Jeromy Burnitz (born April 15, 1969 in Westminster, California) is a right fielder in Major League Baseball who plays for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Previously, he played with the New York Mets (1993-94, 2002-03), Cleveland Indians (1995-96), Milwaukee Brewers (1996-2001), Los Angeles Dodgers (2003), Colorado Rockies (2004) and Chicago Cubs (2005). On February 2, 2005, the Cubs signed Burnitz to a one-year contract, the same day Sammy Sosa's trade to the Baltimore Orioles was finalized. He played his collegiate ball at Oklahoma State University. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed. In his 12-year career, Burnitz is a .255 hitter with 300 home runs and 932 RBI in 1583 games. He's hit at least 31 home runs from 1998-2004 with a career high 38 in 1998, a year in which he also had 125 RBI, another career mark. He played in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2001.
Though Burnitz had a big year in 2004, it must be noted that he played half of his games at batter-friendly Coors Field. In 150 games, he led the Rockies with 37 home runs, hit a career high .283, and was second on the team with 110 RBI. He continued to hit well at Wrigley Field with a .258 average, 24 homers and 87 RBI in 160 games with the Cubs. Burnitz is also known as a good clubhouse man and a friendly, laid-back ballplayer.
Burnitz signed with Pittsburgh in the 2005 offseason a week after expressing interest in the Baltimore Orioles.
