page_title: Lorenzo Cain
section_title: Kansas City Royals (2011–2017)
hierarchical_section_title: Lorenzo Cain / Professional career / Kansas City Royals (2011–2017)
caption_attribution_description: Lorenzo Cain
context_page_description: Lorenzo Lamar Cain is an American professional baseball center fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball. He previously played for the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the 17th round of the 2004 MLB draft from Tallahassee Community College in Florida. In 2010, Cain made his MLB debut, and, following the season, the Brewers traded him to Kansas City with three other players for pitcher Zack Greinke.
  Four years later, he placed in the top 10 in the American League in batting average and stolen bases. Known for his defensive acrobatics, he has won two Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards for outfielders and one Fielding Bible Award. Further, he won the 2014 American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award due in part to his defensive play.
context_section_description: 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. 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.
  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, 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.
  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.
  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.  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. 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.
  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. On April 25, 2015, Cain was suspended 2 games. He had the option to appeal but dropped it on May 3, 2015, so the suspension would take effect. 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). He also was 3rd in the league in power-speed number (20.4). 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. Cain finished third in the voting for the 2015 American League Most Valuable Player, finishing behind winner Josh Donaldson and Mike Trout.
caption: Cain at the 2015 All-Star Game
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