Brian Giles

Lore & Background

Giles was born in El Cajon, California, and attended Granite Hills High School. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 17th round of the 1989 Major League Baseball draft. By 1994, Giles had worked his way up to Triple-A, where he batted .313 for Charlotte making the International League All-Star team. In 1995, Giles was again in Triple-A, where he batted .310 for Buffalo and made his major league debut as a September callup on September 16 (where he would bat .556 in nine at-bats with the Indians). He was also an American Association All-Star. Giles hit .355 in 51 games for the Indians in 1996 and hit .314 in 83 games with Buffalo, again making the American Association All-Star team. In 1997, Giles established himself as a major league regular, playing 130 games for the Indians and 112 games in 1998. On November 18, 1998, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Ricardo Rincón. In 1999 with the Pirates, Giles emerged as a power-hitting outfielder who also hit for average and showed plate discipline. He began a streak of hitting at least 35 home runs for four straight seasons, during which he batted no lower than .298 and was named Pittsburgh Pirates Player of the Year each year. Giles led the 2000 club in doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs and walks. His 123 RBIs were eight shy of Paul Waner's club record of 131 set in 1927. He became the first Pirate ever to hit at least .300 with 30 plus home runs and 100 plus RBIs in back-to-back seasons, he became the third player in club history with 100 runs, 100 RBIs and 100 walks in the same season, after Barry Bonds in 1992 and Ralph Kiner from 1948–51. His 114 walks were the most by a Pirate since 1992, Bonds drew 127 walks. Giles' 74 home runs in two seasons with the club represent the most in back-to-back seasons since Willie Stargell hit 77 in 1972–73. He was named National League Player-of-the-Week after hitting .400 with two doubles, three home runs and 12 RBIs between May 2 and May 7 and shared player of the week honors with Colorado's Todd Helton after hitting .523 with three doubles, one triple, three home runs, eight RBIs and six runs scored between August 12 and August 20. Giles was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career. He finished ninth in voting among National League outfielders. In 2001 Giles established career highs in games played, at bats, runs and hits. He t

In Their Own Story

The lights hummed overhead at Jack Murphy Stadium as Giles stepped into the batter's box. The brown and gold uniform felt heavy with expectation under the San Diego night sky. He adjusted his batting gloves, watching the pitcher wind up, knowing that patience was the weapon he wielded better than any bat in the lineup.

Reader's Guide

Brian Giles was a left-handed outfielder known for his power, plate discipline, and high on-base percentage. He played for the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Diego Padres. He was a two-time All-Star. His best seasons came with the Pirates, where he hit at least 35 home runs for four straight years and led the league in walks and on-base percentage. In San Diego, he continued to draw walks and play solid defense, though his production declined after 2006. He retired in 2010 after a brief spring training stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Did You Know?

• Brian Giles was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 17th round of the 1989 MLB draft.
• He was a two-time All-Star, not three.
• He was traded from Pittsburgh to San Diego in 2003 for Jason Bay, Óliver Pérez, and Corey Stewart.
• In 2008, 58% of his strikeouts were called strikeouts, the highest percentage in the majors.
• His brother Marcus Giles played with him on the 2007 San Diego Padres.