Brian Giles

Brian Stephen Giles (born January 20, 1971) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Diego Padres. A left-handed hitter, Giles was a two-time All-Star with a career batting line of .291/.400/.502, totaling 287 home runs, 411 doubles, 1,078 RBIs, and 1,183 walks across 1,847 games. His younger brother, Marcus Giles, also played in the majors, primarily with the Atlanta Braves, and the two were teammates on the 2007 San Diego Padres.

Giles was born in El Cajon, California, and attended Granite Hills High School before being drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 17th round of the 1989 draft. He reached Triple-A in 1994, batting .313 for Charlotte and earning an International League All-Star nod. In 1995, he hit .310 for Buffalo’s Triple-A club, made the American Association All-Star team, and debuted in the majors on September 16 as a September call-up, batting .556 in nine at-bats. He hit .355 in 51 games for the Indians in 1996 and .314 in 83 games with Buffalo, again making the American Association All-Star team. By 1997, Giles had become a regular, playing 130 games for Cleveland, followed by 112 in 1998.

On November 18, 1998, the Indians traded Giles to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Ricardo Rincón. With Pittsburgh in 1999, he emerged as a power-hitting outfielder with a strong average and plate discipline, beginning a four-season streak of at least 35 home runs while batting no lower than .298 and earning the Pirates’ Player of the Year award each year. In 2000, he led the club in doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, and walks, with 123 RBIs falling eight short of Paul Waner’s 1927 club record of 131.

He became the first Pirate to hit .300 with 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBIs in back-to-back seasons, and the third in club history to reach 100 runs, 100 RBIs, and 100 walks in a season, after Barry Bonds (1992) and Ralph Kiner (1948–1951). His 114 walks were the most by a Pirate since Bonds’ 127 in 1992, and his 74 home runs over two seasons were the most in consecutive years since Willie Stargell’s 77 in 1972–73. Giles was named National League Player of the Week twice in 2000, first after hitting .400 with two doubles, three home runs, and 12 RBIs from May 2–7, and then sharing the honor with Todd Helton after hitting .523 with three doubles, one triple, three home runs, eight RBIs, and six runs from August 12–20. He made his first All-Star team and finished ninth in NL outfield voting.

In 2001, Giles set career highs in games, at-bats, runs, and hits, while tying his best marks in doubles, triples, and stolen bases. He finished the season tenth in the NL in runs (116), on-base percentage (.404), and slugging (.590), with his runs total the highest by a Pirate since Ralph Kiner in 1951. He led the Pirates in batting, home runs, and walks, and tied Dave Parker’s club record for most total bases (340) by a left-handed hitter. On August 9, he hit his 100th career home run as a Pirate, becoming one of 17 players to homer 100 times for the franchise. He was selected to his second consecutive All-Star Game.

In 2002, Giles drew a career-high 135 walks, second in the NL behind Barry Bonds’ 198, and set a club record for walks by a left-handed batter. His .450 on-base percentage tied for second-best in the majors, and he ranked second in the league in slugging (.622), sixth in home runs, second in extra-base hits (80, behind Jeff Kent), tied for second in outfield assists (13), and third in intentional walks (24). He homered once every 13.1 at-bats, the third-best ratio in the NL behind Bonds (8.8) and Sammy Sosa (11.3).

On August 26, 2003, the Pirates traded Giles to his hometown San Diego Padres for Jason Bay, Óliver Pérez, and minor leaguer Corey Stewart. In San Diego, he remained a patient and reliable hitter, leading the majors with 119 walks in 2005. From 2004 to 2006, he played over 150 games each season, though his batting average dropped to a career-low .263 in 2006. On May 14, 2006, he drew five walks in a game, one shy of the record of six.

In 2007, joined by his brother Marcus—who signed as a free agent to play second base—Giles batted .271 but missed time with a knee injury. In 2008, the third and final guaranteed year of his Padres contract, he vetoed a potential trade to Boston to stay near his family. That season, 58% of his strikeouts were called strikeouts, the highest percentage in the majors. Through July 1, 2009, Giles had the lowest batting average (.191), slugging percentage (.271), and OPS (.548) in the majors, and he soon went on the disabled list with an arthritic right knee, missing the rest of the season.

On February 7, 2010, Giles signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and received a spring training invitation, but after playing in just two spring training games as a designated hitter, he announced his retirement on March 11, 2010. Giles was also sued by a former girlfriend for more than $10 million, alleging he broke an oral or implied agreement to support her indefinitely.