Curtis Granderson

• Detroit Tigers (2004-2009)
• New York Yankees (since 2010)

• MLB All- Star 2009

Curtis Granderson ( born March 16, 1981 in Blue Iceland, Illinois) is an American baseball player in the major leagues. Since the 2010 season, he played as a outfielder for the New York Yankees.

Biography

High School and College

Granderson went to the Thornton Fractional South High School in Lansing, Illinois. There he had a batting average of .427 in 1999. At the University of Illinois at Chicago led Curtis 2000 team in home runs (7) and walks (45). In the next season he led his team in the runs.

Minor League

2002 Drafts was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the third round of the MLB. Granderson started his career at the minor league team Oneta Tigers, where he had a batting average of .344. In the next season he played with the Lakeland Tigers, where he hit .286 with 11 homers and 51 RBI. When he played in 2004 for the Erie SeaWolves, he was appointed to the Double-A All Star team after he had a batting average of .303, 21 home runs and 93 RBI had suggested. The 2005 season, he started with the Toledo Mud Hens, where he had an average of .290, 15 home runs, 65 RBI and hit 22 Bases steel.

Detroit Tigers

M September 2005 Granderson was appointed to the Detroit Tigers in the Major League, where he hit home run in his first month already an Inside the Park Home Run and a walkoff and had a 5 -hit game. In 2006 he was awarded the regular place of center fielder. In the 2007 season he was first honored as Player of the Week by the MLB. On 7 September 2007 he reached 20 doubles, 20 triples and 20 home runs in a season, and thus became a member of the so-called 20-20 -20 Club, which included at that time only five other players: George Brett (1979 ), Willie Mays (1957 ), Jeff Heath ( 1941), Jim Bottomley (1928 ) and Frank Schulte (1911 ). Two days later, Granderson stole the 20th base of the season and became the next Willie Mays (1957 ) and Frank Schulte (1911 ), the only the third member of the so-called 20-20-20-20- clubs. With a total of 23 triples in 2007, he led the MLB.

On 4 February 2008 Granderson signed with the Tigers a five -year contract for 30.25 million U.S. dollars. Due to an injury he could only compete in the course of April for the Tigers. He reached in the course of the 2008 season a batting average of .280, 13 triples and 22 home runs, reduced the number of strike - outs significantly (from 174 in 2006 to 111) and scored 71 Walks. In the 2009 season he was voted into the All Star team. In total, he achieved a batting average of .249, 91 runs, 23 doubles, 8 triples, 30 home runs, 71 RBI and 20 Stolen Bases in 160 games this year.

New York Yankees

In December 2009, Granderson was transferred to a trade between three teams to the New York Yankees. On April 4, 2010, he hit his first home run for the Yankees.

Private life

Off the pitch Granderson has been active as ambassadors of Major League Baseball International. In August 2009, he published his book All You Can Be: Dream It, Draw It, Become It!. In the postseason in 2007 and 2008 he was with Cal Ripken, Jr., Dennis Eckersley and Frank Thomas commentator for the TV station TBS.