son of Cynthia Ann (née Thomas) and Larry Gene Berkman. His paternal grandfather, whose family's surname was originally "Björkman", was of Swedish descent. Berkman graduated from Canyon High School in New Braunfels, Texas, in 1994. Berkman then attended Rice University playing on the Owls baseball team, where he played for the legendary Wayne Graham, and was named a first team All-America by Collegiate Baseball Magazine, Baseball America and The Sporting News. He was invited to visit the White House and dined with President Clinton along with the rest of the Baseball America honorees. Throughout college, he batted a collective .385 with 67 home runs and 272 RBI. His 41 home runs in 1997 ranked third-most in NCAA history. That year he also made the all-time record book in RBIs (2nd-134), slugging percentage (6th-1.031) and total bases (4th-263) while leading the Rice Owls to their first College World Series appearance. In 1996, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he won the league's Thurman Munson Award for leading all hitters with a .352 batting average. Berkman returned to Rice in 2014 to finish his degree. Minor league career The Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected Berkman in the first round, with the 16th overall selection, of the 1997 MLB draft. The team assigned him to play with the Kissimmee Cobras, their Class A-Advanced affiliate, of the Florida State League. In 53 games, he hit .293 with 12 home runs and 35 RBI. In , his second minor league season, the Astros promoted Berkman to the Jackson Generals of the Class AA Southern League. His potential was beginning to show, as he hit .306 with 24 home runs and 89 RBI over 122 games. The Astros granted him a mid-season promotion to the New Orleans Zephyrs of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. He played 17 games in New Orleans, and 1998 would prove to be his last full season in the minor leagues. In , Berkman was midway through a great season in New Orleans when he was called up to the parent club, the Houston Astros. Prior to the promotion, he had been hitting .323 with 8 home runs and 49 RBI through 64 games. Major League career Houston Astros 1999–2004: Early Astros career Throughout his entire high school, college, and minor league career, Berkman had almost exclusively played