Astros statement regarding Lance Berkman's retirement
HOUSTON -- Earlier today, former Astros outfielder-first baseman Lance Berkman announced that he is retiring. Below is a statement from the Astros:
"Lance was one of the greatest players in Astros history, and we are absolutely open to honoring him this season now that he has announced his retirement. We will communicate with Lance in the upcoming days to get his thoughts on this, and hope to schedule something that will give the fans the chance to recognize his outstanding career."
Berkman, 37, spent 12 of his 15 Major League seasons in an Astros uniform after being the club's first pick in the 1997 June Draft out of Rice University. For his career, he hit .293 in 1,879 games with 366 home runs and 1,234 RBI with a .406 on-base pct. and a .537 slugging pct.
On the Astros all-time lists, Berkman currently ranks in the top five in several offensive categories, including games (1,592-4th), home runs (326-2nd), RBI (1,090-3rd,) walks (1,040-3rd), runs (1,008-3rd) and slugging (.549-1st).