| Norris Hopper | |
|---|---|
 Hopper with the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1979-03-24)March 24, 1979 (age 46) Shelby, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 20, 2006, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 1, 2008, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .316 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs batted in | 20 |
| Stolen bases | 17 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Norris Stephen Hopper (born March 24, 1979) is an American former professionalbaseballoutfielder who played three seasons ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theCincinnati Reds. Drafted by theKansas City Royals in the eighth round of the1998 Major League Baseball draft, Hopper made his MLB debut on August 20, 2006, with the Cincinnati Reds. He has a major league career .316batting average with 125hits, 15doubles, twotriples, onehome run, 20runs batted in, and 17stolen bases.
At 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 205 pounds (93 kg), Hopper played all three outfield positions for the Reds. A skilled defender, he recorded just oneerror in his career, finishing with a .996fielding percentage. Though he lackedpower as a hitter, he was adept at hitting forcontact, allowing him to utilize his speed and athleticism to beat out singles andbunt for base hits.
Hopper spent 13 seasons of his professional career inMinor League Baseball (MiLB). He has a minor league career .289 batting average with 1,237 hits, 119 doubles, 32 triples, three home runs, 368 runs batted in, and 237 stolen bases.
Born inShelby, NC, Hopper attendedShelby High School, where he playedshortstop and started atquarterback for the school'sfootball team.
Considered among the top high school football players inNorth Carolina, he was selected to play in the 1997 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas; one of his teammates was futureNFLdefensive endJulius Peppers.[1]
Hopper signed with theKansas City Royals in 1998, spending seven seasons with the organization, all in the minor leagues. He finished his stint with the Royals organization inDouble-A, playing two seasons for theWichita Wranglers, where he slashed .290/.346/.327 and recorded 80 stolen bases.
Through 655 minor league games with the Royals organization, he slashed .278/.338/.322 with two home runs, 219 runs batted in, and 137 stolen bases.[2]
He was grantedfree agency on October 15, 2004.[3]
On December 13, 2005, Hopper signed withCincinnati Reds.[4]
For the 2005 season, he was assigned to the club'sDouble-A affiliate, theChattanooga Lookouts, where he slashed .310/.354/.368 with one home run, 37 runs batted in, and 25 stolen bases. In 2006, he spent the majority of the season with the club'sTriple-A affiliate, theLouisville Bats. Through 98 games with the Bats, he slashed .347/.378/.392 and recorded 25 stolen bases.[5]
On August 20, 2006, he made his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds, recording a single in his first major league at-bat.[6] On September 22, 2006, againstRich Hill and theChicago Cubs, he recorded his first and only major league home run.[7] He appeared in 21 games that season, slashing .359/.435/.462 with one home run, five runs batted in, and two stolen bases.[8]
During the 2007 season, he appeared in 121 games with the Cincinnati Reds, slashing .329/.371/.388 with 101 hits, 14 runs batted in, and 14 stolen bases.[9]
After 2009spring training, he was assigned to theTriple-ALouisville Bats.[10]
On June 26, Hopper was traded to theChicago White Sox for catcherCorky Miller.
On August 6, Hopper was traded to theWashington Nationals organization.
He was granted free agency on November 9, 2009.
On January 14, 2010, he signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.[11] He spent the season with the AAANashville Sounds and filed for free agency after the 2010 season.
Hopper signed with theSomerset Patriots of theAtlantic League of Professional Baseball for the 2011 season. He played in 79 games for Somerset and carried a .253/.294/.302 batting line to go with 67 hits. He became a free agent after the season.
On June 27, 2010, Hopper signed with thePetroleros de Minatitlan of theMexican League. After playing only 20 games for the club he was released on July 24, 2010.
On May 28, 2007,center fielderRyan Freel was catching afly ball, when his head collided with Hopper's right elbow. The collision resulted in Freel being diagnosed withcontusions to his head and neck.[12]
Following the collision, Freel told reporters he had sustained severalconcussions in his life. On December 22, 2012, Freel died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to his family, he suffered fromchronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).[13]