Run batted in or RBI is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.

Common nicknames for an RBI include "Ribby" and "Rib."

The plural of RBI is "RBIs". A common mistake is to conclude that the plural should be "RBI" because "runs" is the pluralized noun, but the entire acronym is properly pluralized.^[1]

Major League Baseball Rules[link]

The official rulebook of Major League Baseball states in Rule 10.04:

(a) The official scorer shall credit the batter with a run batted in for every run that scores:

(1) unaided by an error and as part of a play begun by the batter's safe hit (including the batter's home run), sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly, infield out or fielder's choice, unless Rule 10.04(b) applies;

(2) by reason of the batter becoming a runner with the bases full (because of a base on balls, an award of first base for being touched by a pitched ball or for interference or obstruction); or

(3) when, before two are out, an error is made on a play on which a runner from third base ordinarily would score.

(b) The official scorer shall not credit a run batted in

(1) option when the batter grounds into a force double play or a reverse-force double play; or

(2) when a fielder is charged with an error because the fielder muffs a throw at first base that would have completed a force double play.

(c) The official scorer's judgment must determine whether a run batted in shall be credited for a run that scores when a fielder holds the ball or throws to a wrong base. Ordinarily, if the runner keeps going, the official scorer should credit a run batted in; if the runner stops and takes off again when the runner notices the misplay, the official scorer should credit the run as scored on a fielder's choice.

Criticism[link]

The perceived significance of the RBI is displayed by the fact that it is one of the three categories that compose the triple crown. In addition, career RBI are often cited in debates over who should be elected to the Hall of Fame. However, critics, particularly within the field of sabermetrics, argue that RBI measures the quality of the lineup more than it does the player himself since an RBI can only be credited to a player if one or more batters preceding him in the batting order reached base (the exception to this being a solo home run, in which the batter is credited with driving himself in).^[2][3] This implies that better offensive teams—and therefore, the teams in which the most players get on base—tend to produce hitters with higher RBI totals than equivalent hitters on lesser-hitting team.^[4]

RBI leaders in Major League Baseball[link]

Career[link]

Hank Aaron, All time career leader in RBI with 2,297.

Totals are current through the end of the 2011 season. Active players in bold.

1. Hank Aaron – 2,297
2. Babe Ruth – 2,217
3. Barry Bonds – 1,996
4. Lou Gehrig – 1,995
5. Stan Musial – 1,951
6. Ty Cobb – 1,937
7. Jimmie Foxx – 1,922
8. Eddie Murray – 1,917
9. Alex Rodríguez – 1,904
10. Willie Mays – 1,903
11. Cap Anson – 1,879

Alex Rodriguez (1,904 as of April 29, 2012) has the most career RBI among active players, ranking 9th overall.

Season[link]

Hank Greenberg, Hall of Famer and 2-time MVP

1. Hack Wilson (1930) – 191
2. Lou Gehrig (1931) – 184
3. Hank Greenberg (1937) – 183
4. Jimmie Foxx (1938) – 175
5. Lou Gehrig (1927) – 175

Game[link]

12 – Jim Bottomley (September 24, 1924), Mark Whiten (September 7, 1993)
11 – Wilbert Robinson (June 10, 1892), Tony Lazzeri (May 24, 1936), Phil Weintraub (April 30, 1944)
10 – by 12 major league players, most recently Garret Anderson (August 21, 2007)

Inning[link]

1. Fernando Tatis (April 23, 1999) – 8
2. Ed Cartwright (September 23, 1890) – 7
3. Alex Rodriguez (October 4, 2009) – 7

Postseason (single season)[link]

1. David Freese (2011) – 21^[5]
2. Scott Spiezio (2002) – 19^[5]
3. Sandy Alomar (1997) – 19^[5]
4. David Ortiz (2004) – 19^[5]

Game-winning RBI[link]

See also[link]

Baseball portal

• List of Major League Baseball RBI Records
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBIs

References[link]

Damu the Fudgemunk (born Earl Davis on June 8, 1984, in Washington, DC) is an American hip hop music artist and producer from Washington, DC. In addition to his career as a solo artist, music producer, and DJ, he is a member of the groups Y Society and Panacea.

Damu released his official debut album as a member of Y Society, Travel at Your Own Pace, on October 10, 2007, to positive reviews.^[1] The album is reminiscent of true-school hip-hop with its liberal use of jazz and soul samples and scratching throughout. In 2008, Damu released two free albums primarily composed of instrumental music, titled Spare Time and Overtime. He built himself a respectable and loyal fan base through his unique YouTube videos and live street performances around Washington, DC, and New York City,^[2] which require him to use a portable electricity generator to power his sampler and speakers.

Damu the Fudgemunk releases the bulk of his music through Redefinition Records, a label that he co-owns and operates. The label focuses on releasing vinyl records and cassettes even if the records are also released on CDs.

Discography[link]

• Travel at Your Own Pace (2007)
• Spare Time (2008)
• Overtime (2008)
• ReVISIONS Madvillian (Damu vs Joe Buck) (2009)
• The Bright Side (2009)
• Same Beat Project EP (2009)
• Kilawatt: V1 (2009)
• How It Should Sound (Promo EP) (2010)
• How It Should Sound Volumes 1 & 2 (2010)
• Supply for Demand (2010)
• Brooklyn Flower (2010)
• More Supplies (2010)
• When Winter Comes / Truly Get Yours (2011)
• OverThrone (Try a Little Skillfulness) / All Green (2011)
• Faster Rhyme for Self (2011)
• "Kilawatt V1.5 featuring Raw Poetic" (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Y Society at MySpace.com
• Damu the Fudgemunk's Web Site and Blog
• Tres Records Web Site
• Redefinition Records Web Site/Damu the Fudgemunk's Bio and Discography

This biographical article related to hip hop music in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Bryce Harper
Washington Nationals – No. 34
Outfielder
Born: (1992-10-16) October 16, 1992 (age 19) Las Vegas, Nevada
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 28, 2012 for the Washington Nationals
Career statistics (through May 30, 2012)
Batting average	.274
Home runs	4
Runs batted in	11
Teams
Washington Nationals (2012–present)
Career highlights and awards
2010 Golden Spikes Award

Bryce Aron Max Harper^[1] (born October 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. Harper was selected by the Nationals with the first overall pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. He stands at 6 feet 3 inches and weighs 225 lbs.^[2][3]

Harper won the 2010 Golden Spikes Award, awarded annually to the best amateur baseball player.^[4] Going into the 2012 season, baseball prospect-watchers, including Baseball America, MLB.com, and Baseball Prospectus routinely ranked Harper as a top #3 prospect. He made his MLB debut with the Nationals on April 28, 2012.

College career[link]

Harper earned his General Educational Development after his sophomore year at Las Vegas High School in December 2009, making him eligible for the June 2010 amateur draft in order to begin his professional baseball career earlier.^[5][6] For the 2010 college season, 17-year-old Harper enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada of the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). An advantage for Harper in his eventual transition to his professional career was that the SWAC, like MLB, uses wooden bats in conference play. In 66 games, he hit 31 home runs, 98 RBI, hitting .443/.526/.987 (AVG/OBP/SLG).^[7] His 31 home runs shattered the school's previous record of 12. He was named the 2010 SWAC Player of the Year.^[8] The next day, in a doubleheader, he went 2-for-5 with a three-run double in the first game, and in the second game went 6-for-6 with 4 home runs, a triple, and a double.^[9]

On June 2, 2010, Harper was ejected from a National Junior College World Series game by home plate umpire Don Gilmore after a called third strike. Harper drew a line in the dirt with his bat as he left the plate, presumably to show where he thought the pitch was. It was Harper's second ejection of the year, and resulted in a two-game suspension.^[10] The suspension ended his amateur career, as Southern Nevada lost the game from which Harper was ejected and lost their next game with Harper suspended, which eliminated them from the tournament.^[11]

Harper won the 2010 Golden Spikes Award.^[4] In May 2012, the book The Last Natural: Bryce Harper's Big Gamble in Sin City and the Greatest Amateur Season Ever by sportswriter Rob Miech was published by the Thomas Dunne Books imprint at St. Martin's Press. The book chronicles Harper's historic college season and culminates in his being the first player selected in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft and signing a multimillion-dollar contract just before the signing deadline. Steve Rushin endorsed the book as "a fascinating eyewitness account, a baseball version of the Beatles in Hamburg circa 1961, just before the klieg lights get switched on."^[12]

Professional career[link]

Harper playing for the Hagerstown Suns, Single-A affiliates of the Nationals, in 2011.

Harper was drafted #1 overall by the Washington Nationals,^[13] becoming the Nationals second consecutive number one overall pick of the Major League Baseball Draft, following Stephen Strasburg.^[14] Although Harper had predominantly played catcher, the Nationals drafted him as an outfielder to extend his career and to accelerate his player development, so that he could debut in MLB earlier. He has been considered one of the most highly touted prospects in Major League Baseball History. ^[13]

Harper signed a 7-year contract worth $18.9 million,^[15] and on August 26, 2010, Harper was introduced by the Nationals. Harper said he chose to wear #34 because "I always loved Mickey Mantle, three and four equals seven."^[16]

After batting .419 with a .407 OBP (and leading his team in hits, homers, RBI and walks) in the Nationals' fall instructional league, Harper was selected to participate in the Arizona Fall League as a member of the Scottsdale Scorpions taxi-squad,^[17] the second-youngest player in the history of the league (two days older than when Mets' prospect Fernando Martínez appeared in the league in 2006).^[18] He batted .343 and slugged .729.^[19] On November 20, Harper and the Scottsdale Scorpions won the 2010 Arizona Fall League Championship.

After batting .399 in spring training, the Nationals optioned Harper to the Hagerstown Suns of the Class-A South Atlantic League to begin his minor league career.^[20] In April 2011, after a slow start in the minor leagues, Harper visited optometrist Dr. Keith Smithson who reportedly told him, "I don't know how you ever hit before. You have some of the worst eyes I've ever seen." In his first 20 games after receiving contact lenses, Harper hit .480, collecting 7 home runs, 40 doubles and 23 RBI.^[21]

Harper was selected to represent the United States in the 2011 All-Star Futures Game during the 2011 All Star Game weekend. He was promoted to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators on July 4. Harper went 4 for 4 in his AA debut with two singles, a double, triple and a walk.^[22]

On August 18, 2011, Harper injured his hamstring while running from first to third base on an extra base hit. The injury was severe enough that he had to be carried off the field by his coaches. Harper was placed on the 7-day disabled list, and it was reported that the injury had ended Harper's season.^[23]

During 2012 spring training, Harper was optioned to AAA Syracuse, where he started the season, playing centerfield.^[24] After a strong start, Harper was called up to the Nationals on April 27, 2012, as Ryan Zimmerman was placed on the DL. He made his MLB debut with the Nationals the next day against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Harper grounded out to the pitcher (Chad Billingsley) in his first career Major League at bat. He recorded his first Major League hit with a double in his third at-bat against Billingsley and got his first RBI on a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth against Javy Guerra.^[25]

On May 6, 2012 Harper was hit in the lower back by Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels in the first inning on the first pitch of the at bat. ^[26] Harper would steal home plate that same inning, but the Nationals lost the game 9-3. Hamels subsequently admitted to hitting him intentionally and was suspended by MLB for 5 games.

On May 14, 2012, Harper hit his first Major League home run, a solo blast off of San Diego Padres pitcher Tim Stauffer.^[27] He was the youngest player to homer in the major leagues since Adrian Beltre in 1998.^[28]

Career accomplishments[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

Personal life[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

Harper's older brother, Bryan, was a left-handed pitcher for College of Southern Nevada with Bryce. Bryan now plays for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, back to back winners of the 2010 and 2011 College World Series. Bryan was also selected in the 2010 MLB Draft, by the Chicago Cubs.^[29][30] He did not sign and then was drafted in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals.

Harper was featured in an episode of ESPN E:60^[31] and was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in May 2009.^[32] Harper also just recieved a sponsorship deal with a nutritional supplement company focusing on active lifestyles, MusclePharm. ^[33]

Read more: MusclePharm Signs Pro Baseball Rookie Phenom Bryce Harper As Sponsored Athlete - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_20681350#ixzz1wM2Zge4h Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

Bryce Harper is also a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.^[34]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bryce Harper

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Bryce Harper's College Statistics

David Freese
Freese at third base
St. Louis Cardinals – No. 23
Third baseman
Born: (1983-04-28) April 28, 1983 (age 29) Corpus Christi, Texas
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 6, 2009 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics (through May 24, 2012)
Batting average	.292
Home runs	25
Runs batted in	131
Teams
St. Louis Cardinals (2009–present)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (2011) World Series MVP Award (2011) NLCS MVP Award (2011) MLB postseason record for RBIs (21 in 2011) Babe Ruth Award (2011)

David Richard Freese (born April 28, 1983) is an American third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). For the Cardinals, Freese batted .545 with 12 hits in the 2011 National League Championship Series (NLCS), and set a MLB postseason record with 21 runs batted in (RBIs), earning the NLCS MVP Award, World Series MVP Award, and the Babe Ruth Award, naming him the MVP of the MLB postseason.

A star high school player, Freese declined a college baseball scholarship from the University of Missouri, a Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) baseball program in the Big 12 Conference. Needing a break from baseball, he sat out his freshman year of college before feeling a renewed urge to play the game.^[1] He transferred to St. Louis Community College-Meramec, a junior college, where he played for one season before transferring to the University of South Alabama.^[2]

The San Diego Padres drafted Freese out of South Alabama in the ninth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. Before the 2008 season, the Cardinals acquired Freese for Jim Edmonds. He made his MLB debut on Opening Day 2009 due to an injury to incumbent third baseman Troy Glaus. Despite suffering injuries in his minor league career and first two MLB seasons, Freese emerged as the Cardinals' best hitter during their 2011 World Series championship season.

Early life[link]

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Freese was raised in the Greater St. Louis area and he grew up a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals.^[2] He graduated in 2001 from Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri.^[3] Freese recorded a Lafayette-record .533 batting average and 23 home runs during his senior season.^[1] He was considered to be the best shortstop in the state.^[1]

Freese in June 2011

As a senior in high school, Freese was offered a scholarship to play college baseball for the University of Missouri's baseball team, competing in the Big 12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. Feeling burned out, Freese decided instead to quit the sport.^[1][2] He enrolled at the University of Missouri, where he studied computer science and pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon.^[2]

During the summer after his freshman year, Freese worked for the Rockwood School District maintenance department.^[1] When he visited Lafayette High School towards the end of the summer, he realized how much he missed baseball.^[2] Freese asked Tony Dattoli, the coach at St. Louis Community College-Meramec, for a roster spot.

St. Louis Community College is a junior college, which participates in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). During his one season at St. Louis Community College, Freese hit .396 with 41 runs batted in (RBIs) and 10 home runs and was named to the NJCAA All-America second team.^[4] Dattoli^[5] recommended Freese to Steve Kittrell, the head coach of the Jaguars baseball team at the University of South Alabama. At South Alabama, opposing teams respected his hitting ability; scouts told their pitchers: "Don't let Freese beat us."^[2][6] In 2005 as a junior, Freese hit .373, with a .443 on-base percentage (OBP), .525 slugging percentage (SLG), and 52 runs scored in 56 games. He was seventh in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in average and led the school one year after Adam Lind had done so. Freese was even better in 2006, hitting .414 with a .503 OBP and .661 SLG with 73 runs and 73 RBI in 60 games. He won the SBC batting title and also led the conference in RBI. He tied for 9th in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I in RBI, was 12th in average and just missed the top 10 in runs scored. He made the All-Conference team at third base and was named SBC Player of the Year. He was named an American Baseball Coaches Association All-American as the top third baseman in NCAA Division I, ahead of Evan Longoria and Pedro Alvarez, among others.^[7] Kittrell considers Freese to be the best player he coached at South Alabama, where he also coached Lind, Luis Gonzalez and Juan Pierre.^[2]

Professional career[link]

Minor leagues: 2006–2008[link]

Prior to the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, the Boston Red Sox attempted to sign Freese for $90,000. However, South Alabama made the College World Series regional playoffs, which extended their season past the pre-draft signing deadline.^[8]

Freese was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the ninth round (273rd overall) of the draft. Freese played for the Eugene Emeralds of the Class-A Short Season Northwest League, Fort Wayne Wizards of the Class-A Midwest League and Lake Elsinore Storm of the Class-A Advanced California League in the San Diego farm system in 2006 and 2007. He batted .379 with a .465 OBP, .776 SLG, 19 runs and 26 RBI in 18 games for the Emeralds and .299 with a .374 OBP, .510 SLG and 44 RBI in 53 games for the Wizards in 2006. Freese batted .302 with a .400 OBP and .489 SLG for Lake Elsinore in 128 games during the 2007 season. He scored 104 runs and drove in 96. He ranked seventh in the California League in OBP, seventh in RBI and tied with Tony Granadillo for third in runs. He made the California League All-Star team.^[9] However, the Padres had third basemen Chase Headley and Kevin Kouzmanoff as well, potentially blocking Freese's path to the majors. As a result, Freese began to practice as a catcher.^[1]

Before the 2008 season, Freese was traded by the Padres to the Cardinals for Jim Edmonds.^[6] He spent the season with the Memphis Redbirds of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL), where he batted .306 with a .361 OBP and .550 SLG, hit 26 home runs and recorded 91 RBI.^[10] He led PCL third basemen in fielding percentage (.967) and double plays (26).^[11]

Early MLB career: 2009–2010[link]

Freese on the basepaths

Freese emerged as a potential starter when an injury seemed likely to put Cardinals starting third baseman Troy Glaus on the disabled list at the beginning of the 2009 season.^[12] Freese made his Major League debut on Opening Day of the 2009 season, coming off the bench and hitting a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the Cardinals' home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[13] Freese was expected to be the team's starting third baseman, but was quickly passed over by Brian Barden and Joe Thurston.^[14] He was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on April 20, 2009 to make room for newly acquired reliever Blaine Boyer.^[15] He later had surgery to repair a left ankle injury that hampered him during spring training.^[1] He missed two months of the season. He was activated and assigned to the Springfield Cardinals of the Double-A Texas League in late July, before he was assigned to Memphis. He led the Memphis Redbirds to a PCL division championship.^[16] He was recalled in the September call-up on September 23, 2009. Freese played only 17 games for the Cardinals in 2009,^[1] in addition to 56 games for Triple-A Memphis.

Freese began the 2010 season as the Cardinals' starting third baseman. However, he suffered a right ankle injury in June. This injury required him to have two ankle surgeries and ended his season after 70 games.^[1]

Breakout season: 2011[link]

Freese was projected to start the 2011 season,^[17] and he was named the starter on Opening Day, despite suffering minor ailments during spring training.^[17] He started off the year batting over .320, but was hit by a pitch that fractured his left hand, and missed 51 games (about two months).^[1] After returning to the starting lineup, he finished the season with a .297 batting average, 10 home runs, and 55 RBI. He recorded hits in eight of the final nine regular-season games.^[1] Freese credited his improvement in power hitting to hitting coach Mark McGwire, who helped him refine his stroke.^[18][19]

Freese surveys the damage caused by the 2011 Joplin tornado

2011 postseason[link]

In his first playoff series, he drove in 4 runs against Philadelphia in Game 4 to force a fifth game.^[20] In the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against Milwaukee, Freese had a .545 batting average, hit 3 home runs, drove in 9 runs, and scored 7 runs. He was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player.^[21] Through Game 3 of the World Series against Texas, Freese had a 13-game postseason hitting streak, a Cardinals record and just two short of matching the all-time National League record. The hitting streak was snapped in Game 4.^[22]

In Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, with the Texas Rangers leading, 3 games to 2, Freese came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, with two out and two men on base. With a count of one ball and two strikes, Freese hit a two-run triple off Neftali Feliz to tie the game and send it to extra innings. In the 11th inning, again with two strikes, Freese hit a game-winning lead-off, "walk-off", solo home-run to deep center field (420 feet), to send the World Series to its first Game 7 since 2002.^[23][24][25] Freese joined Jim Edmonds, the man he was traded for, as the only players in Cardinals history to hit an extra-inning walk-off home run in the postseason. He joined David Ortiz (2004) and Hall of Famers Carlton Fisk (1975) and Kirby Puckett (1991) as the only players to hit an extra-inning walk-off home run when their team was facing postseason elimination.^[25]

In Game 7 of the World Series, Freese hit a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning, bringing his 2011 postseason RBI total to 21, an MLB record.^[26][27] The Cardinals went on to win the game and the series,^[28] making Freese a World Series champion for the first time. For his efforts, Freese was named the World Series MVP.^[29] He became the sixth player to win the LCS and World Series MVP awards in the same year.^[30] Freese also won the Babe Ruth Award as the postseason MVP.^[31]

Personal life[link]

Freese during 2011 World Series parade.

His father, Guy, is a civil engineer. His mother, Lynn, is a retired teacher.^[25]

In December 2009, Freese was arrested for driving under the influence in Maryland Heights, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.^[32] Freese blew a .232, which is nearly three times the state's legal limit of .08. It was the second such arrest for Freese, who was also arrested in November 2002 in Maryland Heights for driving while intoxicated.^[33] The 2009 arrest was a violation of Freese's probation, due to a September 2007 arrest for resisting arrest (amongst other charges) in Lake Elsinore, California.^[34]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• St. Louis Cardinals award winners and league leaders

References[link]