Russell Branyan

Russell Oles Branyan (born December 19, 1975) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican Baseball League. He throws right-handed, bats left-handed, and primarily plays first base, but is capable of playing third base and the outfield. Branyan began his professional career in the Cleveland Indians minor league system. His major league debut was with the Indians on September 26, 1998. He has played for the Cleveland Indians (two occasions), Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers (two occasions), Tampa Bay Devil Rays, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, the Seattle Mariners (two occasions), Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Dubbed "Russell The Muscle," for his ability to hit long-distance home runs Branyan does not typically hit for a high batting average and strikes out frequently. However, he consistently draws walks and hits home runs. Branyan has been given the nickname 3TO, which stands for three true outcomes, for his propensity to either draw a walk, strike out, or hit a home run. One of the three outcomes occurred in 50.5% of his plate appearances during his major-league career. Because of this, players such as Jack Cust have drawn comparisons to Branyan.

1. ^ ^{a b c} Geoff Baker (December 4, 2008). "Mariners sign big-hitting Russell Branyan to one-year deal". The Seattle Times (seattletimes.nwsource.com). Retrieved January 23, 2010. 
2. ^ Tom Verducci (March 26, 2002). "It's been a while, but Atlanta's pitching is now questionable". Sports Illustrated (sportsillustrated.cnn.com). Retrieved January 23, 2010. 
3. ^ Jim Street (January 30, 2009). "Seattle looks for complement to Beltre". Major League Baseball. MLB.com. Retrieved January 23, 2010. 
4. ^ Larry Stone (August 25, 2009). "Russell Branyan vs. Jack Cust". The Seattle Times (seattletimes.nwsource.com). Retrieved January 16, 2010.