Craig Betz

​Craig Betz (born September 20, 1970), is an American former professional baseball center fielder and right fielder and ABA Hall of Famer. He played 9 seasons in the American Baseball Association for the New York Bombers, Boston Bandits and Dallas Rangers. He amassed a .320 batting average, 122 home runs, 359 runs batted in, 441 runs scored, and over 573 hits. He is a 2-time ABA Champion, 4-time ABA MVP, 7-time ABA Silver Slugger and a one-time ABA Championship Series MVP. He was elected in the ABA Hall of Fame, the first ever player to be inducted, in the class of 2011.

​Following his playing career, Betz took some time away from the game and turned to coaching. He's been a third base coach for the Philadelphia Freedom since 2016, although many don't consider him a competent coach and see the hiring as a stunt to boost the declining team attendance.

## Professional Career

### New York Bombers (2000)

In the 2000 Inaugural Draft, Bressner was drafted with the third overall pick by the New York Bombers and signed a one-year deal with the team. He was one of the most paid player in the league and widely regarded as one of the best players in the world at that time. The team relied on Betz heavily and despite his pretty good numbers, he wasn't able to lead the Bombers to the playoffs. His 3.9 WAR led the team and the ABA, but he was really all alone on that Bombers team and he decided not to renew his contract once the Bombers were officially eliminated from playoff contention. His efforts saw him with the ABA MVP Award and a Silver Slugger at center field. He filed from free agency looking for a long-term contract in the offseason.

### Boston Bandits (2001-2006)

Fresh off his MVP win, Betz signed a 7-year contract worth 1,43 million dollars, with a player option for the last season of the contract with the reigning champions, the Boston Bandits. Betz continued his dominance in 2001, once again leading the league in WAR. He led the team to their second ABA Championship and he once again won ABA MVP and a Silver Slugger award.

Just when you thought Betz couldn't get any better, he played his best ever season and once again led the league in WAR, but hit the most home runs. The Bandits once again reached the finals, but lost to the Miami Sunbirds in seven games. He still won his third consecutive MVP and Silver Slugger for his efforts.

The Bandits lost key players in the offseason and despite losing more games than ever before, still managed to reach the Championship Series and win it all against Betz's former team, the New York Bombers. Betz had a down year offensively by his standards, but was still head ans shoulders above everyone else in the league. He finished 2nd in the MVP race behind his teammate Phil Tryan. He won his fourth consecutive Silver Slugger at center field.

Betz started the year on a good note in what could be seen as a return to form, but he suffered the first significant injury of his career, spraining his ACL halfway through the season and he missed the rest of it, disqualifying him from awards contention.

He returned to form in 2005, winning his fourth and final MVP for posting, once again a league-best WAR. Betz led the Bandits to the playoffs once again, but lost in the first round in three straight games to the Miami Sunbirds.

The Bandits started a new era in 2006 with their players aging out and leaving the team after their years dominance. Betz's motivation took a hit and hit below .300 for the first time in his career. The Bandits and Betz missed the playoffs for the first time in their history and his career respectively and Betz missed out on the Silver Slugger for the first time in a year in which he was eligible. Sensing that it was time to move on, Betz declined his player option and opted for free agency, leaving the team holding several Bandits record.

### Dallas Rangers (2007-2008)

Betz certainly took his sweet time to find his next ABA home, opting to sign with the Dallas Rangers in late February on a three-year deal. The Rangers were an up-and-coming team and spent a lot of money bringing a superstar on the team. Betz came back to his usual self in 2007, posting his best career average, but a late season thumb injury made him miss the playoffs, but he still won the Silver Slugger Award and finished 2nd in MVP voting.

Betz still had trouble with his thumb in early 2008, which affected his hitting in the early season. His batting average dipped because of that, but he remained a key player in an underwhelming Dallas team. Betz' power at the plate that made him famous diminished, but he kept relying on his good eye to win his 7th Silver Slugger award.

## Retirement

Betz still had issues with his thumb and decided to opt for a risky surgery that went horribly wrong. It left him with no feeling his thumb and forced him to retire early, with one year remaining to his contract. After his retirement announcement, Betz was widely regarded as the best player to take the field in ABA history and expected to be the first player to be inducted in the Hall of Fame.

### Hall of Fame

Betz was inducted in the ABA Hall of Fame in the 2011 class. He's the first ever played to be inducted. He chose to represent the Boston Bandits, where he won most of his accolades and his 2 ABA Championships.

## Managing Career (2016-present)

A little more than eight years after his retirement, Craig Betz announced his return to the game after he was hired as a third base coach by the Philadelphia Freedom before the 2016 season.

## Awards

4X ABA MVP Award (2000, 2001, 2002, 2005)

7X ABA Silver Slugger Award (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008)

2X ABA Champion (2001, 2003)

1X ABA Championship Series MVP Award (2003)