Category: Steal Facts

An original series created by The Bleacher Creature. Find quick, easy reads to learn about your favorite baseball figures.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Steal Facts: Aaron Judge

Aaron judge

  • Aaron Judge was born April 26, 1992 in Linden California. He was adopted the day he was born by his foster parents, the Judges. Despite being officially being told at age ten, Judge knew he was adopted due to his already strong and soon to be six foot seven, 282 pound frame. Now, Judge is a MVP candidate for the New York Yankees.
  • Aaron Judge won not only the 2017 MLB Home Run Derby, but he also won the 2012 College Home Run Derby.
  • After hitting a home run in his first Major League at-bat, Judge fell off the table in 2016, batting .179 with 42 strikeouts in 84 at bats. Using these statistics as motivation, Judge plugged them into his phone and told him that he could slump any time in his career.
  • In 2017, Aaron Judge was the unanimous American League Rookie of the Year. He set all time rookie records with 52 home runs and 127 walks. He also won the Silver Slugger for American League right fielders and was nominated for a Gold Glove.
  • Judge finished in second place in MVP voting just behind the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve.
  • Judge also drove in 114 RBIs and scored 128 runs in his 155 game season. His overall WAR (Wins Above Replacement) was a solid 8.1.

Stats and Info

espn.com

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Steal Facts: Thurman Munson

Thurman Munson

  • Thurman Munson was born on June 7 of 1947.
  • Thurman weighed in at 190 pounds and stood at 5 feet 11 inches.
  • He played his full 11 year career with the New York Yankees.
  • After a short stint with the Yankees in 1969, Munson won the American League Rookie of the Year in 1970 after posting a .302 batting average with 6 home runs and 25 doubles.
  • Thurman won the MVP award in 1976 after batting .302 with 17 home runs and 105 RBIs.
  • From 1975 to 1977, Munson had 100 or more RBI in each season.
  • He was named team captain by the Yankees in 1976.
  • He won the Gold Glove for American League catchers in 1973, 1974, and 1975.
  • Thurman Munson died at the age of 32 in a plane crash on August 2, 1979.
  • The Yankees retired Munson’s number 15 on September 20 of 1980 at Yankee Stadium.
  • The Yankees left Munson’s locker untouched until they moved it to the new Yankee Stadium in 2009.
by Jacoby Nolnaho

Steal Facts: Brooks Robinson

Brooks robinson

  • Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. was born May 18, 1937 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
  • Robinson played his first game in 1955.
  • Brooks played all of his 23 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.
  • In Robinson’s career, he collected 2,848 hits, 268 home runs, 1,232 runs, 1,357 RBIs, and a .267 batting average in 2,896 career games.
  • He played over 160 games five different times. He played 150 games 14 times.
  • Robinson collected a variety of MVPs in his career. He won the American League MVP in 1964, the All Star Game MVP in 1966, and the World Series MVP in 1970.
  • He was a good person on and off the field. He won the Roberto Clemente award in 1972.
  • The most impressive out of all his stats and awards is his Gold Gloves. He won a grand total of 16 Gold Gloves. From 1960 to 1975, Brooks took home one piece of hardware every year. In 2016, Robinson was given the Gold Glove Award For Life.
  • He played his final game in 1977.
  • Robinson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. In 2016, he was given a statue of himself inside Camden Yards at Oriole Park.
by Jacoby Nolnaho

Steal Facts: Kirby Puckett

kirby puckett

  • Kirby Puckett was born March 14 of 1960. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.
  • Kirby played his entire 12 year career with the Minnesota Twins.
  • Puckett collected 200 hits five times in his career. He got 200 hits each year from 1986 to 1989.
  • He collected six Gold Gloves and six Silver Sluggers.
  • He won the ALCS MVP in 1991 and the All Star Game MVP in 1993. He also won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1996.
  • In his career, Puckett collected 2,304 hits, 414 doubles, 207 home runs, 1,085 RBIs, 1,071 runs, and posted a .318 career batting average in 1,783 career games.
  • Kirby hit a walk off home run in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series.
  • He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.
  • He sadly died March 6 of 2006 due to a stroke.
by Jacoby Nolnaho

Steal Facts: Jackie Robinson

Jackie robinson

  • Jackie Robinson was born January 31 of 1919. He was the son of Mallie and Jerry Robinson.
  • Jackie was the first African American person to play Major League Baseball. He is famously known for breaking the color barrier.
  • Jackie Robinson played his entire career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was primarily a second baseman although he played in the outfield and as a shortstop.
  • Robinson was the first player to win Rookie of the Year honors. Now, the award is named after him. In 1947, when he won the award, Jackson collected 175 hits, stole 29 bases, and posted a batting average of .297.
  • He won the MVP award in 1949. That year, he collected 203 hits, 124 RBIs, 122 runs, a .342 batting average, and 37 stolen bases.
  • The first time Jackie got caught stealing was in his fifth year as a player.
  • Jackie Robinson finished his career with 1,518 hits, 273 doubles, 947 runs, 734 RBIs, 137 home runs, and 197 stolen bases in 1,382 career games.
  • Robinson sadly died in 1972. Now, his number 42 is retired throughout baseball and is honored every year.
by Jacoby Nolnaho

Steal Facts: Willie Mays

Willie Mays

  • Willie Mays was born May 6 of 1931
  • Willie Mays first played with the New York Giants in 1951. He hit 20 home runs and was declared the Rookie of the Year.
  • For 15 consecutive seasons, Willie hit 20 or more homers. In that span, he reached 40+ home runs six times.
  • Mays hit 660 career home runs, drove in 1,903 RBIs, doubled 523 times, collected 3,283 hits, stole 338 bases, and scored 2,062 runs.
  • Willie Mays won 12 career Gold Glove awards all from 1957 to 1968.
  • Mays won two All Star Game MVP awards and two regular season MVP awards.
  • Willie appeared in the postseason five times; four times with the Giants and once with the Mets.
  • In Harper’s first four Major League seasons, he has appeared in three All Star Games.
  • Willie Mays was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.
by Jacoby Nolnaho

Steal Facts: Robinson Cano

ROBINSON CANO

  • Robinson Cano is a second baseman who plays for the Seattle Mariners. He is six feet tall and weighs in at 212 pounds. Robinson Cano is named after Jackie Robinson. He also wears number 22.
  • Robinson Cano is a fan favorite in Seattle and New York. When he was with the Yankees, he surprised a young fan by jumping out of an ice cream truck.
  • Robinson Cano spent his first nine years of his career with the New York Yankees. With the Yankees, Cano won five Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. He also won a World Series with the Yankees.
  • In Cano’s first 12 seasons, he has never had less than 30 doubles. In 2016, Cano has 20 doubles before the All Star Game. From 2009 to 2014, Robinson posted an average above .300.
  • As of 2016, Robinson Cano has been named to five All Star Games. He attended four as a Yankee and one as a Mariner. On top of that, he won the 2011 Home Run Derby at Chase Field.
  • In his first 1,770 games, Robinson has reached a ton of milestones. In that span, he has collected 258 home runs, 466 doubles, a .307 batting average, 1,037 RBIs, 1,017 runs scored, and 2,118 hits.
by Jacoby Nolnaho

Steal Facts: Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera

  • Miguel Cabrera plays first base for the Detroit Tigers. He wears number 24 and stands at 6-4 and 240 pounds.
  • Miguel Cabrera made his Major League debut for the Florida Marlins in 2003. His first Major League home run was actually a walk-off home run. The Marlins went on to win the World Series that year.
  • From 2004 to 2014, Cabrera hit 20 or more home runs a year. He also drove in 100 or more RBIs.
  • In his first 13 Major League seasons, Cabrera has won six Silver Sluggers and two MVPs for the American League.
  • In 2012, Cabrera had his best season. That year, he won the Triple Crown award. He led the league in home runs with 44, RBIs with 139, and batting average with an amazing .330.
  • In his first 2,020 games, Cabrera has slugged 426 home runs, 1,496 RBIs, 1,276 runs, 508 doubles, a .320 batting average, and 2,425 hits.
by Jacoby Nolnaho

Steal Facts: Clayton Kershaw

      Clayton Kershaw

  • Clayton Edward Kershaw is a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kershaw wears number 22. He stands at a solid 6 foot 3 with 225 pounds of muscle.
  • Kershaw showed signs of greatness in 2010 when he posted a 2.92 earned run average and struck out 212 batters in 204.1 innings of work.
  • In 2011, Kershaw completed a lot of milestones. That year, he won the National League pitching Triple Crown award. He led the NL in strikeouts with 248, wins with 21, and earned run average (ERA) with 2.28. He won the Cy Young award and the Gold Glove award for pitchers.
  • Kershaw won the Cy Young award again in 2013. He led the league in ERA with an outstanding 1.83 mark. He also won 16 games with 232 strikeouts.
  • 2014 was arguably Kershaw’s best year. Despite coming in late to the season, he still posted great numbers. In 198.1 innings, Clayton retired 239 batters via the strikeout, won 21 games, and posted a career best 1.77 ERA. He won the Cy Young and the Most Valuable Player award for the National League.
  • In Clayton Kershaw’s first 260 Major League appearances, he has picked up 125 wins while only losing 58 games. He led the league in ERA from 2011- 2014 and has picked up three Cy Young awards and an MVP.
by Jacoby Nolnaho

Steal Facts: Bryce Harper

      Bryce Harper

  • Bryce Harper first appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 16 after hitting a 570 foot home run.
  • Bryce Harper was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the first round of the 2010 draft.
  • In 2012, Bryce Harper won the National League Rookie of the Year award. Bryce hit 22 home runs, stole 18 bases, and scored 98 runs.
  • In Harper’s first two seasons, he hit 42 home runs and stole 39 bases.
  • Harper competed in the 2013 Home Run Derby at Citi Field. He finished the season with 20 home runs.
  • Bryce Harper’s best season was in 2015. That year, he got a career high in home runs with 42, runs batted in with 99, runs with 118, batting average with an outstanding .330, walks with 124, and doubles with 38 just to name a few. He became the youngest unanimous MVP in Major League Baseball history.
  • In Harper’s first four Major League seasons, he has appeared in three All Star Games.