Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. An outfielder's duty is to try to catch long fly balls before they hit the ground or to quickly catch or retrieve and return to the infield any other balls entering the outfield. Outfielders normally play behind the six other members of the defense who play in or near the infield.

By convention, each of the nine defensive positions in baseball is numbered. The outfield positions are 7 (left field), 8 (center field) and 9 (right field). These numbers are shorthand designations useful in baseball scorekeeping and are not necessarily the same as the squad numbers worn on player uniforms.

Outfielders named to the MLB All-Century Team are Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Pete Rose, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. The outfielders selected to the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game were Ryan Braun, Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier, Josh Hamilton, Jason Heyward and Ichiro Suzuki.

Strategy

Players can be characterized as either corner outfielders or a center fielder. Corner outfielders are often slower and have less defensive value than the center fielder. However, there are some important differences between right fielders and left fielders. Right fielders tend to have the best throwing arms of the outfield so they can make the long throw to third base, but often are not as fast as left fielders. Center fielders are generally the fastest and most athletic of the three, because they have to run the farthest in order to field balls in the gaps and back up the other outfielders when balls are hit to them.

Many of the best power hitters in baseball play in the outfield, where they do not have as constant involvement in fielding plays as other positions, especially before the institution of the designated hitter. For example, Babe Ruth was moved from pitcher to the outfield. Left fielders and right fielders are more often slow power hitters, and center fielders are usually fast base-runners and good defensive players. Center field is often considered the most difficult outfield position, requiring both a good throwing arm and speed. Center fielders on many teams often bat lead off.

Players who do not routinely start games, but often substitute as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement in the outfield are referred to as fourth outfielders or even fifth outfielders. These players can usually play any of the three outfield positions.

External links

Outfielders

Category:Baseball positions

de:Outfielder es:Jardinero (béisbol) fr:Joueur de champ extérieur ko:외야수 it:Esterno (baseball) nl:Buitenvelder ja:外野手 pt:Defensor externo simple:Outfielder sv:Outfielder zh:外野手

{{infobox mlb player| name

Jason Bay| imageJason Bay on June 10, 2010.jpg| caption| positionLeft fielder| teamNew York Mets| number44| batsRight| throwsRight| birth_dateSeptember 20, 1978| birthplaceTrail, British Columbia, Canada| debutdateMay 23| debutyear2003| debutteamSan Diego Padres| statyearAugust 26, 2011| stat1labelBatting average| stat1value.274| stat2labelHome runs| stat2value200| stat3labelRuns batted in| stat3value700| teams San Diego Padres () Pittsburgh Pirates (–) Boston Red Sox (–) New York Mets (–present)

Awards

3× All-Star (2005, 2006, 2009) 3× Tip O'Neill Award winner (2004, 2005 and 2009) 3× NL Rookie of the Month (June, July, and September 2004) 2004 NL Rookie of the Year Silver Slugger Award winner (2009) Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award (May 2006) }}

Jason Raymond Bay (born September 20, 1978, in Trail, British Columbia) is a Canadian professional baseball player. An outfielder, he currently plays for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. Bay has previously played for the San Diego Padres, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Boston Red Sox.

Baseball career

Amateur career

Bay experienced success as a player very early, playing on a Trail team that reached the 1990 Little League World Series. In 1999 he played for the Chatham Athletics in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Bay attended Gonzaga University.

Professional career

Minor league career (2000-2002)

Bay was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 22nd round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft and was assigned to the Expos' Short-Season A team in Burlington, Vermont (Vermont Expos). In , Bay was assigned to the Expos’ High Single-A team in Jupiter. He began the year slowly, and in May he was moved to Clinton of the Midwest League. Bay reached base in his first 26 games, then went on to hit .362 and win the league batting title. In all, he batted .315 with 14 homers and 75 RBIs on the year.

The Expos traded Bay to the New York Mets on March 24, 2002 with Jim Serrano for Lou Collier. The Mets traded Bay to the San Diego Padres with Josh Reynolds and Bobby Jones for Jason Middlebrook at the 2002 trading deadline.

San Diego Padres (2003)

Bay debuted with the Padres on May 23, 2003, getting his first major league hit, a home run, in the 9th inning. Two days later, he suffered a broken right wrist after a hit by pitch.

Pittsburgh Pirates (2003-2008)

2003-2004

On August 26, 2003, Bay was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, along with Óliver Pérez and Cory Stewart in August in exchange for Brian Giles. He finished the season with a .287 batting average, four home runs, and 14 RBI in 30 games.

Bay began the season on the disabled list due to surgery during the off-season, and did not join the team until May. Despite missing the beginning of the season, he still produced the best offensive numbers of any National League rookie. He hit .282 in 120 games, leading all major league rookies in home runs (26) and RBIs (82). He also led all NL rookies in slugging percentage (.550), extra base hits (54) and total bases (226). With his 26 home runs, Bay broke a Pirates rookies record of 23 set by Johnny Rizzo in and matched by Ralph Kiner in . Selected the 04 NL rookie of the year by ''The Sporting News'', Bay was the third Pittsburgh player honored with the award, after second baseman Johnny Ray (1982) and catcher Jason Kendall. Bay was also the first Canadian player to win the award.

2005-2006

In 2005, Bay was selected to his first Major League Baseball All-Star Game as a reserve outfielder. He was the only player on either roster not to appear in the game. Bay also appeared in the 2005 Century 21 Home Run Derby, representing Canada in the nationality-themed contest; he was eliminated in the first round after hitting no home runs. Bay finished the season with a .306 average, 32 home runs, and 101 RBI, leading the Pirates in every major hitting category.

After 2005 season Bay signed a four-year contract extension worth a guaranteed $18.25 million.

Bay hit .321 with 12 home runs (a Pirate record for home runs in a month) and 35 runs batted in in May 2006. From May 22 to May 28 he hit home runs in six consecutive games, two short of the major league record held by Dale Long, Don Mattingly, and Ken Griffey, Jr. He had actually hit 10 home runs in ten games, but he had failed to hit a home run in one of the games (and hit two the next day).

Following an aggressive public relations campaign by the Pirates in 2006, Bay led all National League outfielders in All-Star voting. Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder even urged fans to vote for Bay during a summer concert at Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena. Bay became the first member of the Pittsburgh Pirates voted into the All-Star game as a starter since Andy Van Slyke. In the game, Bay went 1 for 3, with a single.

2007-2008

After battling injuries, Bay's season was less productive. Despite having a strong first couple of months, he hit .247 with 21 home runs and 84 RBI.

Bay had a much more productive 2008 with Pittsburgh, hitting .282 with 22 home runs and 64 runs batted in through the All Star break. In a May series against the Chicago Cubs, Bay had extra-inning walk-off hits in back-to-back games; the first two walk-off hits of his career. A month later, he got his third walk-off hit of the season and his career with a 13th-inning solo home run against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Boston Red Sox (2008-2009)

2008

On July 31, 2008, Bay and a player to be named later (Josh Wilson) were traded to the Boston Red Sox in a three team deal that sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Andy LaRoche with Bryan Morris to the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Dodgers and Brandon Moss with Craig Hansen to the Pirates from the Red Sox. In his Red Sox debut, Bay scored both runs, the second coming after he hit a triple in bottom of the 12th inning and scored the game winning run on a Jed Lowrie RBI infield single. Bay hit his first home run with Boston the next night against Oakland. In one game, he hit multiple home runs against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park. He would end the 2008 season with Boston batting .293 with 9 home runs and 37 RBI.

The Sox' 2008 American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was the first playoff series of Bay's career. Bay hit a home run in each of the first two games of the series. Bay finished the series batting 7 for 17 (.412), with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, and 5 RBIs. In the 2008 American League Championship Series he scored the first run in game one. In game two he opened the door for the Red Sox with a two-run double and a home run in the fifth inning. However the Boston Red Sox lost in seven games.

2009

After a strong first half that included an All Star selection, Bay went on to lead the Red Sox with a career high 36 home runs and 119 RBIs during the regular season. Early in the season he also had a streak of 11 home runs with men on base, tying the team record and falling one shy of the major league mark.

In 2009, he was named # 41 on the ''Sporting News''' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball.

He filed for free agency after the season, turning down the Red Sox's offer of salary arbitration.

New York Mets (2010-present)

On December 29, 2009, Bay agreed to a deal with the New York Mets. The deal is worth about $66 million over four years plus a vesting option for a fifth year. General manager Omar Minaya, who engineered the deal, originally traded Bay to the Mets in 2002 when he was GM for the Montreal Expos. On January 5, 2010, Minaya and Jeff Wilpon held a press conference at Citi Field in which Jason Bay was presented with his uniform, number 44 for the Mets.

2010

On April 27, in the first game of a double header against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bay hit his first home run as a member of the New York Mets in the bottom of the 4th inning to give the Mets a 2–0 lead. The Mets went on to win the first game 4–0 and win the second game 10–5.

In his first season with the Mets, Bay played in only 95 games. He suffered a concussion in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers where he ran into a fenced wall and his head jerked back. He finished his season with a .259 batting average, only 6 six home runs (he hit 36 the year before), had in 47 RBIs, and scored 48 runs.

2011

Bay began 2011 on the disabled list with a rib injury and returned to the Mets on April 21 in a game against the Houston Astros. On August 8, Bay hit his 200th career home run against the San Diego Padres, becoming the third Canadian MLB player after Larry Walker and Matt Stairs to reach this milestone. On June 28, 2011, Bay hit a grand slam off of Detroit Tigers pitcher Daniel Schlereth, it was the first grand slam by the Mets since Angel Pagan hit one on August 1 of 2009.

Qualities as a player

In his major league career Bay has demonstrated well-above-average power to all fields. He has also shown good discipline at the plate; in , he ranked in the top ten in the National League in walks, though he does also strike out more often than the average hitter. On the bases, though he is not exceptionally fast, Bay is a very effective basestealer; in 2005, until he was picked off in the last week of the season, he tied the major league record for most steals in a season without getting caught with 21 consecutive stolen bases. The record has since been broken by Chase Utley, with 23 consecutive steals in 2009.

Personal

Bay and his wife, Kristen, have two daughters, Addison, who was born on November 19, 2006, in Pittsburgh, and Evelyn, who was born on September 16, 2008, in Boston. Their son, Garrett David Bay, was born on May 3, 2011 in New York City.

Bay's sister, Lauren Bay Regula, is a professional softball player who pitched for Canada in the 2004 Olympics, and was on the 2008 Olympic team as well.

Bay remains friends with Edmonton Oilers center Shawn Horcoff, who was also born in Trail. He is close friends with Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore, who was also a groomsman at Bay's wedding.

In Bay's opening interview with the Boston media, he stated that his father was a die-hard Red Sox fan who had bought him a Red Sox onesie to wear when he was young. Bay believed it was still in his parents' basement along with his two childhood TV room posters of Red Sox greats Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski.

On Thursday, July 2, 2009, Bay became a U.S. citizen after a ceremony at Faneuil Hall in Boston. During the off season Bay resides in his wife's hometown of Seattle.

Bay recently had a house in Larchmont, New York.

Awards and honors

Three-time NL Rookie of the Month (June, July and September, 2004)

National League Rookie of the Year (2004)

''The Sporting News'' NL Rookie of the Year (2004)

Tip O'Neill Award winner (2004, 2005 and 2009) – given to the top Canadian baseball player each season.

National League All-Star (2005, 2006)

Represented Canada at the World Baseball Classic

Represented Canada in the 1990 Little League World Series

May 2006 Player of the Month

Represented Canada at the 2005 Home Run Derby

The 2008 Chuck Tanner Award for "professionalism, cooperation and availability to and with Major League writers to best assist them in carrying out daily responsibilities."

American League All-Star (2009)

American League Outfield Silver Slugger (2009)

Records

Holds the record for most home runs at PNC Park with 61.

Second most Home Runs (14) by a visiting player (behind Lance Berkman- 18) and the highest batting average of any player with more than 100 at bats (.363, 58 for 160) at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

3rd all-time in Home Runs hit by a Canadian born player behind Larry Walker (383)& Matt Stairs (260).Jeff Heath had (194).

Pittsburgh Pirates

4th all-time with .515 slugging percentage

8th all-time with .890 on-base plus slugging (min 100 AB)

8th all-time with 139 Home Runs

10th all-time with 682 Strikeouts

12th all-time with .375 on-base percentage

15th all-time with 34 sacrifice flies

15th all-time with 35 hit by pitches

See also

List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters

References

External links

Jason Bay Video on FoxSports Video Archive

Jason Bay Video on ESPN.com

The Jason Bay file: (More than) 30 things to know about the newest Sox slugger

}}

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:People from Trail, British Columbia Category:Gonzaga Bulldogs baseball players Category:Major League Baseball players from Canada Category:Major League Baseball left fielders Category:San Diego Padres players Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:New York Mets players Category:National League All-Stars Category:American League All-Stars Category:Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Category:2006 World Baseball Classic players Category:2009 World Baseball Classic players Category:Canadian expatriates in the United States Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States Category:Jupiter Hammerheads players Category:Vermont Expos players Category:Binghamton Mets players Category:Clinton LumberKings players Category:Portland Beavers players Category:Nashville Sounds players Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Baseball people from British Columbia

de:Jason Bay fr:Jason Bay ko:제이슨 베이 ja:ジェイソン・ベイ pt:Jason Bay zh:傑森·貝

name	Rocco Baldelli
position	Center fielder
bats	Right
throws	Right
birth date	September 25, 1981
birth place	Woonsocket, Rhode Island
debutdate	March 31
debutyear	2003
debutteam	Tampa Bay Devil Rays
finaldate	October 3
finalyear	2010
finalteam	Tampa Bay Rays
stat1label	Batting average
stat1value	.278
stat2label	Home runs
stat2value	60
stat3label	Runs batted in
stat3value	262
teams	Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Rays (–) Boston Red Sox () Tampa Bay Rays ()
Highlights	2008 Tony Conigliaro Award }}

Rocco Dan Baldelli (; born September 25, 1981 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter. Because of his excellent size and speed, and in reference to his hometown, he was nicknamed, "The Woonsocket Rocket," early in his professional career. After a promising beginning to his baseball career, a mysterious metabolic/muscular disorder would lead to numerous injuries and force Baldelli to retire as a player at age 29.

Early life

Rocco Baldelli attended the PEGASUS Gifted and Talented middle-school program at La Salle Academy in Providence. He played baseball for the Rhode Island Tides, an AAU ball club. Then he switched to Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island, for high school There he posted a 4.25 grade point average. He was also a four sport star, earning all-state honors in baseball, indoor track, basketball, and volleyball and was selected in the first round of the 2000 amateur draft. Had he not signed with Tampa Bay, he would have attended Wake Forest University on a baseball scholarship. He also seriously considered attending Princeton University.

Major league career

Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays

According to professional baseball scouts, Baldelli shared many similarities to Hall of Fame outfielder Joe DiMaggio ever since his days as a prep star. This can be attributed to Baldelli's athletic ability, their shared position (center field), wearing the same uniform number (5), and their Italian-American heritage. Al LaMacchia, a professional scout for over 50 years, went so far as to call Rocco "Joe's twin".

2003-2004: Early success

Baldelli made his major league debut on Opening Day , starting in center field. He and fellow rookie outfielder Carl Crawford would be two of the few bright spots on a Devil Rays team that lost 91 games. Baldelli finished the 2003 season with an impressive line, batting .289 with 11 home runs, 78 runs batted in, 89 runs scored and 27 stolen bases. He also led the AL in outfield assists and ranked 2nd in range factor, making him one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball.

At the end of the season, he and New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui were among the contenders for AL Rookie of the Year. Matsui - a Japanese baseball star who spent many years in Japan's professional league - and Baldelli both fell short of winning the award, losing out to Angel Berroa of the Kansas City Royals. Several members of the BBWAA contested Matsui's rookie eligibility, and two left him off their ballots, ensuring the win for Berroa.

Baldelli had a similar sophomore campaign in , batting .280 with 16 home runs, 74 runs batted in, 79 runs scored and 17 stolen bases. He also performed well with his glove, leading the league in range factor and again leading the league in outfield assists.

2005-2006: Injuries and renewed success

Baldelli started the season on the disabled list after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament over the offseason while playing baseball with his brother. He had surgery and was expected to be back by the All-Star break. However, he seriously injured his elbow while working out and needed Tommy John surgery to fix the damage, which led to months more rehabilitation.

After missing almost a full season and a half, Baldelli returned to the D-Rays' lineup against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on June 7, 2006. Baldelli was a regular starter in the outfield for the rest of the 2006 campaign and had his best statistical season, hitting .302 with 16 home runs, 57 runs batted in, 57 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in only 364 at bats and again appearing among the league leaders in multiple defensive categories.

2007-2008: Medical issues

In spring training before the 2007 season, Rocco pulled his hamstring. The injury lingered, but Baldelli attempted to play, appearing in 35 games (15 as a designated hitter) and posting only a .204 batting average. He aggravated his hamstring in May and was placed on the DL on May 17. Doctors recommended a period of rest, after which Baldelli reported to the minor leagues for a rehab assignment. After several games, he injured his hamstring yet again and was shut down for the remainder of the 2007 season.

After these setbacks, Baldelli underwent extensive medical testing to determine the reasons for his muscle problems and worsening fatigue after even brief workouts. Doctors discovered some "metabolic and/or mitochondrial abnormalities" and began trying to design a medical plan to improve the condition. Baldelli attempted to return to game action during spring training in 2008, but his continuing physical problems made it impossible. On March 12, he held an emotional press conference in which he announced that he would be once again placed on the disabled list as he tried to find an effective treatment for his mysterious ailment. Though he did not retire, the future of his baseball career was in doubt. Accordingly, on April 1, 2008, the Tampa Bay Rays declined Baldelli's contract option for the following season (2009), potentially making him a free agent after the season.

After further medical consultations, Baldelli's doctors found a combination of medications and nutritional supplements that seemed to improve his condition. On May 29, 2008, he began playing in extended spring training games, and in mid-June was sent to play in the Rays' minor league system for further rehabilitation and conditioning in the hope that he might return to the majors during the 2008 season.

Return to the field

Finally, on August 10, 2008, Rocco was activated and started in right field for the Rays in a game against the Seattle Mariners. Baldelli had been growing a beard for months as a "symbol of his rehabilitation" and shaved it off before playing. In the contest, he had an RBI single as well as a diving catch before coming out of the game after the 5th inning.

Baldelli ended up appearing in 28 games for the Rays in 2008, mainly as a DH and pinch hitter but occasionally playing in right or left field. He hit .263 with 4 home runs and 13 RBI, and was deemed valuable enough to be included in the Rays' postseason roster as they made the playoffs for the first time.

Baldelli made an impact in his limited post-season playing time. In Game 3 of the 2008 American League Championship Series, Baldelli hit a three-run home run off Boston's Paul Byrd in the eighth inning to help the Rays take a 2-1 series lead. In the decisive Game 7 of the ALCS, his RBI single in the fifth inning gave the Rays their first lead of the game en route to winning their first American League pennant. And in Game 2 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Baldelli made a double play by catching a fly ball and throwing back to first baseman Carlos Pena in time to beat Jayson Werth.

Overall, Baldelli hit .200 in 20 postseason at-bats with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs. While improved, his medical condition prevented him from playing in back-to-back games, and he sometimes sat down to rest on the field during breaks in the action.

After the season, Baldelli was the recipient of the 2008 Tony Conigliaro Award, which is annually presented to a major league player who has "overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage that were trademarks of Tony Conigliaro. "

During the 2008-09 offseason, further medical testing indicated that Baldelli suffers from a form of channelopathy, which makes his condition less serious and more treatable than the previous diagnosis of a mitochondrial disorder.

Boston Red Sox

2009: Limited playing time

On January 8, 2009 Baldelli signed a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox, reported to be worth a base of $500,000 plus up to $6.75 million in incentives. As Baldelli grew up in New England, much of his family were Red Sox fans and he considered it a "childhood dream" to play for the team. He continued to wear number 5, becoming the first Red Sox player to wear that number since the departure of Nomar Garciaparra in 2004.

Baldelli hit his first home run for the Red Sox on May 9, 2009 at Fenway Park against his old team, the Rays. For much of the season, however, he continued to struggle through physical ailments, landing on the 15-day DL twice and sitting out numerous contests with hamstring pulls and other issues.

For the year, Baldelli appeared in 62 games for the Red Sox, hitting .253 with 7 HRs, 23 RBIs, and 1 SB. Boston made the playoffs as the AL wildcard team, but a shoulder injury kept Baldelli off the team's postseason roster

After the season, he became a free agent.

Return to the Rays

2010: One more comeback

During spring training 2010, Baldelli returned to the Tampa Bay Rays as a special assistant to observe and coach players in the organization's minor league system on baserunning and outfield defense. While his continuing fatigue problems and a lingering shoulder issue made it impossible for him to play baseball, he expressed the desire to eventually return to the field with the Rays if his physical condition improved.

Second return to the field

On July 19, 2010, Baldelli signed a minor league deal with the Rays and joined the Charlotte Stone Crabs, the team's Class-A affiliate. He gradually increased his playing time and was promoted to AAA with the Durham Bulls on August 16. The club stated that his health and success on the field would determine if he would be called up to the majors later on in the season.

On September 1, Baldelli was called up to the major league squad to serve as a designated hitter, pinch hitter, and reserve outfielder. On September 5, in his first at-bat since returning to the Rays' roster, Baldelli hit an 8th inning pinch hit 2-run home run against the Baltimore Orioles in Camden Yards and finished the game in right field.

Baldelli played occasionally throughout September, was included on the Rays' postseason roster, and started at DH for the first game of the 2010 playoffs against the Texas Rangers. However, he suffered muscle cramping during the game due to his mitochondrial disorder and had to be removed from the Rays' playoff roster, again putting his future playing career in doubt

Retirement

Baldelli decided to retire soon after his medical condition forced him off the Rays' roster during the 2010 ALDS. However, Rays' executive Andrew Friedman advised him to take some time to be sure he really wanted to end his playing career. After three months of consideration, Baldelli officially announced his retirement on January 26, 2011 at 29 years old, stating that due to his illness, "I physically don't feel like I should be playing anymore." He remained in the Rays organization as a "special adviser" working in scouting and player development.

Personal

In 2004, Baldelli was inducted into the Rhode Island Italian-American Hall of Fame. Baldelli has listed his other interests as traveling, fishing and playing the bass guitar. He is the son of Dan and Michelle Baldelli and has two brothers, Nicholas and Dante. He resides both in St. Pete Beach, FL and Cumberland, RI, where his parents still live

Baldelli is of pre-dominantly Italian and French ancestry but has a distant Syrian lineage through his paternal grandmother.

References

External links

Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Major League Baseball center fielders Category:Baseball players from Rhode Island Category:Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Category:Tampa Bay Rays players Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:People from Woonsocket, Rhode Island Category:American people of Italian descent

fr:Rocco Baldelli ja:ロッコ・バルデッリ zh:罗科·巴尔德里

Name	Andre Ethier
Position	Right Fielder
Team	Los Angeles Dodgers
Number	16
Bats	Left
Throws	Left
Birth date	April 10, 1982
Birth place	Phoenix, Arizona
Debutdate	May 2
Debutyear	2006
Debutteam	Los Angeles Dodgers
Statyear	August 23, 2011
Stat1label	Batting average
Stat1value	.290
Stat2label	Hits
Stat2value	852
Stat3label	Home runs
Stat3value	108
Stat4label	Runs batted in
Stat4value	435
Stat5label	Runs
Stat5value	413
Teams	Los Angeles Dodgers (–present)
Awards	MLB Clutch Performer of the Year (2009) Silver Slugger Award (2009) 2× All-Star (2010, 2011) }}

Andre Everett Ethier () (born April 10, 1982 in Phoenix, Arizona), is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Early life

Junior College career

Ethier transferred to Chandler-Gilbert Community College after playing with Arizona State University in the fall of 2000. The coaching staff at ASU told him that they thought he did not have Division I talent, and that he would do better to play junior college ball. At CGCC, Ethier recorded 94 hits as one of the top junior college players in Arizona, batting .468 with 32 doubles. He was named team MVP. During the summer of 2001, he played with the Keene Swamp Bats in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. In 2010, Ethier was inducted into the NECBL Hall of Fame.

Arizona State

Ethier re-enrolled at ASU in the fall of 2001 and played there until the end of his junior year in 2003 with an ASU career batting average of .371, 113 runs, 27 doubles, 7 triples, 14 home runs and 118 runs batted in. His collegiate career ended in the midst of a 23-game hitting streak. He was a two-time Pacific-10 Conference All-Star in 2002–03.

During the summer of 2002, Ethier played with the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League, one of the country's premier summer collegiate baseball leagues. Ethier tied for the team lead in home runs(4), batted .264, led the team with 34 RBIs and won a Northwoods League Silver Glove for his defensive play in right field.

While at ASU, he was teammates and good friends with current Boston Red Sox second basemen, Dustin Pedroia and current Texas Rangers second basemen Ian Kinsler.

Professional career

MLB Draft and minor leagues

Ethier was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 37th round of the 2001 amateur draft. Opting to attend ASU instead, he was drafted in the second round of the 2003 amateur draft, again by the Oakland Athletics. He signed with the Athletics on July 1, 2003.

Oakland assigned him to the Single-A Vancouver Canadians and later to the Kane County Cougars for the 2003 season. His minor-league career continued in 2004 with the Modesto Athletics, where he hit .313, and in 2005 with the Midland RockHounds Double-A team, where he hit .319 with 18 homers and was selected as the Texas League Most Valuable Player, Oakland Athletics Minor League Player of the Year, Texas League All-Star Outfielder and Texas League All-Star Game MVP. He also played four games in 2005 with the Sacramento Rivercats Triple-A team.

On December 13, 2005, Ethier was traded by the Oakland Athletics to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez.

Major league career

2006 season

Ethier hit a double and drew a walk in his Major League Baseball debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 2, 2006, against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his home state of Arizona and hit his first home run the next night against Dewon Brazelton of the San Diego Padres .

On May 19, 2006, Ethier had a breakout game, going 5 for 5 with four runs scored as he raised his batting average from .222 to .317. He remained hot throughout the summer and was named National League Player of the Week for the week ending July 9, 2006. Ethier batted very well for much of the season with his average peaking at .354 before a late slump dropped it to .308 at season's end. An early front-runner for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, he finished fifth in voting. He used the song Alive by P.O.D. as his batting song his rookie year.

2007 season

Ethier entered the 2007 Season expecting to split time with Matt Kemp, and Luis Gonzalez in the outfield. But Ethier got a lot of playing time early due to an injury to Kemp. Ethier enjoyed a solid sophomore campaign, playing in 153 games while batting .284, with 13 home runs, and 64 RBIs.

2008 season

Ethier beat out Juan Pierre to become the Dodgers starting left fielder for the start of the 2008 season. When the Dodgers acquired outfielder Manny Ramirez, he moved to his more natural position of right field, with Kemp playing center field. In the regular season, Ethier played in 141 games, had 525 at bats, scored 90 runs, had 160 hits, hit an average .305 batting avg. with 20 Homers and 77 RBIs.

2009 season

In 2009, Ethier hit .272 with a career best 31 home runs and 106 RBIs. He was a key contributor for the Dodgers that season, with six walk off hits (including four walk off home runs), the most by any player in the Major Leagues since 1974. His four walk-off home runs tied the Major League record for most in a season. He won the Silver Slugger Award and finished 6th in MVP voting at the conclusion of the season.

2010 season

Ethier got off to a strong start to the 2010 season, leading the National League in home runs, RBI and batting average, but he broke his pinky finger on his right hand during batting practice on May 15, and was placed on the 15-day disabled list three days later. On July 4, Ethier was selected to start on the National League All Star team with more than 2.7 million votes. He slumped down the stretch, finishing with a .292 batting average, 23 home runs and 82 RBI in 139 games.

2011 season

Ethier set a new MLB record for April with a 23-game hitting streak on April 26 against the Florida Marlins, breaking the old record set by Joe Torre. On April 30 Ethier extended this same streak to 27 games, moving past two former Dodgers to stand alone in second place in the franchise's history of hitting streaks and tie the Dodgers record for the most hits in April. The streak eventually reached 30 games, second most in Dodger franchise history, before it ended on May 7 against the New York Mets. Ethier was a Final Vote candidate for the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game but finished second to Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies. However, Victorino was injured and unable to participate so Ethier was selected to replace him on the All-Star roster.

Personal life

Ethier's father is of French Canadian and Cherokee descent. His mother is Mexican American. Ethier is the older brother of Adam, Devon and Aaron Ethier. Andre is married to Maggie Germaine Ethier, whom he met at Arizona State University. The couple have 2 children together.

His brother, Devon Ethier, played baseball at Gateway Community College and was drafted by the Dodgers in the 32nd round of the 2010 MLB Draft.

References

External links

Andre Ethier's ASU Bio

"Ethier Learns to Deal With Name Recognition"

Minor League Splits and Situational Stats

Dining with 'Dre

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:Baseball players from Arizona Category:Arizona State University alumni Category:Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Category:Los Angeles Dodgers players Category:Major League Baseball outfielders Category:People from Phoenix, Arizona Category:People from Chandler, Arizona Category:Vancouver Canadians players Category:Kane County Cougars players Category:Modesto A's players Category:Midland RockHounds players Category:Sacramento River Cats players Category:Las Vegas 51s players Category:Albuquerque Isotopes players Category:American baseball players of Mexican descent Category:American people of French-Canadian descent Category:American people of Cherokee descent Category:National League All-Stars

es:Andre Ethier fr:Andre Ethier it:Andre Ethier ja:アンドレ・イーシアー zh:安德烈·伊瑟爾

name	B. J. Upton
position	Center fielder
team	Tampa Bay Rays
number	2
bats	Right
throws	Right
birth date	August 21, 1984
birth place	Norfolk, Virginia
debutdate	August 2
debutyear	2004
debutteam	Tampa Bay Devil Rays
statyear	August 22, 2011
stat1label	Batting average
stat1value	.255
stat2label	Home runs
stat2value	84
stat3label	Runs batted in
stat3value	346
stat4label	Stolen bases
stat4value	191
teams	Tampa Bay Rays (–present)
awards	Hit for the cycle (October 2, 2009) }}

Melvin Emmanuel "B. J." Upton (born August 21, 1984, in Norfolk, Virginia) is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays. Upton is a graduate of Greenbrier Christian Academy.

His nickname, B. J., is short for "Bossman Junior" because his father was once known as Bossman. His brother Justin Upton plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks. B.J. and Justin are the only two brothers in MLB history to be selected in the number one and two slot of the draft (in separate years).

High school

As a member of the 2001 Team USA Junior National team, Upton batted .462 (12-for-26) in nine games. The team went 9–2 and won the Silver Medal in Cuba that year. In 2002, Upton was named a first-team All-American by ''Baseball America'', batting .641 (50-for-78) with 11 doubles, 4 triples, 11 home runs, and 32 RBIs during his senior year at Greenbrier.

Minor leagues

Upton was drafted second overall in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft by Tampa Bay out of Greenbrier Christian Academy in Chesapeake, Virginia. Widely considered a very polished prospect able to hit for both power and average, he was kept in the minor leagues until 2007. He played in the same little league as several other current players including Mark Reynolds, David Wright, and Ryan Zimmerman.

In 2003, Upton committed 56 errors, leading the minor leagues. He was ranked as the # 21 prospect in baseball that year by ''Baseball America'', and as the # 2 prospect a year later in 2004. In both 2004 and 2005, Upton was the starting shortstop in the All-Star Futures Game.

Major leagues

Tampa Bay Rays (2004–present)

He made his major league debut on August 2, 2004, becoming the youngest Ray ever and the youngest player in the major leagues in 2004. He is the longest-tenured player on the Rays' roster. In that game against the Boston Red Sox, he went 1–3 with a walk, with his hit being a seventh-inning single off Tim Wakefield. His younger brother, Justin, was taken with the top overall choice of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft, making them the highest-drafted siblings of all time. In 2004 he started 16 games at shortstop, 11 at third base, and 1 in left field. In 2006, he had 48 starts, all at third base.

In 2007, Upton emerged from spring training as the Rays' starting second baseman. On June 8, Upton was forced to leave a game against the Florida Marlins early due to a strained left quadricep. The injury forced him out of action until July 13. Before the injury, he was batting .320/.396/.545 with 9 home runs. Starting 48 games at second base in 2007, he committed 12 errors, fifth in the league for the year. Although he played mostly second base until the injury, Upton has been the team's starting center fielder since returning.

In 2007, he had 24 home runs, and was 22 out of 30 in stolen base attempts. He was one of only 6 batters in the AL to have at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, along with Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Ian Kinsler, Grady Sizemore, and Curtis Granderson.

In 2008, he was part of the American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays, hitting .273 with just nine home runs and 44 stolen bases (second in the AL; while he led the AL in times caught stealing, with 16). However, he would become one of the team's post-season heroes, as he hit 7 home runs in the three post-season series' Tampa Bay played in.

During the 2008 ALDS against the Chicago White Sox, Upton hit three home runs and drove in four runs. Against the Boston Red Sox in the 2008 ALCS he hit four home runs and drove in 11. In game 5 of the World Series, Upton stole second base and scored a crucial game tying run moments before the game was suspended due to torrential rain. It resumed two nights later and the Rays lost the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies, 4 games to 1.

He became the first player of the Tampa Bay Rays to hit for the cycle, doing so on October 2, 2009. In 2009, he batted .241, his 42 stolen bases were third in the league (as he was caught a third-most 14 times), and his 152 strikeouts were fifth in the AL.

In 2010, he batted .237, his 164 strikeouts were 2nd in the American League, and his 42 steals were 5th.

In April 2011, ''The Boston Globe'' reported that two evaluators in major league baseball opined that the Rays may explore a trade for Upton.

Criticism

During the 2008 season, Upton was twice disciplined by Rays manager Joe Maddon for lack of hustle. On August 6, Upton was held out of the lineup for failing to run out a ground ball the night before. On August 15, Upton was benched in the sixth inning for not running out a double play ball. He was replaced by Justin Ruggiano. A few days later, Upton hit a ball to left field that bounced off the wall. From the crack of the bat, Upton reacted to it as a home run, dropping the bat and casually jogging down the first base line. He then tried to stretch it into a double and was thrown out by the left fielder. He was not benched for this incident, however. Joe Maddon was interviewed and called it "just a mental mistake".

During the Rays' June 27, 2010 home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Upton loafed after a ball hit by Rusty Ryal into left-center field, allowing a double to become a triple. At the end of that half inning, Evan Longoria approached Upton in the dugout, obviously to mention his displeasure with Upton's effort. Upton immediately became irate at the criticism and argued face-to-face with Longoria, repeatedly pointing a finger in his face, until Longoria walked away while Rays player Willy Aybar grabbed Upton by the waist and took him away from the scene.

See also

List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases

References

External links

B.J. Upton interview at Baseball Digest Daily

B.J. Upton interview with Baseball Prospectus

Year-by-Year League Leaders for Youngest Player: Baseball-Reference.com

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Category:Tampa Bay Rays players Category:African American baseball players Category:All-Star Futures Game players Category:Baseball players from Virginia Category:Major League Baseball center fielders Category:People from Norfolk, Virginia Category:Charleston RiverDogs players Category:Orlando Rays players Category:Montgomery Biscuits players Category:Durham Bulls players Category:Vero Beach Devil Rays players Category:Charlotte Stone Crabs players

es:B. J. Upton fr:B. J. Upton ja:B.J.アップトン zh:B·J·厄普顿