RUSSELL BRANYAN

'Russell Oles Branyan' (b. December 19, 1975 in Warner Robins, Georgia) is a Major League Baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals. He throws right, bats left, and primarily plays at third base, but is also able to play first base and the outfield. He does not typically hit for a high batting average and draws a large amount of strikeouts. However, he compensates by drawing more walks and hitting more home runs than the average player. In fact, he has tremendous power and could hit over 30 homers in a full season, but his inconsistencies have cost him starting jobs. Branyan has been given the nickname 3TO, which stands for three true outcomes, by some groups of fans for his propensity to either draw a walk, strikeout, or hit a home run.
Branyan rose up through the Cleveland Indians farm system. His major league debut was with the Indians on September 26, 1998, against the Minnesota Twins. He has also played for the Cincinnati Reds, the Atlanta Braves (as a Spring Training roster invitee), the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
In January of 2006 Branyan was placed on waivers by the Brewers. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to a minor league contract before the 2006 season. He attended 2006 Spring Training and then sent to Durham Bulls (AAA). Not 24 hours in Durham, he was called back to Tampa due to another player's injury. With the Devil Rays, he's mostly played right field instead of third base, his traditional fielding position. He struggled in the beginning of 2006 but his defense has been solid in the outfield. On August 24, 2006, Branyan was traded to the Padres for minor league pitchers Evan Meek and Dale Thayer.
On July 28, 2007 Branyan was released by the San Diego Padres.
On August 6, 2007, Branyan was signed to a minor league deal by the Cleveland Indians. He played one game with AAA team Buffalo Bisons before being placed on waivers and traded to the Phillies for cash on August 9. Phillies acquire utility infielder Russell Branyan . On August 14, in his first at-bat with the Phillies, Branyan hit a two-run game-winning home run that put the Phillies up over the Washington Nationals, 3-2. On August 28, the Phillies designated him for assignment.
On August 31, 2007, Branyan was traded to the Cardinals for a player to be named later.

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External links

References

See also

★ Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

★ Tampa Bay Devil Rays all-time roster

External links

★ MLB.com Profile

★ Baseball-Reference.com stats

References