Norris Hopper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Norris Hopper |
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Hopper with the Cincinnati Reds
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: March 24, 1979 Shelby, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 20, 2006, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 1, 2008, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .316 | ||
| Home runs | 1 | ||
| Runs batted in | 20 | ||
| Stolen bases | 17 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Norris Stephen Hopper was born on March 24, 1979. He is an American former professional baseball player. Norris played as an outfielder for three seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). All his MLB games were with the Cincinnati Reds.
The Kansas City Royals chose him in the 1998 baseball draft. He first played in MLB on August 20, 2006. Throughout his major league career, he had a .316 batting average. He also made 125 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, and one home run. He had 20 runs batted in and 17 stolen bases.
Norris Hopper was about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 205 pounds. He played all three outfield spots for the Reds. He was a very good defender, making only one error in his career. This gave him a .996 fielding percentage. Even though he wasn't a power hitter, he was great at hitting for contact. This helped him use his speed to get singles and even bunt for base hits.
Before playing in the MLB, Hopper spent 13 seasons in Minor League Baseball (MiLB). In the minor leagues, he had a .289 batting average. He also had 1,237 hits, 119 doubles, 32 triples, three home runs, 368 runs batted in, and 237 stolen bases.
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Early Life and High School Sports
Norris Hopper was born in Shelby, NC. He went to Shelby High School. There, he played both baseball and football. In baseball, he was a shortstop. In football, he was the starting quarterback for his school team.
He was considered one of the best high school football players in North Carolina. In 1997, he was chosen to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. A famous future NFL player, Julius Peppers, was one of his teammates.
Professional Baseball Journey
Starting with the Kansas City Royals
Norris Hopper signed with the Kansas City Royals in 1998. He spent seven seasons with this team, but only in the minor leagues. He played his last two seasons with the Royals in Double-A for the Wichita Wranglers. During that time, he had a .290 batting average and stole 80 bases.
In 655 minor league games with the Royals, he had a .278 batting average. He also hit two home runs, had 219 runs batted in, and stole 137 bases. He became a free agent on October 15, 2004.
Playing for the Cincinnati Reds
On December 13, 2005, Hopper signed with the Cincinnati Reds. For the 2005 season, he played for the Chattanooga Lookouts, a Double-A team. He had a .310 batting average, one home run, 37 runs batted in, and 25 stolen bases.
In 2006, he spent most of the season with the Louisville Bats. This was the Reds' Triple-A team. In 98 games with the Bats, he had a .347 batting average and stole 25 bases.
Major League Debut and First Home Run
Norris Hopper made his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds on August 20, 2006. He got a single in his very first time at bat in the major leagues. On September 22, 2006, he hit his first and only major league home run. This happened against Rich Hill and the Chicago Cubs.
That season, he played in 21 games. He had a .359 batting average, one home run, five runs batted in, and two stolen bases. In 2007, he played in 121 games for the Cincinnati Reds. He had a .329 batting average, 101 hits, 14 runs batted in, and 14 stolen bases. After spring training in 2009, he was sent back to the Triple-A Louisville Bats.
Other Teams and Later Career
On June 26, 2009, Hopper was traded to the Chicago White Sox. He was traded for another player, catcher Corky Miller. Later, on August 6, he was traded again to the Washington Nationals organization. He became a free agent on November 9, 2009.
On January 14, 2010, he signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. He played for their Triple-A team, the Nashville Sounds. After the 2010 season, he became a free agent again.
In 2011, Hopper signed with the Somerset Patriots. This team is part of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He played in 79 games for them, getting 67 hits. He became a free agent after that season.
He also played for the Petroleros de Minatitlan in the Mexican League. He signed with them on June 27, 2010. He played only 20 games before being released on July 24, 2010.
Collision with Ryan Freel
On May 28, 2007, Norris Hopper was involved in a collision with his teammate, center fielder Ryan Freel. They were both trying to catch a fly ball. Freel's head hit Hopper's right elbow. After the collision, Freel was diagnosed with injuries to his head and neck.
