Lorenzo Cain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lorenzo Cain |
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Cain with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018
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| Center fielder | |||
| Born: April 13, 1986 Valdosta, Georgia, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| July 16, 2010, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| June 16, 2022, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .283 | ||
| Home runs | 87 | ||
| Runs batted in | 454 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is a former professional baseball player from America. He was a center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lorenzo played for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals.
The Brewers picked him in the 17th round of the 2004 MLB draft. This was after he played at Tallahassee Community College in Florida. Lorenzo Cain first played in the MLB in 2010. After that season, the Brewers traded him to Kansas City. Three other players went with him in exchange for pitcher Zack Greinke.
Lorenzo was known for his amazing defense. He made many acrobatic catches in the outfield. He won four Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards for outfielders. He also earned three Fielding Bible Awards. In 2014, he won the Most Valuable Player Award for the 2014 American League Championship Series. This was partly because of his great defense. He also finished high in the MVP voting in 2015 and 2018.
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Early Life and Baseball Start
Lorenzo Cain's father passed away when Lorenzo was only four years old. His mother, Patricia, raised him and his brother. She still works at a printing plant in Madison, Florida.
Unlike many professional baseball players, Lorenzo did not start playing baseball until high school. He was in his second year at Madison County High School in Florida. He said he only started playing because he didn't make the school basketball team. At that time, Lorenzo didn't even own a baseball glove!
Professional Baseball Journey
Starting in the Minor Leagues
The Milwaukee Brewers chose Lorenzo Cain in the 17th round of the 2004 MLB draft. He had just finished playing at Tallahassee Community College. He began his professional career in 2005. He played for the Rookie League teams, the Helena Brewers and AZL Brewers.
In 2006, he moved up to the Class A West Virginia Power. There, he was named an All-Star for the South Atlantic League in both the middle and end of the season. Cain was promoted again in 2007 to the Class A-Advanced Brevard County Manatees. In 2008, he started with Brevard County. Then, on June 10, he was called up to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. He took the place of outfielder Hernán Iribarren, who went to play for Milwaukee.
First Time with the Milwaukee Brewers (2010)
Lorenzo Cain was called up to the Brewers' main team on July 16, 2010. This happened when pitcher Doug Davis was put on the disabled list. Lorenzo made his first MLB appearance that evening against the Atlanta Braves. He came in as a pinch-hitter. In his first time at bat, he hit a ball that looked like a hit. But the Braves' left fielder, Matt Diaz, made a great diving catch to stop it.
Two days later, in the same series, he got his first official MLB hit. He then took over for center fielder Carlos Gómez for the rest of the game. Lorenzo finished that game with two hits in two tries. He played in 43 games for the Brewers that season.
Playing for the Kansas City Royals (2011–2017)
On December 18, 2010, Lorenzo Cain was traded to the Kansas City Royals. He went with Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress, and Jake Odorizzi. In return, the Brewers received Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt. Before the 2011 MLB season began, Cain was sent to the Royals' AAA team, the Omaha Storm Chasers. He played in six games for the Royals in his first season with them.
On February 18, 2012, the Royals announced they had signed Cain to a one-year contract for the 2012 season. The details of the money were not shared.
Lorenzo Cain started the 2013 season as the main center fielder. Jarrod Dyson was his backup. By late June, Dyson started playing more often. On August 10, Cain was put on the disabled list because of a strained muscle in his left side. When he came back on September 4, Cain started 14 more games. Seven of these were in right field and seven in center field. In 115 games (106 starts), Cain hit for a .251 batting average. He also had 4 home runs, 46 runs batted in (RBIs), and 14 stolen bases.
In 2014, Cain had a strong regular season. He hit for a .301 batting average. He also had five home runs, four triples, 29 doubles, and 28 stolen bases. He scored 55 runs and had 46 RBIs in 133 games. His batting average and stolen base total were both among the top eight in the American League. He worked with a track coach, Al Hobson, to improve his running speed. This helped him get twice as many infield hits as he did the year before.
The Royals made it to the playoffs in 2014. This was their first time since winning the 1985 World Series. In the Division Series, Cain's defense was amazing. He made four spectacular catches in center field over two games. Many people said his defense helped the Royals easily beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
In Game 2 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS), Cain made another incredible play. He made a stunning catch of a J. J. Hardy line drive. This catch saved an extra-base hit in the 6th inning and kept the score tied 4–4. At the plate, he had four hits in five tries. This tied George Brett's team record for most hits in a playoff game. He also drove in a run in the 9th inning. This helped the Royals win 6–4 against the Baltimore Orioles. It was their sixth win in a row in the 2014 playoffs.
Cain ended up winning the ALCS Most Valuable Player Award (MVP). He earned this for his great hitting and amazing defense. He finished the series with a .533 batting average, eight hits, and five runs. His many spectacular defensive plays helped the Royals sweep the Orioles. This sent them to the World Series.
His excellent defense continued in the World Series against the San Francisco Giants. He made a great catch at the wall in Game 1. In Game 3, Cain made two more amazing diving catches. These helped the Royals win 3–2. In the important Game 6, the Royals were facing elimination. Cain had two hits, including a double, and walked twice. He drove in three runs and made another running catch. The Royals won 10–0 against the Giants, forcing a Game 7. However, the Giants won Game 7 and the World Series.
During a game against the Chicago White Sox on April 23, 2015, Cain was one of five players who were ejected. This happened because they were involved in a fight between the teams. On April 25, 2015, Cain was suspended for two games. He could have appealed the decision but chose not to. The suspension took effect on May 3, 2015.
In 2015, Cain was chosen for his first All-Star team. He also helped lead the Royals to win the 2015 AL Central Division title. He finished the regular season with his best numbers in batting average (.307), home runs (16), runs scored (101), and RBIs (72). In Game 5 of the World Series, Cain had three RBIs. This helped the Royals win 7–2 and secure the championship against the New York Mets. Cain finished third in the voting for the 2015 American League Most Valuable Player award.
Back with the Milwaukee Brewers (2018–2022)
Lorenzo Cain signed a five-year contract worth $80 million to return to the Brewers. This happened on January 26, 2018. He was chosen for the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. At that point, he was batting .290 with eight home runs, 26 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. That season, Cain finished seventh in the National League MVP voting. He played a key role in the Brewers almost reaching the 2018 World Series. They lost to the Dodgers in the 2018 National League Championship Series.
In 2019, he batted .260 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs. On defense, even though he had many injuries that year, he had the best fielding percentage among all major league center fielders (.994). He also won the first Gold Glove Award of his career.
Cain played in five games in the shorter 2020 MLB season. On August 1, he announced he would not play for the rest of the season. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cain returned to play in the 2021 season. However, he only played in 78 games. This was because of a hamstring injury that kept him out for all of June and most of July. He batted .257 with eight home runs, 36 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases.
In 2022, Cain batted .179 in 43 games for Milwaukee. The Brewers decided to release him on June 18. He officially became a free agent on June 22. The Brewers released Cain on the same day he reached 10 years of service in the MLB. This made him eligible for a full pension from the MLB.
Lorenzo Cain announced he was retiring from baseball on March 7, 2023. On April 6, 2023, the Royals announced that Cain had signed a one-day contract with the team. This allowed him to officially retire as a Royal. A celebration was held before the Royals' home game with the Oakland Athletics on May 6.
Awards and Honors
- 2015 World Series Champion
- 2018 All-Star
- 2015 All-Star
- 2019 Gold Glove Award Winner
- 2014 2014 American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award
- 2006 South Atlantic League (SAL) Post-Season All-Star
- 2006 SAL Mid-Season All-Star
- 2005 Topps Short-Season/Rookie All-Star
- 2005 Topps AZL Player of the Year
- 2005 Baseball America Rookie All-Star
- 2005 Arizona League (AZL) Most Valuable Player
- 2005 AZL Post-Season All-Star
Personal Life
Lorenzo Cain and his wife, Jenny, have three sons. They were born in October 2014, January 2016, and December 2017.
See also
In Spanish: Lorenzo Cain para niños
