Milwaukee Brewers
Hart made his MLB debut with the Brewers on May 25,2004. [4] Hart's next game in the majors was Sunday,August 14,2005,when he hit his first MLB home run,a three-run blast against the Cincinnati Reds into the upper deck at Miller Park. [9] Hart played 87 games for the major league club in 2006 and was with the Brewers for the entire 2007 season,mainly seeing action in right field. [4] Hart also led off for the Brewers for almost half of the 2007 season when second baseman Rickie Weeks was on the disabled list. [10]
In spring training in 2007,Hart,who stands at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m),recorded the fastest 60 yard dash of any player on the Brewers roster. [11]
During the 2007 season,Hart had a 22-game hitting streak which was snapped in a July 7 game against the Washington Nationals,as Hart went 0-for-4 with a walk. [12] [13] In 2007,Hart became the first Brewer since 2003 to steal 20 bases and hit 20 home runs in a season. [14] He and Ryan Braun were the first two Brewers to have two 20–20 seasons. [15] [16]
In 2008,Hart was selected as an outfielder to the National League team at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game,which took place on July 15 at Yankee Stadium. [4] He was voted in by the fans as a final vote,beating out David Wright of the Mets,Pat Burrell of the Phillies,Aaron Rowand of the Giants,and Carlos Lee of the Astros. [17] On August 30,Hart became the first player in Brewers history to have consecutive 20–20 seasons. [18] Hart reached base on an error 14 times in 2008,more than any other batter in the NL. [19]
On May 29,2010,Hart hit his first major league grand slam. In that game against the Mets he also hit a two-run home run. [20] In July,Hart was voted by his peers to play in the All-Star Game in Anaheim and also was chosen to participate in the Home Run Derby. Hart had a breakout season in 2010 statistically. As the regular Brewers right fielder,he posted a career-best 31 home runs,102 RBIs,and a .283 batting average.
On May 23,2011,Hart tied the Brewers records for home runs in a game with three and RBIs with seven. Hart had another productive regular season with the Brewers in 2011,posting 26 home runs,and 63 RBIs with a .285 batting average,.386 OBP,and .866 OPS. Hart's drop in home runs and RBIs is a result of missing the first three weeks of the season with an injury. He batted leadoff beginning in July,limiting his chances to drive in runs. [21]
Hart started the 2012 season as the Brewers regular right fielder,but injuries to Brewers first basemen Mat Gamel and Travis Ishikawa resulted in Hart becoming the Brewers starting first baseman,where he ended up having a successful season,recording a .995 fielding percentage playing in over 100 games at first base. He had a productive offensive season with the Brewers in 2012,batting .270 with 30 home runs and 83 RBIs.
Hart had surgery on his left knee in January 2013 and missed the entire 2013 season. [22]
Retirement with the Milwaukee Brewers
On June 27,2017,it was announced that Hart would officially retire from Major League Baseball as a Milwaukee Brewer after being honored at Miller Park on June 30 with a plaque on the park's Wall of Honor. A two-time All-Star,Hart spent nine of his 11 major league seasons with the Brewers,batting .276 with 154 home runs,508 RBI,and 83 stolen bases in 945 games. He had five 20-home-run seasons in Milwaukee,tied with four others for fourth-most in franchise history. Among the 38 players who have at least 2,000 plate appearances for the Brewers,his .491 slugging percentage ranks sixth all-time. [27] [28]
