Stephen Drew

Stephen Drew
Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 6
Shortstop
Born: March 16, 1983 (1983-03-16) Hahira, Georgia, United States
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 15, 2006 for the Arizona Diamondbacks
Career statistics (through 2011 season)
Batting average	.270
Home runs	70
Runs batted in	321
Teams
Arizona Diamondbacks (2006–present)
Career highlights and awards
Hit for the cycle (September 1, 2008)

Stephen Oris Drew (born March 16, 1983, in Hahira, Georgia) is a shortstop in Major League Baseball who plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is the younger brother of former Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew and former major leaguer Tim Drew.

Drew went to Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia. Following in the footsteps of his brother, J.D., he played college baseball at Florida State University under head coach Mike Martin where he was Baseball America's Freshman of the Year, and ACC Rookie of the Year.

Baseball career

Minor Leagues

Drew started out in Class A+ with the Lancaster JetHawks in 2006. Drew did very well with the JetHawks batting .389 and 10 home runs. Drew would later be pulled up to Double-A and play for the Tennessee Smokies. Drew would hit .218 and 4 home runs for the Smokies. He would later be pulled up to Triple-A and play for Tucson.

Drew was selected to the 2006 All-Star Futures Game.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 13, 2006, during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Craig Counsell injured his ribs, prompting the call-up of Drew from the D-Backs Triple-A affiliate, the Tucson Sidewinders. He made his major league debut on July 15 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Also making his major league debut that day (for the Brewers), was Tony Gwynn Jr., son of former major leaguer Tony Gwynn. He would record his first major league hit against the Dodgers in a game against his brother J.D. Drew would finish the season with a .316 Batting Average, 5 HR, and 23 RBI.

In 2007, Drew had an average season. Hitting .238 with 12 home runs. He would have a career high, 9 stolen bases.

In a game on September 1, 2008, Drew hit for the cycle against the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming the first player to do so at Chase Field. Batting leadoff, Drew singled in the first inning, tripled in the third inning, and homered in the fifth inning against St. Louis Cardinals starter Joel Pineiro. He added a ground-rule double in the seventh inning against reliever Kyle McClellan. It was the fourth time a player hit for the cycle in the 2008 season. On the same day, Adrián Beltré of the Seattle Mariners hit for the cycle. This was the first time that two players hit for the cycle on the same day since 1920. He would finish the season batting .291 and would have a career high 21 home runs.

In 2009, Drew hit a batting average of .261 with 12 home runs. He would have a career high 12 triples sharing the 2nd most in the league with Michael Bourn.

On April 5, 2010, on Opening Day, Drew hit an inside-the-park home run against starter Jon Garland, becoming the sixth Diamondback to accomplish the feat. Drew would finish the season with a .278 batting average, 15 home runs, and 61 RBI.

In 2011, Drew would miss the first four games of the season for the Diamondbacks because of Abdominal pain. On July 20, 2011, Drew slid into home plate and fractured his ankle and would miss the rest of the season. He would finish the season with a .252 batting average, 5 home runs, and 45 RBI.

Personal Life

He is the younger brother of former Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew and former major leaguer Tim Drew. The Drew brothers plus their father are the only trio of first-round siblings ever selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• No.1 - MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006 Rankings - Minor League News