Brett David Harper (born July 31, 1981) is an American former
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
in
Minor League Baseball. He is the son of former Major Leaguer
Brian Harper
Brian David Harper (born October 16, 1959) is an American former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for teams in both the American and National Leagues during his 16-year career (-). He most recently served as the hitting coach of the D ...
.
Career
Harper was drafted by the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
in the 45th round of the
2000 MLB Draft out of
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale Community College is a public community college in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is on the eastern boundary of the city on 160 acres (650,000 m2) of land belonging to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The lease was taken out i ...
. He began his professional baseball career with the
Kingsport Mets
The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home ...
in 2001 and remained in the Mets farm system through 2007, raising as high as Double-A, where he played with the
Binghamton Mets
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mira ...
from 2004–2007. In 2004 with the
St. Lucie Mets
The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...
he was named the team's MVP and named to the mid-season
Florida State League
The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
All-Star team, though he was unable to participate due to his promotion to Binghamton. In 2005, he finished third among all minor leaguers in home runs with 36 and he was again named to the FSL All-Star team. He also finished second in the FSL's home run derby.
In 2007 with Binghamton, Harper was named to the
Eastern League Mid-season and post-season All-Star teams while hitting .296 with 24 home runs and 88 RBIs.
He was invited to spring training by the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
in 2008 and spent the season with the Triple-A
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in do ...
, hitting .315 with 20 home runs and 59 RBIs.
Harper began 2009 with the
Las Vegas 51s in the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
system and hit .274 with 15 home runs in 79 games before he was released by the Blue Jays. He was quickly signed by the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
and assigned to the
Albuquerque Isotopes
The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an el ...
.
In June 2010 Harper signed a contract with the Yokohama BayStars for the remainder of the 2010 season with a club option for 2011.
He signed with the
Diablos Rojos del México
The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their hom ...
of the
Mexican Baseball League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
for the 2016 season. He was traded to the
Guerreros de Oaxaca
The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos.
History
In October 1995, a group of businessmen, l ...
on April 19, 2016.
Harper is currently Head Coaching Instructor of Canes Baseball AZ, a youth club baseball program in Scottsdale, Arizona.
References
External links
Minor league player bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Brett
1981 births
Living people
Acereros de Monclova players
Águilas de Mexicali players
Albuquerque Isotopes players
American expatriate baseball players in Japan
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Baseball coaches from Utah
Baseball players from Salt Lake City
Binghamton Mets players
Brooklyn Cyclones players
Capital City Bombers players
Diablos Rojos del México players
Estrellas Orientales players
American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic
Fresno Grizzlies players
Guerreros de Oaxaca players
Gulf Coast Mets players
Kingsport Mets players
Lancaster Barnstormers players
Las Vegas 51s players
Mexican League baseball first basemen
Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen
Peoria Saguaros players
Sacramento River Cats players
Sportspeople from Salt Lake City
St. Lucie Mets players
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles players
Venados de Mazatlán players
Yokohama BayStars players