Peter Bourjos
From BR Bullpen
Peter Christopher Bourjos
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.
- High School Notre Dame High School
- Debut August 3, 2010
- Born March 31, 1987 in Park Ridge, IL USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Peter Bourjos came to the majors in 2010. He is the son of Chris Bourjos, the great-nephew of Otto Denning and his father is a cousin of Pat Denning.
Bourjos was picked by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 10th round of the 2005 amateur draft. He was signed by scout John Gracio and made his pro debut with the 2006 Orem Owlz hitting .292/.354/.472. His 7 triples were one shy of the Pioneer League lead and he led the league's outfielders with 138 putouts. Baseball America rated him as the circuit's #6 prospect, between Gerardo Parra and Drew Stubbs.
Peter split 2007 between the Cedar Rapids Kernels (.274/.335/.426, 19 SB in 28 tries in 63 G) and the AZL Angels (5 for 16, BB, 3B). In 2008, the 21-year-old played for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, batting .295/.326/.444 with 83 runs, 10 triples and 50 steals in 60 tries. Among Angels farmhands, only Andrew Romine had more swipes. He led the California League in steals and was second in three-baggers, one behind P.J. Phillips. Baseball America named him the best baserunner, best defensive outfielder and most exciting player in the league as well as the 17th-best prospect, between Sean Doolittle and Sean O'Sullivan.
Bourjos put up a .281/.354/.423 line for the Arkansas Travelers with 14 triples and 32 steals in 44 attempts. He only made one error. He led the Texas League in triples and in outfielder fielding percentage (.997). Baseball America named him the best defensive outfielder in the TL as well as the #9 prospect, between Trevor Reckling and Hank Conger. Overall, he tied Carlos Peguero, Tyson Gillies and Trent Oeltjen for third in the minor leagues in triples. That winter, the Angels added him to their 40-man roster.
Peter opened 2010 with the Salt Lake Buzz and batted .314/.364/.498 with 12 triples, 13 homers, 85 runs and 27 steals (caught five times) after 102 games. He was leading the Pacific Coast League in triples and runs when he was promoted to the major leagues. In his MLB debut, he hit 9th for the Angels and played center field. In his first at-bat, he flew out against Jeremy Guthrie. He added two more ground-outs versus Guthrie before the game was over. Overall, he played 41 games with the Angels that first season, batting .204 with 6 homers. He won the team's starting centerfield job in spring training of 2011, even though he had top prospect Mike Trout breathing down his neck, and in fact replacing him in the line-up when he went on the disabled list for a few days in mid-season. His batting average was much improved in his first full season.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- AL Triples Leader (2011)
