Biography of Justin Bour
Justin Bour is an American professional baseball first baseman who plays for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Bour made his MLB debut in 2014. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Angels.
Early life
Bour was born in Washington, D.C. to Jim and Tracey Bour. His father was employed by the Secret Service and was mainly assigned to presidential detail. He also has two siblings, Jason and Jenna Bour. While living in Chantilly, Virginia, Bour attended Westfield High School. He helped lead the team to a division title. During high school, Justin Bour played pitcher and first base. In high school, he earned first-team All-Met honors. Justin Bour earned this title in 2006 after being named Honorable Mention All-Met selection his junior year in 2005. During the same year, Bour was named first-team All-Met his high school won their division title. In his senior year, Bour batted .523 with 23 runs batted in (RBIs).
College career
Justin Bour attended George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Bour’s father, mother, and older brother also attended the university. Bour’s father played volleyball, his mother played softball and volleyball, and his brother, Jason, played baseball. His older brother Jason has the 12th-highest batting average in the school’s history and was drafted in the 23rd round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2007.
While attending George Mason University Justin Bour also created his own legacy. Justin Bour had 1,273 putouts which placed him first in the category, tied for second in career home runs with 46, third in RBIs with 187, fourth in total bases with 404, fifth in fielding percentage with .986, sixth in slugging percentage with .621, and 11th in batting average .347.
During his three years at George Mason University, Justin Bour averaged 15 home runs and 62 runs batted with an OPS better than .901. He set a school record on March 6, 2007, when he hit two grand slams and had 9 RBIs in a 28-1 victory of Coppin State. In 2008, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
These record numbers led to Justin Bour being drafted in the 2009 Major League Amateur Draft by the Chicago Cubs in the 25th round, even though he was thought to be a mid-round selection. Since 1978, 52 players have been signed or drafted in the baseball program at George Mason. Bour still practices there in the off season.
Professional career
Bour made his way through the Cubs minor league organization, peaking in 2012 with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies. Justin Bour batted .283/.360/.455 and drove in 110 runs. He was named to the Southern League Postseason All-Star team. In the second half of the following season Bour hit 16 home runs with the Smokies but was blocked on the roster for first base by Anthony Rizzo. Bour was drafted by the Marlins in the Rule 5 draft in December 2013.
Bour was first called up to the majors with the Marlins on June 1, 2014. Bour spent a majority of the 2015 season with the Marlins after proving himself with the Marlins in 2014. Bour did extremely well with the Marlins in 2015. On May 17, 2015 Bour made headlines for breaking up Shelby Miller’s no hit bid at Marlins Park with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. He also homered in four straight games June 30 – July 3, 2015.
Justin Bour became the eighth Marlin in franchise history to accomplish this. In October Bour was named the National League Rookie of the Month for September. After the All-Star break Bour hit 13 home runs and drove in 46 runs. This production helped offset the power-hitting that the Marlins lost after a hamate injury sustained by Giancarlo Stanton in June. Justin Bour led the Marlins in RBIs that season with 73 and had 23 homers which placed him second behind Stanton for the season. Bour batted .262/.321/.479 for the season.
Overview
- Full Name: Justin James Bour
- Date of Birth: May 28, 1988
- Age: 32 years
- Birth Place: Washington, D.C., United States
- Height: 1.93 m
- Home runs: 92
- Salary: 537,500 USD (2016)
- Batting average: .253
- Current teams: Hanshin Tigers (#41 / First baseman), Salt Lake Bees (#37 / First baseman, Infielder)
- Net Worth: N/A
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