Brett Pill

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Brett Pill

| image = Brett Pill on June 29, 2009 (cropped).jpg

| alt = A man in a gray baseball uniform emblazoned with blue letters reading "CONNECTICUT" swings a baseball bat right handed, checking his swing.

| caption = Pill batting for Connecticut in 2009

| team =

| number =

| position = First baseman / Left fielder

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|9|9}}

| birth_place = San Dimas, California, U.S.

| bats = Right

| throws = Right

| debutleague = MLB

| debutdate = September 6

| debutyear = 2011

| debutteam = San Francisco Giants

| debut2league = KBO

| debut2date = March 30

| debut2year = 2014

| debut2team = Kia Tigers

| statyear =

| statleague = MLB

| stat1label = Batting average

| stat1value = .233

| stat2label = Home runs

| stat2value = 9

| stat3label = Runs batted in

| stat3value = 32

| stat2league = KBO

| stat2year =

| stat21label = Batting average

| stat21value = .316

| stat22label = Home runs

| stat22value = 61

| stat23label = Runs batted in

| stat23value = 253

| finalleague= MLB

| finaldate = September 28

| finalyear = 2013

| final2league = KBO

| final2date = October 8

| final2year = 2016

| finalteam = San Francisco Giants

| final2team = Kia Tigers

| teams =

San Francisco Giants ({{mlby|2011}}–{{mlby|2013}})
Kia Tigers ({{by|2014}}–{{by|2016}})

|awards=

}}

Brett Michael Pill (born September 9, 1984) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and in the KBO League for the Kia Tigers.

Amateur career

Pill attended Covina High School and California State University, Fullerton, where he played for the Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball team.[http://thebaseballcube.com/players/P/Brett-Pill.shtml The Baseball Cube] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123093103/http://thebaseballcube.com/players/P/Brett-Pill.shtml |date=November 23, 2009 }} As a freshman in 2004, he played in 50 games but had only 80 at-bats, hitting .313 with two home runs and 17 RBI. In 2005 he hit .327 with nine home runs and 57 RBI for the Titans, and played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League.{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.thebaseballcube.com/college/summer/stats.asp?Y=2005&T=Orleans%20Cardinals |title=2005 Orleans Cardinals |publisher=thebaseballcube.com |date= |accessdate=July 20, 2021}} In his junior year, Pill hit .328 with five home runs and 40 RBI.{{cite web |url=http://www.fullertontitans.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/pill_brett00.html |title= 9 Brett Pill |publisher=Cal State Fullerton Athletics}}

Professional career

=Draft and minor leagues=

Pill was drafted twice. In 2005, he was drafted in the 45th round (1,362nd overall) by the New York Yankees, however he did not sign. He was drafted in the seventh round (206th overall) of the 2006 amateur draft by the Giants, and he did sign.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?query_type=name&name=PIll|title=MLB Amateur Draft Picks with the Name Matching: PIll - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

Pill began his professional career in 2006, playing for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. That season, he hit .220 with five home runs and 35 RBI in 60 games. In 2007, he played for the Augusta Greenjackets, hitting .269 with ten home runs and 91 RBI in 137 games. With the San Jose Giants in 2008, Pill hit .266 with nine home runs and 65 RBI in 131 games. He hit .298 with 19 home runs and 109 RBI in 139 games for the Connecticut Defenders in 2009.{{Cite web |title=Brett Pill Minor, Winter & Korean Leagues Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=pill--001bre |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}} In 2010 and 2011, Pill played with the Fresno Grizzlies, the AAA affiliate of the Giants, hitting .294 and amassing 41 HR and 191 RBI over the course of two seasons. Prior to being promoted to the major leagues, on August 21, 2011, he led the Pacific Coast League with 101 RBI.{{cite news |url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/810250-san-francisco-giants-the-mysterious-case-of-brett-pill |title=San Francisco Giants: The Mysterious Case of Brett Pill |first=Steve |last=McDevitt |date=August 21, 2011 |work=Bleacher Report}}

=San Francisco Giants=

Pill was promoted to the majors on August 31, 2011.{{cite news |url=http://m.mlb.com/news/article/23996872 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305045539/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/23996872 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |title=Giants cut ties with Tejada, Rowand |first=Adam |last=Berry |date=August 31, 2011 |work=MLB.com}} He hit a home run in his first Major League at-bat on September 6, 2011, off Wade LeBlanc of the San Diego Padres, becoming the first Giant since Will Clark to accomplish that feat.{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Rookie-Pill-homers-as-patchwork-SF-Giants-win-2310805.php |title=Rookie Pill homers as patchwork SF Giants win |first=Henry |last=Schulman |date=September 7, 2011 |work=San Francisco Chronicle}} On September 7, 2011, he joined John Bowker as the only Giant to hit a home run in his first two major league games; Pill is only the 22nd major league player to do so since 1919.{{cite news |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/giants/ci_18846897?source=rss |title=Matt Cain's milestones can't prevent San Francisco Giants' loss to San Diego Padres |first=Andrew |last=Baggarly |date=September 7, 2011 |work=Bay Area News Group}} He hit .300 with two home runs and nine RBI in 15 games with the Giants that year. After beginning the 2012 season with the Giants, on June 9, 2012, Pill was optioned to Triple-A's Fresno Grizzlies.{{cite web|url=http://m.giants.mlb.com/roster/transactions/2012/06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509144330/http://m.giants.mlb.com/roster/transactions/2012/06|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 9, 2016|title=Transactions|website=San Francisco Giants}} In 2012, hit .210 with four home runs and 11 RBI in 105 at-bats for the Giants and .285 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI in 246 at-bats for the Grizzlies.

Pill was optioned to Triple-A to begin the 2013 season. The Giants recalled Pill from the Fresno Grizzlies on May 13, 2013,{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130513&content_id=47407142&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb|title=Giants recall Pill, option Peguero to Fresno|work=mlb.com|first=Chris|last=Haft|date=May 13, 2013|access-date=May 15, 2013}} but he was sent back to AAA on June 13 after seeing only limited duty. On July 30, 2013, the Giants again recalled Pill, along with rookie Roger Kieschnick.{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Try-anything-mode-means-Pill-call-up-4697155.php |title='Try anything' mode means Pill call-up |first=Henry |last=Schulman |date=July 30, 2013 |work=San Francisco Chronicle}}

=Kia Tigers=

The Giants released Pill on January 2, 2014, so he could sign with the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization.{{cite web |last=Berry |first=Adam |url=http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/article/sf/first-baseman-brett-pill-set-to-join-korean-team-after-giants-sell-rights?ymd=20131221&content_id=66131364&vkey=news_sf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226003020/http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/article/sf/first-baseman-brett-pill-set-to-join-korean-team-after-giants-sell-rights?ymd=20131221&content_id=66131364&vkey=news_sf |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 26, 2013 |title=Pill set to join Korean team after Giants sell rights |work=MLB.com |date=December 21, 2013 |access-date=January 4, 2014}} He played in 92 games in 2014 and recorded a .309 batting average, with 19 home runs and 66 runs batted in. Pill signed another one-year deal, worth $700,000, with the Tigers on December 8, 2014.{{cite news|title=MLB dream on hold|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20141208001067|access-date=July 16, 2015|work=Korea Herald|date=December 8, 2014}} In 2015, he hit .325 with 22 home runs and 101 RBIs in 143 games played. In November 2015, the Tigers re-signed Pill to a 1-year, $900,000 deal.{{cite news |url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20151202001162 |title=Kia Tigers sign two ex-MLB pitchers |date=December 2, 2015 |work=Korea Herald}} He became a free agent at the end of the 2016 season.{{cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2016/11/27/0702000000AEN20161127002200315.html|title=Baseball club signs new American pitcher|work=english.yonhapnews.co.kr|date=November 27, 2016|access-date=November 29, 2016}}

=Detroit Tigers=

On January 10, 2017, Pill signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers that included an invitation to spring training.{{cite news |url=http://m.tigers.mlb.com/news/article/213231756/tigers-sign-22-players-to-minor-league-deals/ |title=Tigers sign Minors contracts with 22 players |work=MLB.com |first=Jason |last=Beck |date=January 10, 2017 |access-date=January 10, 2017 |archive-date=August 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803085352/http://m.tigers.mlb.com/news/article/213231756/tigers-sign-22-players-to-minor-league-deals/ |url-status=dead }} He retired on March 31, 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/player/brett-pill-489209|title=Brett Pill Stats, Highlights, Bio {{!}} MiLB.com Stats|website=Minor League Baseball|language=en|access-date=May 26, 2017}}

Coaching career

In 2020, Pill was named the hitting coach for the Tulsa Drillers, the Double–A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/tulsa/news/drillers-announce-2020-coaching-staff-312585706|title=Drillers Announce 2020 Coaching Staff|work=Minor League Baseball|date=January 29, 2020|access-date=January 29, 2020}}

Personal life

Pill's brother is MLB pitcher Tyler Pill.{{Cite web |url=https://dailytitan.com/2012/03/brothers-doing-it-big/ |title=Brothers doing it big |date=March 7, 2012 |website=Daily Titan |language=en-US |access-date=February 4, 2020}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.offthebenchbaseball.com/2019/01/21/a-new-kind-of-two-way-player/ |title=A New Kind of Two-Way Player |last=Epstein |first=Daniel R. |date=January 21, 2019 |website=Off The Bench |language=en-US |access-date=February 4, 2020}}

His father, Michael Pill, played three minor league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1977-1979. {{Cite web |title=Michael Pill Minor Leagues Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=pill--001mic |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

References

External links

{{baseballstats|br=p/pillbr01|brm=pill--001bre|espn=30389|fangraphs=5834|mlb=489209}}

[http://eng.koreabaseball.com/Teams/Playerinfohitter/summary.aspx?pcode=64699 Career statistics and player information] from Korea Baseball Organization

Category:Living people

Category:1984 births

Category:San Francisco Giants players

Category:Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players

Category:Augusta GreenJackets players

Category:San Jose Giants players

Category:Connecticut Defenders players

Category:Fresno Grizzlies players

Category:Orleans Firebirds players

Category:Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players

Category:Kia Tigers players

Category:KBO League infielders