- Seasons At Stanford: 2002-04
- 2004 First Team All-American
- Two-Time All-Pac-10 Selection (2003, '04)
- 2004 First Team Preseason All-American
- Complete Career Stats
- 4/23/04 Feature:The Perfect Balance
- 4/16/02 Feature:A Student Of The Game
General - Blossomed into one of the top outfielders in the nation with the ability to hit for power to all fields as well as average • Had a tremendous postseason in 2003 before spending the summer with Team USA • Offense often revolved around him • A dangerous and very powerful hitter • An underrated defensive player that gets good reads on balls and covers lots of ground • Selected by the Oakland Athletics as a Compensation A pick as the 36th selection overall in the 2004 MLB First-Year Player Draft • Signed a professional baseball contact with the Oakland A's on June 22, 2004.
Cardinal Career - Named a First Team All-American in his final collegiate season as a junior in 2004 • Earned a pair of All-Pac-10 selections (2002, '03) • Posted a career .345 batting average that ranks just five percentage points out of the school's all-time Top 10 list • Finished his collegiate career with 33 homers, 188 hits, 125 runs scored, 138 RBI, 31 doubles, six triples, eight stolen bases, 330 total bases, a .606 slugging percentage and a .420 on-base percentage • Had five career two-homer games and two career grandslams • Played in 157 games with 132 starts • Had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in his first 128 collegiate defensive chances before finally making a throwing error versus Cal State Fullerton (1/30) but still has a .991 mark with just two errors in 230 chances • Had 59 career multiple-hit contests, including 15 three-hit games and a pair of four-hit contests • Had 34 career multiple-RBI efforts, including six games with three RBI, five with four runs driven in, four with five and one with seven • Had six career postseason home runs.
2004 Season Notes (Junior) - Earned First Team All-American honors from Baseball America and was named a Second Team All-American by the ABCA, while also earning honorable mention recognition from College Baseball Insider.com • Awarded All-Pac-10 honors for the second consecutive year, leading the team in hits (94, #2 Pac-10), multiple-hit games (31), two-homer games (2) and triples (4, shared team lead) • Also ranked second on the club in home runs (16, #2 Pac-10), batting average (.378, #3 Pac-10), runs scored (61, #6T Pac-10, #26 NCAA), total bases (160, #2 Pac-10), slugging percentage (.643, #2 Pac-10) and on-base percentage (.454, #9 Pac-10), as well as tied for second in RBI (62) • Also ranked third on the team in bases on balls (34) and tied for third in stolen bases (6) • Posted a career-high 15-game hit streak (5/2 - 5/29; .467, 28-60, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 1 SB) that was snapped in the regular season finale versus Arizona State (5/30) and hit safely in 29 of his final 33 games (4/8 - 6/6; .409, 54-132, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 5 SB) with 19 multiple-hit contests during the stretch, including one run with eight in a row (5/2 - 5/16) • Began his 33-game stretch to end the season with a career-high 12-game hit streak (4/8 - 4/30; .449, 22-49, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 3 SB) • Also had an earlier hit streak of 10 games (6/23/03 - 2/15/04) that dated back to the final contest of 2003 • Had 13 RBI during a four-game stretch (4/10 - 4/17) • Started all 60 games in left field • Named a First Team (Baseball America) and Third Team (NCBWA) Preseason All-American.
2004 Individual Game Highlights/Notes (Junior)
6/4: UNLV - 3-4, HR, 5 RBI ... tied a career-high and postseason career-high five RBI
5/29: Arizona State - 2-5, 3B, 2 RBI ... hit second career grandslam in 1st inning
5/28: Arizona State - 2-3, HR, 4 RBI ... hit second career grandslam in 1st inning
5/22: USC - 2-4, 3B, RBI
5/17: at Arizona - 8th inning bunt single to extend hit streak
5/16: at Arizona - 2-5, HR, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored
5/15: at Arizona - 3-5, RBI
5/11: Santa Clara - 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
5/9: at Washington - 2-4, HR, RBI
5/8: at Washington - 2-4
5/7: at Washington - 2-3
5/4: San Jose State - 2-4, SB
5/2: Washington State - 3-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 4 runs, career-high-tying four runs, fifth career two-homer game (second of season)
4/30: Washington State - 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 runs
4/27: at Santa Clara - 4-6, 2B, career-high-tying four hits
4/23: Sacramento State - 2-3, 3B, RBI
4/18: California - 2-4, RBI
4/17: California - 3-4, 2 HR, season-high 5 RBI
4/16: California - 2-3, 3B, RBI, SB
4/13: Santa Clara - HR, 3 RBI
4/10: at Oregon State - 2-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 runs
4/3: at UCLA - 2-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 runs
3/27: Cal Poly - HR
3/26: Cal Poly - 3-5, 2B, 3 RBI
3/24: at Santa Clara - 2-6, RBI
3/23: at Saint Mary's - 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
3/6: at USC - 3-5, HR, 2 RBI
2/29: at California - 2-4
2/28: at California - 3-5, HR, 2 RBI
2/21: Texas - 2-5
2/13: Kansas - 2-5, RBI
2/8: at Fresno State - 3-5, 2B, RBI, second straight 3-hit game
2/7: at Fresno State - 3-5, HR, 2 RBI, first homer of season, one of Stanford's five
2/6: at Fresno State - Had one of the team's two hits
2/1: Cal State Fullerton - 2-4, RBI
2003 Season Notes (Sophomore) - Had a breakout season, hitting .348 with 16 homers (#6 Pac-10) and 66 RBI (#6 Pac-10) to earn All-Pac-10 honors • Also among Pac-10 leaders in total bases (145, #8T), hits (80, #10) and doubles (17, #10T), while adding 52 runs scored, a .630 slugging percentage and a .423 on-base mark • Contributed 25 multiple-hit games and 17 contests with two or more RBI • Had a tremendous postseason, leading the Cardinal with team-highs of five homers, 21 RBI and 35 total bases to go with a .320 batting average that helped him earn the team's Come Through Award • Hit .342 with five homers and 20 RBI, while starting 20 of 24 Pac-10 games • Earned a spot on the All-College World Series team, finishing with a .300 batting average, two homers and nine RBI • Hit one of the most memorable homers in Stanford Baseball history when he blasted a two-run shot in the top of the 10th inning to lift Stanford to a 7-5, 10-inning comeback victory over Cal State Fullerton (6/19) in a CWS bracket final, finishing 2-for-5 with three RBI in the contest • Had a huge game (4-5, 2B, HR, 5 RBI) against South Carolina (6/17) in a CWS elimination contest with a career-high four hits and a postseason career-high five RBI • Picked up a pair of hits, doubled and drove in a run (2-4, 2B, RBI) in Stanford's CWS opening 8-0 win over South Carolina (6/13) • Had a nice NCAA Super Regional, going 4-for-8 with a double, homer and five RBI in a two-game sweep of Long Beach State (6/6-6/7) • Snapped a 2-2 tie with a two-out, two-RBI single in the top of the seventh inning of the second Super Regional contest versus the 49ers (6/7) and had a key three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning of the Super Regional opener (6/6) to help turn a slim 2-1 Stanford lead into a 5-1 victory • Also earned a spot on the All-Regional team by hitting a pair of homers and driving in seven runs in three games • Hit his first career grandslam in the NCAA Regional championship game versus Richmond (6/1) • Also homered and had a pair of RBI versus UC Riverside (5/31) • Hit a pair of homers on three occasions versus USC (3/2), Oregon State (4/19) and UCLA (5/18), driving in a career-high seven runs versus the Trojans to earn Pac-10 Player of the Week honors (3/4) for the first time in his career • Posted a career-high 10-game hit streak (4/17-5/4, .500, 18-36, 3 2B, 3 HR, 14 RBI) in which he had seven multiple-hit games and also had an eight-game hit streak (5/24-6/13, .406, 13-32, 5 2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI) • Was 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI versus Cal Poly (5/24) • Homered twice for the third and final time of the season versus UCLA (5/18 - 3-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI) • Provided arguably the season's most dramatic moment on the basepaths when he scored all the way from first base on an errant pickoff throw in the top of the 10th inning and made a great slide at home plate to give the Cardinal a 5-4 victory in 10 innings over California (5/11) • Was 3-for-3 with a career-high-tying three runs scored, while adding a double and an RBI at USC (5/3) • Also tied a career-high with three runs scored versus Arizona (4/27) • Homered and had two RBI at Sacramento State (4/22) • Hit two homers for the second time of the season and drove in five runs versus Oregon State (4/19), one day after going 3-for-3 with a double and four RBI versus the Beavers (4/18) while also adding two walks to reach base all five times • Homered and drove in a pair of runs in back-to-back games at Washington State (4/7) and versus Sacramento State (4/11) with the homer at Washington State starting a two-run ninth inning rally in a game the Cardinal tied in the ninth inning before eventually winning 8-5 in 11 innings • Had a pair of doubles for the second time of the season in a series opener versus USC (2/28) • Came through with a game-winning pinch-hit RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Stanford to a 5-4 win over Nevada (2/17) in his only pinch-hitting appearance of the year • Had the first two-double game of his career at Cal State Fullerton (2/2) • Homered in each of his first two games of the season versus Santa Clara (1/25, 1/26), going 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI in the season-opener at Santa Clara (1/25) • Honorable mention Pac-10 All-Academic.
2002 Season Notes (Freshman) - Contributed a homer, 10 RBI and two stolen bases to go with a .212 batting average in 35 games and 11 starts • Started nine of the team's first 11 Pac-10 games • Hitless in three postseason at bats • Broke out of an 0-for-11 slump with a pinch-hit single at UCLA (5/19) • Contributed a key RBI triple during the seventh inning of Stanford's 9-4 comeback win at Washington (4/20) • Had back-to-back two-hit games versus USC (4/12 - 2-5, HR, 2 RBI; 4/14 - 2-6, RBI, SB) with his first collegiate home run in the first contest • Had a game-winning pinch-hit RBI double in the bottom of the 10th inning in a 5-4 win over San Jose State (4/9) • Had the first two-hit game and first triple of his career at Arizona (4/5 - 2-7, 3B) • Picked up the first hit of his collegiate career versus Cal Poly (3/2).
High School - A 2001 graduate of Rancho Bernardo High School • Earned 2001 First Team All-American (USA Today, National High School Baseball Coaches Association) honors, as well as USA Today California High School Player of the Year and All-District 8 recognition in his senior campaign • Hit .500 with CIF, county and team records of 19 homers and 64 runs scored in 33 games as a senior, while adding a school single-season record 56 hits • Added 48 RBI, 19 stolen bases, and a 1.161 slugging percentage in his final prep season • Had a career .407 prep batting average with all-time school records of 33 homers and 113 RBI, as well as 164 hits (No. 2 all-time at school) • Earned Cal-Hi Sports All-California and All-Palomar League honors for four consecutive years • Other honors as a senior included San Diego Division I CIF Co-Player of the Year and Palomar League Co-MVP • Team won three straight CIF titles in his final three campaigns and was nationally-ranked at the end of all three seasons, including a No. 1 ranking following his junior year • A four-year member of the San Diego All-Academic team • Coached by Sam Blalock.
Amateur Summer Baseball - Continued where he left off with the collegiate season during the summer of 2003, hitting .321 with a pair of homers, 22 RBI and four stolen bases with Team USA as a main component of the Pan Am Games runner-up squad that finished the year with a 27-2 overall record, the best in team history • Also had a terrific summer in 2002 prior to his breakout collegiate season last year, earning All-Cape Cod League honors after hitting .289 with three homers, eight RBI and three stolen bases playing with the Hyannis Mets • Contributed a sacrifice fly in the 2002 Cape Cod League All-Star Game • A member of the Encinitas Reds from 1995-2001 • Team won the 2000 Connie Mack national championship and a total of three national titles, including a pair of AAU championships (11-and-under, 14-and-under) • Participated in the Team One National Showcase game following his junior season.
Personal - Sociology major • Son of Richard and Christine Putnam • Mother is an amateur photographer who takes photos at many Stanford Baseball games • Comes from a family with a decorated tennis background • Great grandmother, May Sutton Bundy, won the U.S. Open title in 1904 and a pair of Wimbledon championships (1905, '07) • Grandmother, Dorothy Cheney, won the Australian Open in 1938 • Mother played tennis for UC Irvine in 1969 and 1970 • Enjoys surfing, beach volleyball, kayaking and playing the guitar • Involved with Athletes in Action and Cardinal Life, a Christian student-athlete organization at Stanford.
Final Career Game Highs
AB - 7, at Arizona State (4/5/02)
R - 4, Washington State (5/2/04)
H - 4, twice, last at Santa Clara (4/27/04)
HR - 2, five times, last vs. Washington State (5/2/04)
RBI - 7, vs. USC (3/2/03)
SB - 1, eight times, last vs. Long Beach State (6/6/04)
Hit Streak - 15 games (5/2/04-5/29/04)
2004 Season Highs
AB - 6, twice, last at Santa Clara (4/27/04)
R - 4, Washington State (5/2/04)
H - 4, at Santa Clara (4/27/04)
HR - 2, twice, last vs. Washington State (5/2/04)
RBI - 5, twice, last vs. UNLV (6/4/04)
SB - 1, six times, last vs. Long Beach State (6/6/04)
Hit Streak - 15 games (5/2/04-5/29/04)
Last Updated: 9/30/04