| Ian Stewart | |
|---|---|
 Stewart with the Colorado Rockies in 2008 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born: (1985-04-05)April 5, 1985 (age 40) Long Beach, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 11, 2007, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 11, 2014, for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .230 |
| Home runs | 62 |
| Runs batted in | 213 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Medals | |
Ian Kenneth Stewart (born April 5, 1985) is an American former professionalbaseballthird baseman. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theColorado Rockies,Chicago Cubs, andLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Drafted in the2003 MLB draft first round out ofLa Quinta High School inWestminster, California, Stewart showed great promise in short-season rookie-league ball with theCasper Rockies in thePioneer League. His .401on-base percentage and .558slugging average appeared to justify his first-round selection. In 2004, Stewart continued to progress in Low-A with theAsheville Tourists in theSouth Atlantic League with a .398 OBP and .594 SLG.Baseball America ranked him as the fourth best prospect in baseball behindDelmon Young,Félix Hernández, andJoe Mauer.
In 2005, Stewart began play in High-A for theModesto Nuts of theCalifornia League. He got off to a very slow start, hitting for a low average with little power. Stewart went to extendedspring training and came back to play with Modesto in June, 2005. Up until June 20, Stewart was hitting under .230 with fewhome runs. However, Stewart rebounded later in the season and finished with a respectable .353 OBP and .497 SLG, although he showed a worrisome tendency to strike out.[citation needed]
Stewart played in theArizona Fall League after the conclusion of the 2005 minor league season. Here, Stewart got off to a good start with impressive power. Unfortunately, he suffered a wrist injury while sliding into second base. TheMRI showed limited damage, and he was shut down for the rest of the AFL.
Stewart was invited to the Rockies' 2006 spring training. He began well, hitting six home runs and batting over .400 in the first few games. Stewart re-established himself as a power-hitting prospect, and the Rockies assigned him to theTulsa Drillers of the Double-ATexas League. Here Stewart began the season well, but fell into a slump that sent hisaverage to .235 in mid-May before being sidelined with another injury. The injury was not serious, and Stewart only missed ten games. When he returned, Stewart improved noticeably and finished the season with a .351 on-base percentage and a .452 slugging average. In 2007, he was selected to theAll-Star Futures Game.
Stewart had his contract purchased to the40-man roster on August 11, 2007, whenJeff Baker was placed on thedisabled list. He made his major league debut on that same day when he started the game at third base. Stewart was hitless in two at-bats but scored a run after he was hit by a pitch. His first hit was a double offKerry Wood of theChicago Cubs on August 12. Stewart hit his first major league home run, agrand slam on August 21, 2007, againstTony Armas Jr. of thePittsburgh Pirates, making him only the second Rockie ever to hit a grand slam as his first major league home run.
Stewart struggled early, striking out 28 times in his first 55 at-bats, and was sent down to the Triple-AColorado Springs Sky Sox to regain his hitting stroke. He found it once again, and was called back to the Majors on July 19. Stewart won the starting third base job whenGarrett Atkins moved tofirst base in place for the injuredTodd Helton.
Stewart received the NLRookie of the Month award for his accomplishments in July 2008.[1][2] He hit .432 with one home run, five doubles, eight runs scored and 15 RBI in 12 games during the month of July. He also had a .614 slugging percentage and a .519 on-base percentage.
After playing as the Rockies regular third baseman for most of 2009 and 2010, Stewart split 2011 between the Majors and Triple-A. In parts of 5 seasons with the Rockies, he hit .236 with 54 home runs and 187 RBI in 432 games.
On December 8, 2011, Stewart was traded from theColorado Rockies along withCasey Weathers to theChicago Cubs in exchange forTyler Colvin andDJ LeMahieu.[3]
He started the season playingthird base with occasional starts byJeff Baker, another former Rockie. On July 16, 2012, Stewart underwent wrist surgery and was put on the 60-day disabled list.[4][5] In 55 games he hit .201 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI.
On December 6, 2012, Stewart re-signed a 1-year $2 million deal with the Cubs.[6] He played in 40 games with the Triple-AIowa Cubs, hitting .168. In June 2013, Stewart was suspended ten games for making critical comments about the team on Twitter,[7][8] which led to his release on June 25.[9]
On July 5, 2013, he signed a minor league contract with theLos Angeles Dodgers, who assigned him to the Triple-AAlbuquerque Isotopes.[10] He hit just .174 in 27 games before he was released on August 12.[11]
On January 22, 2014, Stewart signed a minor league contract with theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim.[12] Stewart won a bench role with the Angels after a strong spring training. In 24 games for the Angels, he batted .177/.222/.382 with two home runs, seven RBI, and one stolen base. Stewart wasdesignated for assignment on July 19.[13] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-ASalt Lake Bees on July 22.[14] In 36 games for the Bees, Stewart hit .198/.310/.347 with five home runs and 13 RBI.
On December 26, 2014, Stewart signed a minor league contract with theWashington Nationals.[15] In 48 games for the Triple-ASyracuse Chiefs, he batted .200/.310/.400 with seven home runs and 22 RBI. Stewart was released by the Nationals organization on June 5, 2015.[16]
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | National League Rookie of the Month July 2008 | Succeeded by |
