Meet Brett Lawrie, the 22-year-old Toronto Blue Jays third baseman. While the exploits of young Lawrie are well-known north of the border, few casual fans are familiar with the phenom.
Born in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, Lawrie was the 16th overall pick of the 2008 MLB Draft, which made him the fourth-highest drafted Canadian in MLB history.
Lawrie sped through the Brewers minor league system. At 19 years old, Lawrie batted .274 with 13 home runs, 65 RBIs and 19 stolen bases while playing in both A and AA ball. Lawrie spent the next season entirely in AA, hitting .285 with 60 extra-base hits and 30 stolen bases in 135 games.
Lawrie was traded to the Blue Jays on December 6, 2010 in a deal that sent starting pitcher Shaun Marcum to the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2011, Lawrie spent time in Toronto’s high-A and AAA teams, batting .347, before earning a late season call-up at the age of 21. Lawrie picked up his first career hit in his first at-bat. He finished 2011 with a .293 average and 9 home runs over 171 plate appearances.
Starting the season as the Blue Jays everyday third baseman, Lawrie is hitting .278 with 8 home runs and 34 RBI. The home run drop in his second big league season follows the home run drop in his second minor league season. However, in both second seasons he increased his doubles.
One look at Lawrie shows his obvious power. Expect Lawrie to become a consistent 25 home runs a season guy. It is also worth noting that his defensive wins above replacement is 2.0. An above replacement glove and a strong bat will reside at the hot corner in Toronto until at least 2018, his first year of free agent eligibility.
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