Lorenzo Cain

Cain was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 17th round of the 2004 amateur draft out of Tallahassee Community College.[2] He began his career in 2005, playing for their Rookie League Helena Brewers and AZL Brewers. In 2006, he was promoted to the Class A West Virginia Power, where he was named to the South Atlantic League's mid and post-season All-Star teams.[3]

Cain was promoted to their Class A-Advanced Brevard County Manatees in 2007. Beginning the 2008 season in Brevard County, Cain was called up to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds on June 10 to replace outfielder Hernán Iribarren, who was recalled by Milwaukee.

Cain was called up to the Brewers when pitcher Doug Davis was placed on the disabled list on July 16, 2010. He made his major league debut against the Atlanta Braves that evening as a pinch-hitter. He was robbed of a hit in his first at-bat due to a diving catch by Braves left fielder Matt Diaz. Two days later, in his next at bat in that same series, he got his first major league hit. He then replaced CF Carlos Gómez for the rest of the game and finished the game 2 for 2 with two singles; Cain went on to appear in 43 games for the Brewers.

On December 18, 2010, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals with Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress, and Jake Odorizzi for Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt.[4] Cain was sent down to KC's AAA ball club, the Omaha Storm Chasers, before the start of the 2011 MLB season, and played six games in his initial season with the Royals. On February 18, 2012, the Royals announced they had signed Cain to a one-year contract for the 2012 season. No financial terms of the deal were released.[5]

Cain playing for the Kansas City Royals in 2013

Cain began 2013 as the starting center fielder, with Jarrod Dyson as the backup. Around late June, Dyson started getting more starts. On August 10, Cain was placed on the disabled list with a strained left oblique,[6] When he returned on September 4, Cain had 14 more starts on the season, 7 in right and 7 in center field. In 115 games (106 starts), Cain hit .251/.310/.348 with 4 HR, 46 RBIs and 14 SB.

In 2014, Cain finished the regular season hitting .301/.339/.412 with five HRs (one inside the park), four triples, 29 doubles, 28 SB, 46 RBIs, and 55 runs in 133 games. Both his batting average and stolen base total placed eighth in the AL. He notched twice as many infield hits as he had the year before – this as a result of the work he had done with Al Hobson, track coach at Kansas City Kansas Community College to improve his base-running sprint speed.[7]

The Royals made the playoffs for the first time since winning the 1985 World Series. In the Division Series, Cain's defensive play in center field – featuring four spectacular catches in two games – was widely credited with helping the Royals sweep the highly favored Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.[8][9]

In Game 2 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the Baltimore Orioles, Cain added to his postseason highlight reel with yet another stunning, extra-base hit-stealing grab, this one of a J. J. Hardy line drive to right center field in the 6th inning to preserve a 4–4 tie.[10] At the plate, he went 4-for-5, tying George Brett's franchise record for most hits in a postseason game, and drove in a 9th-inning run that helped seal the Royals' 6–4 victory over the Orioles, their sixth consecutive win in the 2014 postseason.[11] Cain ultimately ended up winning the ALCS Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) award for his efforts at the plate as well as in the field. He finished with a .533 batting average, eight hits, five runs, and numerous spectacular defensive plays which helped the Royals to sweep the Orioles and move on to the World Series.[12]

Cain at the 2015 All-Star Game

His defensive prowess continued in the World Series against the San Francisco Giants, where he made a catch at the wall in Game 1. Cain made two more spectacular diving catches in Game 3 to help preserve a 3–2 victory for the Royals. In the crucial Game 6, in which the Royals face elimination, Cain went 2-for-3, with a single, double, and two walks, driving in three runs while making another running catch in Kansas City's 10–0 rout of the Giants to force a Game 7. However, the Giants won Game 7 and the World Series.

During a game against the Chicago White Sox on April 23, 2015, Cain was one of five players ejected for being involved in a bench-clearing brawl.[13] On April 25, 2015, Cain was suspended 2 games.[14] He had the option to appeal but dropped it on May 3, 2015, so the suspension would take effect.[15] In 2015, Cain was named to his first All Star team and helped lead the Royals to the 2015 AL Central Division title. He finished the regular season with career highs in batting average (.307), home runs (16), runs scored (101), and RBIs (72).[16] He also was 3rd in the league in power-speed number (20.4).[17] Cain's three-RBI performance in game 5 of the World Series helped the Royals take a 7–2 win and clinch the championship over the New York Mets.[18] Cain finished third in the voting for the 2015 American League Most Valuable Player, finishing behind winner Josh Donaldson and Mike Trout.

Cain signed a five-year, $80 million contract to return to the Brewers on January 26, 2018.[19] He was named to the 2018 MLB All-Star Game after batting .290 with eight home runs, 26 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases.[20]

In 2019 he batted .260/.325/.372 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs, with the highest opposite field percentage of all National League batters (32.4%). On defense, despite battling numerous injuries throughout the year, he had the best fielding percentage of all major league center fielders (.994) and was awarded the first Gold Glove of his career.[21] [22]

On August 1, 2020, Cain announced he was opting out of the rest of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.