Peter Bourjos

Peter Christopher Bourjos (born March 31, 1987) is an American former professional baseball center fielder.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, and Atlanta Braves.

The Angels selected him in the tenth round of the 2005 amateur draft from Notre Dame Preparatory High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected Bourjos in the 10th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft, signing him on August 18, 2005.

It was the first such homer for an Angel since Gary Matthews, Jr., did so June 17, 2007 at Dodger Stadium.

In September, Bourjos suffered wrist soreness in the aftermath of being hit by a pitch.

He appeared in 101 games and totaled just 195 plate appearances.

In 501 2⁄3 innings on defense, he made just one error for a .994 fielding percentage.

The Halos won 64 of his 95 appearances (.674 winning percentage) in center field.

His final batting line included a .220 batting average, .291 on-base percentage and .315 slugging percentage, three HR, seven doubles, and three stolen bases.

After the season, Hunter signed with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent, clearing an opportunity for Bourjos regain regular playing time.

In 2008, Bourjos registered 50 stolen bases (SB) and a .295 batting average (AVG) with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

Bourjos spent 2009 with the Arkansas Travelers.

In 110 games, he batted .281, scored 72 runs, hit 16 doubles, 14 triples, six home runs (HR) and drove in 51 runners (RBI).

In 109 games in the outfield, he recorded 294 putouts, five double plays and seven assists in 302 total chances with only one error for a .997 fielding percentage.

He led the Texas League (TL) in triples and led the Travelers in runs.

In May, he was selected as the Angels' Defensive Player of the Month and as a TL All-Star.

He was also recognized as the Angels minor league system's Defensive Player of the Year in 2009.

In the offseason after 2009, the Angels bought his contract and added him to their 40-man roster to prevent him from being selected by another team in the Rule 5 draft.

He made his MLB debut for the Angels in 2010.

Going into the 2010 season, Baseball America named him the second-best prospect in the Angels system, the "fastest baserunner", and "best defensive outfielder."

Through the first three months of the 2010 season, he batted .314 with 12 triples and 27 stolen bases with the Salt Lake Bees.

In 487 games and seven minor league seasons in the Angels system, Bourjos batted .291 with a .345 on-base percentage, .455 slugging percentage, 88 doubles, 54 triples, 41 HR, 225 RBI and 141 SB.

Bourjos made his Major League debut on August 3, 2010.

In an August game against the Toronto Blue Jays, he nearly robbed Adam Lind of a triple when he ran so fast into the wall that the ball caromed off his forearm.

That same game, he made a diving catch in shallow left-center field to rob Aaron Hill of a hit, caught Yunel Escobar's deep fly ball at the 400-foot mark on the wall in center field and took away a hit from José Bautista on a rocket line drive in the ninth.

Bourjos appeared in 51 games that year, batting .204 with six doubles, four triples, six home runs and ten stolen bases.

He played 450 innings in the outfield and recorded ten assists, which placed second among all American League (AL) center fielders.

In 2011, he, along with Austin Jackson, led the AL with 11 triples.

It was an overall breakout season for Bourjos with a .271 batting average, 26 doubles, 12 homers, 49 extra base hits and 22 stolen bases in 147 games.

He also registered seven assists, fifth among AL center fielders.

The next season, he lost most of his playing time as heralded prospect Mike Trout emerged and the Angels continued playing Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter.

His three-run, inside-the-park home run on April 11 erased a two-run deficit to the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning on April 11, but the Angels were eventually defeated 6–5.

The Cardinals obtained him in a trade with the Angels after the 2013 season.

Bourjos has gained considerable attention for his defensive skills, including his range, speed and ability to make what are deemed difficult catches.

After bouncing around a variety of different clubs over the next six years (including the Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves), Bourjos ended his career with the Angels before joining the Colorado Rockies front office as an advance scout.

Bourjos attended Desert Mountain High School for his freshman year and later transferred to Notre Dame Preparatory High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.

He also played football at Notre Dame High as wide receiver and kickoff returner.

To increase his production at the plate, Bourjos began taking batting practice off a tee before the 2013 season.

His strategy was to change his approach by hitting more ground balls and line drives, and fewer fly balls.