batted and threw with his left hand. Briggs was listed as 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 190 pounds during his playing days.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Start
Johnny Briggs was born in Paterson, New Jersey. He played high school baseball at Eastside High School in his hometown. After high school, he continued to play baseball at Seton Hall University.
Joining Professional Baseball
The Philadelphia Phillies signed Briggs in 1963. He began his professional career that same year with the Bakersfield Bears. This team was part of the Class A California League. Briggs had a great first season. He hit for a .297 average, with 21 home runs, 20 doubles, and six triples.
His strong performance made the Phillies want to keep him. They added him to their main roster for the 1964 season. This move helped prevent other MLB teams from picking him in a special draft for new players.
Major League Career Highlights
Even though Briggs was only 20 years old, he played a little in 1964. He had 76 plate appearances, which means he came to bat 76 times. In 1965, he earned a regular spot in the outfield for the Phillies. After that, he never had to go back to playing in the minor leagues.
Consistent Play and Trades
From 1967 until his last MLB season in 1975, Briggs played in more than 100 games each year. This shows he was a consistent player for his teams.
On April 22, 1971, the Phillies traded Briggs to the Milwaukee Brewers. In return, the Phillies received two players, Pete Koegel and Ray Peters.
A memorable game for Briggs happened on August 4, 1973. He was batting first in the lineup for the Brewers. In that game, he got six hits in six tries, which is very rare! He also hit two doubles and scored two runs. His great play helped the Brewers win 9-4 against the Cleveland Indians.
Later, on June 14, 1975, the Brewers traded Briggs again. This time, he went to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Bobby Darwin.
Career Statistics and Later Play
Over his 12 seasons in Major League Baseball, Johnny Briggs played in 1,366 games. He finished his career with a .253 batting average. He also had a .355 on-base percentage, which means he got on base often.
He collected 1,041 hits, including 170 doubles and 43 triples. Briggs hit 139 home runs and had 507 runs batted in (RBI). After his time in MLB, he played one season in Japan. He joined the Lotte Orions in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 1976.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Johnny Briggs at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
- Johnny Briggs at Baseball Almanac
