Garrett Bernard Atkins (born December 12, 1979 in
Orange, California) has been the third baseman for
the Major League Baseball team the Colorado Rockies
since 2003. He bats and throws right-handed. As a
hitter, Atkins has established himself as a key
element to the Rockies' premier offense, which
includes Matt Holliday, and team veteran, Todd
Helton. In 2005, his 89 runs batted in led not only
the Colorado Rockies, but all major league rookies
as well. In 2006, Atkins had a breakout year and
ranked in the top ten of nearly all batting
categories in the National League, posting a .329
batting average with 120 runs batted in and 117 runs
scored.
Atkins attended |University High School in Irvine,
California. As a senior, he was named the Irvine
World News All-City MVP, after posting a .557
batting average, along with a school single-season
record 13 home runs.
After being drafted by the New York Mets in 1997 out
of high school, Atkins elected to attend college
instead -- he was recruited by Pepperdine, USC,
Oklahoma State, Cal State Fullerton and UCLA,
choosing the latter. At UCLA, Atkins majored in
sociology and became the first three-time
All-American. He established himself as the premier
freshman hitter in the school's history -- his
accomplishments included compiling a 33-game hitting
streak and batting cleanup just as many times. He
began as a first baseman before converting to third
base, where he made 51 starts in '98. However, in
1999, his sophomore campaign, Atkins played first
base again and led the team in hits. He was a
teammate of Philadelphia Phillies' second baseman
Chase Utley, and along with him, was one of only two
Bruins to start every game. Atkins was drafted in
2000 out of UCLA by the Colorado Rockies in the
fifth round (137th overall). This time, he chose to
accept the offer from an MLB club and began the
process of reaching the majors.
