George Springer, Right Field, Toronto Blue Jays


Date of Birth: 9/19/1989
Birthplace: New Britain, Connecticut
College: University of Connecticut

George Springer, right fielder for the Toronto Blue Jays, was first drafted by the Minnesota Twins but he opted for college instead. He then played at the University of Connecticut and he won the Big East Player of the Year award in 2011. That year, he was drafted by the Houston Astros.

Springer played in the minor leagues from 2011 through the beginning of the 2014 season. He finished his minor league career with 325 hits, 55 doubles, 65 home runs, 207 RBIs, 85 stolen bases, and a .302 batting average in 284 games.

In 2014, Springer joined the Astros for 78 games. He finished the season with 68 hits, 20 home runs, 51 RBIs, 114 strikeouts to 39 walks, and a .231 batting average. As a right fielder, he made 139 putouts and 7 errors in 71 games.

Springer spent time on the DL in 2015 after suffering a concussion on May 6th. He finished the season with 107 hits, 19 doubles, 16 home runs, 16 stolen bases, 41 RBIs, and a .276 batting average in 102 games. As a right fielder in 93 games, he made 162 putouts and 3 errors. In the postseason, he batted .217 with 5 hits, including 2 doubles and a home run, and 3 RBIs in 23 at-bats in 6 games.

In 2016, Springer batted .261 with 168 hits, 29 doubles, 29 home runs, and 82 RBIs in 162 games with the Astros. Defensively, as the Astros' right fielder in 147 games, he made 304 putouts and 2 errors.

Springer had an excellent 2017 season, winning his first Silver Slugger award for batting .283 with 155 hits, 29 doubles, 34 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 111 strikeouts to 64 walks in 140 games. He also proved to be an excellent outfielder with 243 putouts and just 1 error in 84 games in center field and 78 games in right field.

Springer continued to play exceedingly well in the 2017 postseason, winning the World Series MVP award. He finished the series with 5 home runs, 7 RBIs, and a .379 batting average. In Game 2, he hit the game winning home run in the 11th inning to give the Astros a 7-5 lead. He also gave the Astros the winning home rome run in Game 4 when he had the team's first hit and their only run in the 6th inning. He tied up the score to 8-8 in the 7th inning of Game 5, again with a home run. He continued to give the Astros winning home runs in Game 6 and Game 7.

Springer finished the 2018 season with 144 hits, 26 doubles, 22 home runs, 71 RBIs, 122 strikeouts to 64 walks, and a 2.65 ERA in 140 games. Defensively, he played one game in left field, 80 games in center field, and 77 games in right field. In the postseason, he batted .400 with 14 hits, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, and 8 RBIs in 35 at-bats in 8 games. He struck out 7 times and walked three times.

Springer spent time on the DL in 2019 with a left hamstring strain. However, he played well enough in 122 games to win his second Silver Slugger award. He batted .292 and he had 140 hits, 20 doubles, 39 home runs, 96 RBIs, and 113 strikeouts to 67 walks. Defensively, he played 75 games in center field and 59 games in right field and he made 220 putouts and 2 errors. In the postseason, he had 15 hits, including 4 doubles and 4 home runs, 8 RBIs, 3 stolen bases, 20 strikeouts to 12 walks, and a .205 batting average in 73 at-bats in 18 games.

Springer played in 51 games in 2020. He finished the season with 50 hits, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 14 home runs, 32 RBIs, 38 strikeouts to 24 walks, and a .265 batting average. Defensively, he played 42 games in center field and 9 games in right field. In the postseason, he batted .263 with 15 hits, 4 home runs, and 10 RBIs in 57 at-bats in 13 games.

Springer became a free agent on October 28, 2020. He signed a six-year contract with the Blue Jays on January 19, 2021. He spent about half of the 2021 season on the IL with a quad strain and a knee sprain. He finished the season with 79 hits, 19 doubles, 22 home runs, 50 RBIs, 79 strikeouts to 37 walks, and a .264 batting average in 78 games.

Career batting statistics for Springer through 2021 include:

  • 873 games played
  • 911 hits
  • 156 doubles
  • 196 home runs
  • 508 RBIs
  • 864 strikeouts to 433 walks
  • .269 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Springer as a right fielder through 2021 include:

  • 538 games played
  • 897 putouts
  • 14 errors
  • .985 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - George Springer
ESPN - George Springer