William Lance Berkman (born February 10, 1976) is an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. He stands at six feet, one inch, and weighs 220 pounds (100 kg). Berkman has spent various seasons of his career as a regular at all three outfield positions. He has played with the Houston Astros, New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals.
Berkman was born in Waco, Texas. He graduated from Canyon High School in New Braunfels, Texas in 1994.
He then attended Rice University playing on the Owls baseball team, where he was named the 1997 National College Player of the Year, playing for the legendary Wayne Graham, as well as named a first team All-America by Collegiate Baseball Magazine, Baseball America and The Sporting News. He was invited to visit the White House and dine with President Clinton along with the rest of the Baseball America honorees.
Throughout college, he batted a collective .385 with 67 home runs and 272 RBI. His 41 home runs in 1997 ranked third-most in NCAA history. That year he also made the all-time record book in RBI (2nd-134), slugging percentage (6th-1.031) and total bases (4th-263) while leading the Rice Owls to their first College World Series appearance.
After the Astros drafted Berkman, the team assigned him to play with their Class A Advanced Florida State League affiliate, Kissimmee. In only 53 games, he hit .293 with 12 HR and 35 RBI. In 1998, his second minor league season, he was promoted to Double-A Jackson. His potential was beginning to show, as he hit .306 and clubbed 24 HR with 89 RBI over 122 games for manager Jim Pankovitz. The Astros granted him a mid-season promotion to Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs. He played 17 games in New Orleans, and 1998 would prove to be his last full season in the minor leagues. In 1999, Berkman was midway through a great season in New Orleans when he was called up to the parent club, the Houston Astros. Prior to the promotion, he had been hitting .323 with 8 HR and 49 RBI through 64 games.
Significant statistics
- Five time All-Star (2001–02, 2004, 2006, 2008)
- 12th among active players in batting average (.303)
- 5th among active players (25th all-time) in on-base percentage (.416)
- 12th among active players (25th all-time) in slugging percentage (.561)
- 7th among active players (17th all-time) in OPS (.983)
- Led NL in doubles (55) in 2001.
- Led NL in RBI (128) in 2002.
- National League Player of the Month in May 2004 and May 2008.
- National League Player of the Week for April 21–27 and May 5–11 in 2008; April 11–17 and April 25-May 1 in 2011.
- Lance Berkman holds the National League record for most single season RBIs (136) as a switch hitter.
- Holds the record for most home runs in day games at Minute Maid Park (147).
- Holds the record for most home runs at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati for an opposing player with 20 in his career.
Personal life
Berkman and his wife Cara live in Houston with their four daughters. Berkman has been very outspoken about his religious beliefs throughout his career. Berkman uses his position as a professional athlete to discuss his religious beliefs with others. He told The 700 Club in May 2007: "What you’re running after, what you’re trying to find will not provide you with any lasting fulfillment. The only place you can find that is Jesus Christ. It’s in the service of God you’ll find that lasting fulfillment."
Nicknames
He is most popularly known as "Fat Elvis" and "The Big Puma". Before the 2006 season started, in an interview with a local Houston sports radio station, Lance joked "I'm more like a puma so I'm not sure why people call me Fat Elvis." The show's hosts, John Granato and Lance Zierlein, ran with the moniker and Houston fans and media latched onto "The Big Puma." When questioned further, Berkman explained the nickname is simply logical. "Agile, athletic, sleek ... all the things that describe my game," he said, somewhat tongue-in-cheek. With his outstanding start in 2008, this nickname also became known on a national level. That same year, a Lance Berkman fan club calling themselves "The Little Pumas" emerged. During Berkman's long tenure with the Astros, they could be seen wearing puma costumes and foam puma paws at most Astros home games near the Conoco Pump in left-center field. The group became relatively well-known among Astros fans, as they were shown often during Astros broadcasts on Fox Sports Houston.
Berkman was also one of the Astros' "Killer B's" in the mid-2000s, along with Jeff Bagwell, Carlos Beltran, Craig Biggio, Chris Burke, and Brad Ausmus.
*Lance Berkman's Photos*
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