Richard Godhard Becker^[1] (born 1972-02-01) was a Major League Baseball player during the years 1993-2000.

Born in Aurora, Illinois, Becker was drafted out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in the third round of the 1990 amateur draft. He made his major league debut in 1993 as a switch hitter. However, he achieved greater success batting exclusively from the left side of the plate. In 1996, manager Tom Kelly put Becker in the unenviable position of succeeding Kirby Puckett as the Twins' starting center fielder. However, he responded with his best year as a major leaguer, batting .291 with 12 home runs, 79 RB1, and 19 stolen bases. On July 13 of that year, he had his best day, getting four hits—including two home runs, a double, and 6 RBI. However, his numbers declined the following year, and the Twins traded Becker for Alex Ochoa in December 1997. Subsequent to the trade, Becker bounced among several teams, finding marginal playing time with the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, and Detroit Tigers.

In 2000, Becker retired from baseball. He finished his career with a .256 average, 45 home runs, 243 RBI, and 66 stolen bases.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• West Aurora Baseball Alumni