Vital Statistics:
Born: June 22, 1979
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
Height: 6-3
Weight: 205
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Family: Wife, Kim; daughter, Avery Grace
Primary position: Right field
Before The Bigs:
- Was drafted in the 47th round by the Toronto Blue Jays out of high school in 1998, but did not sign. He instead played at LSU and was on the College World Series-winning Tigers in 2000.
- Was selected in the 11th round (317th overall) in 2000 by the Colorado Rockies.
- Hit 22 home runs in 2001 in his first full pro season at Single-A Asheville (N.C), then hit .347 with 22 home runs and 97 RBI at Single-A Carolina in 2002..
- Hit .274 with 17 home runs at Double-A Tulsa in 2003, then hit 31 home runs in just 92 games at Triple-A Colorado Springs in 2004 before getting called up.
- Hit .262 with nine home runs and 47 RBI in his first full season in the majors in 2005.
- Improved his totals in each of the next two seasons. He hit 22 home runs in 2006 and had 16 outfield assists. His breakthrough season was 2007, when he hit .291 with 29 home runs and 116 RBI for the Rockies, who qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons. His RBI total ranked sixth in the National League.
