Andre Ethier – One of the best outfielders in MLB
Andre Ethier had an inborn talent to smash the ball and he had shown this skill throughout his college years. Seeing this talent, the Oakland Athletics drafted him in the 37th round of the 2001 draft but Ethier preferred to attend college.
In 2003, the Athletics drafted him again and this time Ethier sided with the A's and started playing for their Minor League affiliates.
This season, Ethier has been at his usual best. He has played 107 games thus far and already has 117 hits to his name. He has bagged 54 runs this season and is averaging .302. He made his second consecutive appearance in the All-Star Game this year when
Shane Victorino had to pull out due to injury.
Andre has been a player to be reckoned throughout his career at MLB. He is a genuine sportsman and his two consecutive appearances in the All-Star game make him worthy of being called an All-Star in its truest sense. He started his career in Major League
Baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006 and has not changed his loyalty since.
The A’s acquired Ethier in 2003 and kept him playing with the Minor League affiliates. The Athletics seemed unhurried to introduce this young talent to the Majors and that is where they slightly went wrong.
In 2005, the Athletics traded Ethier to Dodgers in return for two prospects, Antonio Perez and Milton Bradley. The Dodgers, unlike the A's, did not waste any time introducing Ethier to the Majors and he was quick to prove his mettle to silence his critics.
His first season was as good as he would have ever thought. He saw his batting average rise to .354, near league-best, before ending the season at .308. Ethier became an instant hero among the fans and promised a fertile career with his strong showing as
a rookie. He was named National League Player of the Week just two weeks after he debuted.
Ethier picked up on the number of home-runs in 2007 to end the season with 13 home-runs. Although not enough to be boasting about, these home-runs were enough to give him confidence that he has the ability to show aggression to even the best pitchers in
the Majors. His humility and consistency became his strongest weapon and he became a major threat for almost all pitchers in MLB.
Andre’s career reached its summit in 2008 when he finally started playing on his natural position, right-field. Ethier's gain of confidence allowed him to score 90 runs in that season at an average of .305. Ethier bagged 160 hits in 2008 smashed 20 home-runs
and 77 RBIs in a season that officially stamped his authority in MLB.
After playing 160 games in 2009, Ethier played just 139 games in 2010 citing injury concerns. He did not, however, let this affect his style of play and he continued to hammer the pitchers. His batting average remained consistent just below the .300 mark
and home-runs came in plenty. His four years of unrelenting hard work earned him his first All-Star call up in 2010 and he did not let this opportunity go waste. Although he did not perform well in the game but his presence was enough to give him the required
boost.
Ethier got his name engraved on the silverware for the first time in 2009. He won the Silver Slugger Award for hitting 31 home-runs that season and amassing 106 RBIs. He added two more to his 90 runs from last year to finish the season with a career-best
of 92 runs. Ethier commanded his way to become the spine of the Dodgers' line-up.
Andre Ethier's five years at MLB have been illustrious. He has been a class act throughout his career and is expected to bag many records as he continues to grow as a player.
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