| B. J. Surhoff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Left fielder /Catcher /Third baseman | |
| Born: (1964-08-04)August 4, 1964 (age 61) Bronx, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 8, 1987, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 2, 2005, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .282 |
| Hits | 2,326 |
| Home runs | 188 |
| Runs batted in | 1,153 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
William James"B. J."Surhoff (born August 4, 1964) is an American formercatcher,outfielder,first baseman,third baseman, anddesignated hitter inMajor League Baseball (MLB). Over his 18-year MLB career, he played every position exceptpitcher. After playing for the Orioles from 1996 to 2000, he rejoined the team in 2003 and played through the 2005 season. He started his career with theMilwaukee Brewers (1987–1995) and also played for theAtlanta Braves (2000–2002). Surhoff began his career as a catcher, and after playing third base in the mid-1990s, shifted to become primarily aleft fielder. Surhoff was thefirst-overall pick in the1985 MLB Draft.
Born inthe Bronx, Surhoff attendedRye High School in Westchester, New York. After high school he attended theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1983, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theWareham Gatemen of theCape Cod Baseball League.[1] Surhoff was honored as the 1985ACC Male Athlete of the Year, and played on the first (1984) U.S. Olympic baseball team. He was a two-time first teamAll-American at UNC and his career batting average of .392 was a school record untilDustin Ackley set the mark at .412 in 2009.[2]
Surhoff was selected by the Brewers with thefirst overall pick of the1985 Major League Baseball draft. He was a versatile player, having appeared at every position except pitcher over the course of his career. He had 2,326hits, 188home runs and 1,153runs batted in during his career. Although always a consistent hitter, havinghit over .280 in 12 of his 19 seasons, Surhoff's finest season was his 1999 campaign with the Orioles, in which he led theAmerican League inat-bats (673), ranked second in hits (207), was selected to the American League All-Star team, and ultimately won Most Valuable Oriole honors for the season, becoming one of five players to get 200 or more hits in a season for the team. He also participated in theHome Run Derby. In other notable seasons, he finished sixth in the AL indoubles in 1993 with the Brewers and finished fifth in batting average in the AL with the Brewers in 1995 with a .320 average.
In 2007, Surhoff was elected to the Orioles Hall of Fame, with the official induction ceremony occurring before the start of the Orioles–Twins game on August 25, 2007, atOriole Park at Camden Yards.
Surhoff's fatherDick played two years in theNBA in 1952–1953 and 1953–1954 and his brotherRich appeared in nine games in 1985 as arelief pitcher for thePhiladelphia Phillies and theTexas Rangers. He also has a brother named Mark who lives in Rye, New York. His son,Austin, swam at theUniversity of Texas and won the 200individual medley and 200backstroke at the 2010Big 12 Championships.[3] Then he won the 200 Individual Medley national title a month later.
Surhoff lives inCockeysville, Maryland, with his wife Polly and their four children. He is the president of Pathfinders for Autism, a Hunt Valley support group for families with autistic children. Surhoff's son, Mason, is autistic.[4]
Surhoff is the uncle of former UNC third-teamAll-American pitcherBrian Moran, and former Astro third baseman/outfielderColin Moran.[5][6] In 2008, 2009 and 2012 Surhoff was a spring training instructor for the Baltimore Orioles.[7][8]
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