The 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. The draft marked the first time three players from the same university were chosen in the first ten picks.

Source: MLB.com 2004 Draft Tracker

First round selections[link]

Background[link]

The San Diego Padres stayed close to home with the first overall pick of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, tabbing high school shortstop Matt Bush from Mission Bay (CA) High School. Bush, the first high school shortstop taken first overall since the Seattle Mariners chose Alex Rodriguez in 1993, batted .450 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI and 12 stolen bases during his senior year. The 18-year-old helped lead the Buccaneers to two San Diego Section Division III championships in three years, setting state records for career hits (211) and runs scored (188) in the process.

Huston Street, drafted in the supplemental first round, was the first 2004 draftee to make the major leagues. Justin Verlander was the first 2004 draftee to be selected to an All-Star Game in 2007. Dustin Pedroia, drafted in the second round, was the first 2004 draftee to be selected to start an All-Star Game and the first to win a World Series championship and the first to win a League MVP Award. Current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was selected in the 34th round by the Oakland Athletics.

Three members of the 2003 NCAA Champions Rice Owls pitching staff were selected within the first eight picks. The Baltimore Orioles could not reach an agreement with Wade Townsend leading to Tampa Bay drafting him in 2005.

Nick Adenhart, who was selected in the 14th round by the Anaheim Angels, was killed in a car accident a day after his only start of the 2009 season.

External links[link]

• MLB.com - 2004 Draft page
• MLB.com - 2004 Draft Tracker
• MLB.com - Draft History

References[link]

The First-Year Player Draft, also known as the Rule 4 Draft, is Major League Baseball's primary mechanism for assigning amateur baseball players, from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs, to its teams.^[1] The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings, with the team possessing the worst record receiving the first pick. In addition, teams which lost free agents in the previous off-season may be awarded "compensatory" picks.

The first amateur draft was held in 1965. Unlike most sports drafts, the First-Year Player Draft is held mid-season, in June. Another distinguishing feature of this draft in comparison with those of other North American major professional sports leagues is its sheer size: under the new collective bargaining agreement the draft lasts 40 rounds, plus compensatory picks. In contrast, the NHL Entry Draft lasts seven rounds and roughly 215 picks, the NBA Draft lasts for only two rounds (60 selections) and the NFL Draft for only seven rounds (256 selections if no picks are forfeited).

The First-Year Player Draft has historically had far less media exposure than its counterparts in the other leagues for three primary reasons:

• High school and college baseball, the primary sources of MLB draftees, are not nearly as popular as college football, college basketball, and, in Canada and certain parts of the U.S., college and junior hockey. Consequently, most prospective top draft picks were unknown to the casual sports observer at the time of their draft. However, this is slowly changing: NCAA baseball has enjoyed a spike in popularity in the 2000s and top collegiate baseball players have enjoyed greater media exposure, though still far below that of their basketball and football counterparts.
• Unlike top draft picks in the NHL, NBA and NFL, all of whom are expected to make immediate impacts, top MLB draftees are nearly always assigned to the minor leagues for several years to hone their skills. The entire 2007 first round (64 players) totaled one inning of major league playing time as of the end of the 2008 season; as of the 2009 season, the vast majority of 2008 first-rounders were still assigned to minor league organizations. In contrast, every first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft had played in the league by the end of the 2008 season.
• While many NHL, NBA and NFL draftees will eventually reach their respective leagues, the vast majority of players selected in the First-Year Player Draft will never play in a single MLB game, including many first-rounders. For example, only 31 of 53 first-round draft picks in the 1997 draft eventually made a big-league appearance, and only 13 of those 30 appeared in more than 100 games as of 2009. In 1997's sixth round, only five of the 30 players selected eventually made a big league appearance, and only two of those five (Tim Hudson and Matt Wise) played more than 40 innings in the majors. Further illustrating the unpredictability of the draft's middle and later rounds, none of the 30 players selected in the 18th round ever reached the major leagues, but the 19th round eventually produced an all-star and World Series MVP, David Eckstein.

The 2007 Draft was televised live for the first time in the draft's history on Thursday June 17, 2007 from 2:00pm until 6:00pm EDT (1800 - 2200 hrs UTC).^[2] The Draft coverage took place at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida.

Before the draft[link]

Major League Baseball has used a draft to assign minor league players to teams since 1921.^[3][4] In 1936, the National Football League held the first amateur draft in professional sports.^[5] A decade later, the National Basketball Association instituted a similar method of player distribution. However, the player draft was controversial. Congressman Emanuel Celler questioned the legality of drafts during a series of hearings on the business practice of professional sports leagues in the 1950s.^[6] Successful clubs saw the draft as anti-competitive. Yankees executive Johnny Johnson equated it with communism.^[7] At the same time, Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist Arthur Daley compared the system to a "slave market."^[8]

Prior to the implementation of the First-Year Player Draft, amateurs were free to sign with any Major League team that offered them a contract. As a result, wealthier teams such as the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals were able to stockpile young talent, while poorer clubs were left to sign less desirable prospects.^[9]

In 1947, Major League Baseball implemented the bonus rule, a restriction aimed at reducing player salaries, as well as keeping wealthier teams from monopolizing the player market.^[10] In its most restrictive form, it forbade any team which gave an amateur a signing bonus of more than $4,000 from assigning that player to a minor league affiliate for two seasons. If the player was removed from the major league roster, he became a free agent. The controversial legislation was repealed twice, only to be re-instituted.^[11]

The bonus rule was largely ineffective. There were accusations that teams were signing players to smaller bonuses, only to supplement them with under-the-table payments.^[8] In one famous incident, the Kansas City Athletics signed Clete Boyer, kept him on their roster for two years, then traded him to the Yankees just as he became eligible to be sent to the minor leagues. Other clubs accused the Yankees of using the Athletics as a de facto farm team, and the A's later admitted to signing Boyer on their behalf.^[12] Finally, it was the bidding war for Rick Reichardt, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels for the then outrageous bonus of $200,000 that led to the implementation of the draft.

Major League clubs voted on the draft during the 1964 Winter Meetings. Four teams — the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets — attempted to defeat the proposal, but they failed to convince a majority of teams, and in the end only the Cardinals voted against it.^[13]

The draft[link]

Major League Baseball's first amateur draft was held in June 1965. Teams chose players in reverse order of the previous season's standings, with picks alternating between the National and American Leagues.^[14] With the first pick, the Kansas City Athletics took Rick Monday, an outfielder for Arizona State University.

Originally, three separate drafts were held each year. The June draft, which was by far the largest, involved new high school graduates, as well as college seniors who had just finished their seasons. A second draft was held in January for high school and college players who graduated in the winter. Finally, there was a draft in August for players who participated in amateur summer leagues.^[14] The August draft was eliminated after only two years, while the January draft lasted until 1986.^[15]

Early on, the majority of players drafted came directly from high school. Between 1967 and 1971, only seven college players were chosen in the first round of the June draft.^[16] However, the college players who were drafted outperformed their high school counterparts by what statistician Bill James called "a laughably huge margin."^[17] In 1978, a majority of draftees had played college baseball, and by 2002, the number rose above sixty percent.^[16] While the number of high school players drafted has dropped, those picked have been more successful than their predecessors. In a study of drafts from 1984 to 1999, Baseball Prospectus writer Rany Jazayerli concluded that, by the 1990s, the gap in production between the two groups had nearly disappeared.^[18]

Economic impact[link]

Initially, the draft succeeded in reducing the value of signing bonuses. In 1964, a year before the first draft, University of Wisconsin outfielder Rick Reichardt was given a record bonus of $205,000 ($1,536,180 today) by the Los Angeles Angels. Without competition from other clubs, the Athletics were able to sign Rick Monday for a bonus of only $104,000. It would take until 1979 for a drafted player to receive a bonus higher than Reichardt's.^[19]

Player salaries continued to escalate through the 1980s. In 1986, Bo Jackson became the first draftee to sign a total contract (signing bonus and salary) worth over $1 million ($2,120,219 today).^[20] Jackson, a Heisman Trophy-winning football player for Auburn University, was also the first overall choice in the National Football League Draft, and was offered a $7 million ($14,841,530 today) contract to play football for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.^[21]

High school players possessed additional leverage, as they had the option of attending college and re-entering the draft the next year. Agent Scott Boras routinely exploited this advantage to increase the contracts of his clients. In 1990, Boras client Todd Van Poppel signed a $1.2 million ($2,134,692 today) contract with Oakland Athletics, after committing to play for the University of Texas. The following year, Boras negotiated a $1.55 million ($2,644,808 today) contract for Yankees first round pick Brien Taylor, who had said he would attend junior college if he didn't receive a contract equal to Van Poppel's.^[22] By June 2009, a figure as high as $15 million was floated for collegian pitcher Stephen Strasburg.^[23]

Increasingly, teams drafted based on whether or not a player was likely to sign for a particular amount of money, rather than on his talent. This became known as a "signability pick." Before the 1992 draft, team owners unilaterally decided to extend the period of time a team retained negotiating rights to a player from one year to five. In effect, the rule prohibited a high school draftee from attending college and re-entering the draft after his junior or senior seasons. The Major League Baseball Players Association filed a legal challenge, but Major League Baseball argued that, since the Players Association did not represent amateur players, it was not necessary for the union to agree to the change.^[24] An arbitrator ultimately decided that any change to draft articles must be negotiated with the Players Association.^[25]

Procedures and rules[link]

Eligibility[link]

To be drafted a player must fit the following criteria:

• Be a resident of the United States, Canada, or a U.S. territory such as Puerto Rico. Players from other countries are not subject to the draft, and can be signed by any team (unless they are current members of college teams in the aforementioned countries).
• Have never signed a major or minor league contract.
• High school players are eligible only after graduation, and if they have not attended college.
• Players at four-year colleges are eligible after completing their junior years, or after their 21st birthdays.
• Junior and community college players are eligible to be drafted at any time.

Draft order[link]

The general draft order is the reverse order of the previous year's standings. If two teams finish with identical records, the previous year's standings of the two teams is the tiebreaker, with the team having a worse record receiving the higher pick.

Negotiating rights[link]

Prior to 2007, a team retained the rights to sign a selected player until one week prior to the next draft, or until the player enters, or returns to, a four-year college on a full-time basis. Starting in 2007, the deadline for signing a drafted player is August 15. A selected player who enters a junior college cannot be signed until the conclusion of the school's baseball season. A player who is drafted and does not sign with the club that selected him may be drafted again at a future year's draft, so long as the player is eligible for that year's draft. A club may not select a player again in a subsequent year, unless the player has consented to the re-selection.

A player who is eligible to be selected and is passed over by every club becomes a free agent and may sign with any club, up until one week before the next draft, or until the player enters, or returns to, a four-year college full-time or enters, or returns to, a junior college. In the one-week period before any draft, which is called the "closed period", the general rule is that no club may sign a new player.

Compensatory picks[link]

Currently, teams can earn compensatory picks in the draft based on departing free agents. Free Agents are ranked by the Elias Sports Bureau based on their previous two years of playing, and against players of similar positions. Players are categorized as either Class A or Class B, or they fall into the category of all other players. Below is a description of each free agent class and the compensation the free agent's former team received when the player signs with a different team.

• A Class A free agent is ranked in the top 20 percent of players at his position. A team that signs a Type A player gives its top draft pick to the club that the player is leaving; that club also receives a supplemental pick in the "sandwich" round between the first and second rounds.^[26]

• A Class B free agent is ranked below the top 20 percent but in the top 40 percent of players at his position. A team that loses a Type B player receives a supplemental pick, but the signing team does not lose a pick.^[26]

• All other players carry no compensation at all. There had previously been a third class of "Type C" players, but that was eliminated in the most recent CBA.^[26]

To earn a compensatory pick, a free agent must either be signed before the arbitration deadline in early December, or be offered arbitration by their former team but still sign with someone else.

Compensatory picks that one team gives another via this method are the highest available pick that team has, with the exception of picks in the top half of the first round.^[27] These picks are protected from being used as compensation. If a team that picks in the top half of the first draft signs a Type A free agent, they would give up their second round pick. If a team owes two other teams draft picks via Type A free agents, the team whose departing player had a higher score gets the higher ranked pick. A team cannot lose picks it has earned via compensation.

The order of the supplemental round between the first and second rounds is determined by inverse order of the previous year's standings. All the Type A picks are done first, and then the order resets for all the Type B compensation picks.

Teams can also earn compensation for unsigned picks from the previous year's draft. If a team doesn't sign a first or second round pick, they will get to pick at the same slot plus one the following year. For example, if the team with the #5 pick does not sign that player, they would have the #6 pick the following year. The regular draft order would continue around those picks. For compensation for not signing a third round pick, teams would get a pick in a supplemental round between the third and fourth rounds. If a team fails to sign a player with one of these compensated picks, there is no compensation the following year.

Changes for 2012[link]

The adoption of a new collective bargaining agreement between MLB and its players union, starting with the 2012 season, will result in significant changes to the draft.

Free agent compensation[link]

For the 2012 draft, the current "Type A" and "Type B" designations remain in place, but the CBA included special provisions that modified the statuses of 11 players who were Type A free agents under the old CBA. Six of these will be "Modified Type A"—meaning that the signing team does not forfeit a draft pick, but the player's former team will receive a compensatory pick in the same position it would have earned under regular Type A rules. The remaining five will be "Modified Type B", with compensation identical to that for other Type B free agents.^[28]

After the 2012 draft, free agents will no longer be classified by "type". Instead, a team will only be able to receive compensation if it makes its former player an offer at least equal to the average of the 125 richest contracts.^[29] However, if a player is traded during the final season of his contract, his new team will be ineligible to receive any compensation.^[30]

Bonus pool[link]

Starting in 2012, each team will be allocated a "bonus pool" from which it can offer initial contracts to its drafted players. Each team's pool will be based on its draft position and number of picks, plus the amount spent in the previous year's draft. For the 2012 draft, these pools will range from $4.5 million to $11.5 million. If a team goes over its threshold by 5 percent or less, it must pay a "luxury tax" of 75% on the amount over the threshold. Teams that go 5 to 10 percent over must pay a 100% tax on the excess, and will lose their next first-round pick. A team that goes 15 percent over can lose its next two first-round picks, in addition to the "luxury tax".^[29] These excess picks will go to smaller-revenue teams via a yet-to-be-reported formula. Uniquely, these compensatory picks can be traded—marking the first time MLB has allowed trading of draft picks. However, the current rules against trading of regular picks, or picks awarded as free agent compensation, will remain in force.^[30]

Other changes[link]

Teams will no longer be able to offer major league contracts to their draft choices—only minor league contracts will be available. The only exception will be for drafted players who have scholarships in other sports.^[30] Also, the date for signing new picks moves from mid-August to mid-July.^[30]

See also[link]

• List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks
• Rule 5 Draft

References[link]

External links[link]

• MLB.com official website
• MLB.com - Draft History
• MLB.com - Draft Rules

Nick Swisher
Swisher during a game for the Yankees
New York Yankees – No. 33
Outfielder / First baseman
Born: (1980-11-25) November 25, 1980 (age 31) Columbus, Ohio
Bats: Switch	Throws: Left
MLB debut
September 3, 2004 for the Oakland Athletics
Career statistics (through May 6, 2012)
Batting average	.254
Home runs	192
Runs batted in	620
Hits	963
Teams
Oakland Athletics (2004–2007) Chicago White Sox (2008) New York Yankees (2009–present)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star (2010) World Series champion (2009)

Nicholas Thompson "Nick" Swisher (born November 25, 1980) is an outfielder and first baseman for the New York Yankees. Swisher is a switch hitter who throws left-handed. He has played for the Oakland Athletics (2004–2007), Chicago White Sox (2008), and New York Yankees (2009–present). With the Yankees, he won the 2009 World Series and was an All-Star in 2010.

Swisher is the son of former MLB catcher Steve Swisher, who played for various National League baseball clubs in the 1970s and 1980s. Swisher was born in Columbus, Ohio, but grew up in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Prior to his professional career, Swisher played college baseball for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Early life and career[link]

Nick Swisher is the son of Steve Swisher, a former major leaguer of German descent, and an Italian mother Rebecca. Swisher's parents divorced when he was 11 years old. He then went to live with his grandparents, who cared for him throughout his teenage years. He has said many times that his grandmother was the closest person to him and because of her, he has a great life and career in baseball. Swisher honors his grandparents, who have passed away, by looking up at the sky before every single pitch.

Swisher was a two-sport star at Parkersburg High School in football and baseball as well as a letterman in basketball. As a strong safety he was recruited by several Division I-A colleges, including Notre Dame,^[1] but chose to pursue baseball. Because he was not selected in the Major League Baseball Draft out of high school, he went to college and signed with Ohio State University, as that school and Ohio University were the only colleges to recruit him for baseball.^[2] He was named Big 10 Freshman of the Year in 2000, after hitting .299 with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs. He was an All-Big 10 selection at first base as a sophomore in 2001, after hitting .322 with 56 RBIs and a league-leading 15 home runs. He earned All-Big 10 honors in the outfield in 2002, after batting .348 with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs. Swisher was selected by the A's with the Boston Red Sox first round pick in 2002 as compensation for the loss of free agent Johnny Damon.

Swisher, and the A's 2002 draft, are heavily featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book Moneyball. In a book whose key theme is the gulf between orthodox baseball thinking and the new sabermetric influenced system being implemented by Billy Beane, Swisher was notable as one of the few examples of a player who traditional scouts and Beane could agree upon.^[3]

Professional baseball career[link]

Minor league career[link]

Prior to moving up to the big leagues, Swisher played for the Visalia Oaks, Vancouver Canadians, Modesto A's, Midland RockHounds, and Sacramento River Cats--all Oakland farm teams.^[4] In 2005, he led the minor leagues with 102 walks.^[5]

Major league career[link]

Oakland Athletics (2004–2007)[link]

Swisher batting for the Athletics in 2005.

Swisher played in only 20 games during the 2004 season, and consequently was still considered to be in his rookie year in 2005. He finished 6th in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. He hit 21 home runs and drove in 74 for Oakland in 131 games. His teammates Huston Street and Joe Blanton finished 1st and 7th, respectively.^[6]

Following his rookie season, Swisher improved in most offensive categories. During the 2006 regular season, Swisher compiled a .254 batting average with 35 home runs. He also improved his on base percentage by raising it to .372, as well as boosting his slugging percentage to .493. Swisher finished second for the team in on base plus slugging behind the veteran slugger Frank Thomas. Swisher spent about half of his playing time in left field, and the other half at first base. The Oakland A's lacked both Dan Johnson and Erubiel Durazo for a large portion of the 2006 season, leaving room for Swisher to move back into his preferred position on a temporary basis.^[7] During the season, Swisher had a column for ESPN.com about his various baseball experiences called Sophomore Year. This included multiple articles that pertained to his early MLB playing experiences, as well as the MLB Draft of 2002.^[8]

Swisher made his postseason debut as the Oakland A's took on the Minnesota Twins in the 2006 ALDS. Swisher got 3 hits and an RBI during the series as the Oakland A's performed a 3-game sweep against the Twins to advance to the ALCS. During the 2006 ALCS vs the Detroit Tigers, Swisher had a .100 batting average with one hit. The Oakland A's would eventually lose the ALCS to the Tigers in just 4 games.

Swisher has also exemplified a good amount of durability in contrast to his teammates who have spent a large portion of time on the disabled list.

On September 16, 2007, Swisher initiated a brawl when he charged the mound after getting hit by a pitch from Texas Rangers pitcher Vicente Padilla. Earlier in the plate appearance, Padilla (who had hit Swisher the prior year) threw two inside pitches with the apparent intention of hitting Swisher. Both players were ejected following the brawl.

Chicago White Sox (2008)[link]

Swisher as a White Sox player.

Swisher was traded on January 3, 2008 to the Chicago White Sox for minor leaguers Ryan Sweeney, Gio Gonzalez, and Fautino De Los Santos as part of what Athletics general manager Billy Beane termed a "rebuilding effort".^[9] While Swisher quickly established himself as a fan favorite on his new team he struggled offensively, batting just .219 through the season (the lowest batting average in the majors), though he improved his home run total from 22 in 2007 to 24 in 2008.^[10][11] He also led the majors in pitches per plate appearance, with 4.51.^[12] Because of his poor offensive play White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen benched Swisher for most of September, saying publicly that "I have to put the best lineup out there to win the game ... To me, the best lineup right now is without (Swisher)."^[13] Swisher finished the 2008 regular season with a .219 batting average, 24 home runs, and 69 RBI.

Despite his career low stats in the regular season, Swisher was included in the postseason roster for the White Sox. During the 2008 ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays, Swisher had a hit and 2 walks. The White Sox would eventually lose the division series against the Rays in 4 games.

New York Yankees (2009–present)[link]

Swisher batting in 2009, his first year with the Yankees

On November 13, 2008, Swisher and minor league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira were traded to the New York Yankees for utility man Wilson Betemit and minor league pitchers Jeffrey Marquez and Jhonny Núñez.^[14] Swisher was acquired to be the Yankees starting first baseman. However, the Yankees signed Mark Teixiera later in the offseason, who took the starting role.^[15] At the end of spring training, manager Joe Girardi announced that Xavier Nady would be starting in right field while Swisher would be a bench player.^[16][17] Due to the perceived logjam, many teams reportedly pursued Swisher,^[18][19] but the Yankees opted to keep him as a reserve outfielder and first baseman.

On April 9, 2009 against the Baltimore Orioles, Swisher was started for the first time as a Yankee in right field, replacing Xavier Nady who was playing DH to give Hideki Matsui a rest. Swisher capitalized on this opportunity and had a great game, going 3 for 5 with a home run and tying his career high of five RBIs. Just five days later, Swisher became the starting right fielder after Nady went down with a season-ending elbow injury.^[20]

On April 13, 2009, in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Swisher pitched one inning in relief, allowing one hit and one walk before retiring the next three batters in a row, including a strikeout against Gabe Kapler in his first pitching appearance in the major leagues.^[21] He was the first Yankee position player to pitch since Wade Boggs in 1997 and the first Yankee to homer and pitch in the same game since Lindy McDaniel did it in Detroit on September 28, 1972.^[22]

Swisher hit his first postseason home run in the 2009 World Series. He got his first championship title as the Yankees eventually won the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games.

Due to a .128 batting average in the 2009 postseason, Swisher worked with hitting coach Kevin Long to reinvent his swing for the 2010 season.^[23] Swisher was a contestant in the 2010 All-Star Final Vote from July 4 to July 8. Swisher lobbied for the post with a promotion commercial of him with a surf board to indicate that he would be surfing in Southern California since the game was to be hosted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In what was to that date the closest vote in Final Vote history, he won the final place on the AL roster ahead of Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis.^[24] Additionally, Swisher participated in the Home Run Derby.^[25] Swisher finished the season with a career-high .288 batting average and 29 home runs.^[26] Although Swisher was usually hitting in the bottom third of the lineup, he was moved into the #2 slot in the lineup after Nick Johnson went down with an injury and served as a buffer for the middle of the Yankees lineup.

In 2011, Swisher was moved down in the lineup to allow Curtis Granderson to hit second behind Derek Jeter and spent the majority of the season hitting sixth behind Robinson Cano. His fielding percentage ranked 2nd among all American League Right Fielders with a .996 behind Baltimore's Nick Markakis. Although Swisher's totals dipped a bit from his 2010 career year, he still managed to hit .260 and was one of four Yankees with at least 20 home runs (after Granderson, Teixeira, and Cano) and finished fourth on the team with 85 RBIs.

During the Bleacher Creatures' roll call at the top of the first inning, Swisher is known to come to attention and salute the bleachers.

Personal life[link]

Swisher is known for his outgoing personality and has become a favorite of Yankees fans

Swisher's father, Steve Swisher, played 509 games in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs (1974–77), St. Louis Cardinals (1978–80), and San Diego Padres (1981–82). He was a .216 lifetime hitter with 20 home runs and 124 RBIs. His father was also a first round draft pick, as he was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the 21st selection of the 1973 draft.

Swisher was very close to his paternal grandmother, Betty Lorraine Swisher, who raised him after his parents' divorce and died from brain cancer in 2005; he has her initials tattooed on his chest surrounded by angel's wings and a halo. To honor her further, he let his hair grow for eleven months and donated it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a program that creates free wigs for cancer patients. On May 19, 2007, he cut his hair with assistance from his father.^[27] His website, nickswisher.net, is also dedicated to his grandmother.^[28] He is well known for touching his lips and pointing to the sky in her honor after he gets a hit as well as inking her initials on the bottom of his bats' knobs and kissing the letters when he comes to home plate. After his grandfather Don died in November 2008, Swisher began adding his initials to his bats as well. When Nick is up at bat, he looks up to the sky to honor his parents and grandparents. He is known by his loyal fans as the "Swish Dog". He later stated that he planned on getting another tattoo on his back in the same style as his existing one after the 2009 season to honor his grandfather.^[29]

In August 2009, People reported that Swisher was dating actress Joanna García.^[30] Swish and García became engaged in May 2010,^[31] and married on December 11, 2010 at the Breakers Hotel & Resort in Palm Beach, Florida.^[32]

In 2011 Swisher guest starred as himself on two episodes of his wife Joanna Garcia's sitcom Better with You. The first episode aired February 16 and the second aired February 23.^[33] He also appeared on the February 1, 2010 episode of How I Met Your Mother.^[34]

Swisher is releasing a kids music album titled "Believe" on August 9, 2011. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to "Swish's Wishes", a charity started by Swisher for children who are facing health crises. The twelve song album features guest appearances from former New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams and current San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito. All of the songs recorded on the album are cover songs that were selected by Swisher.^[35]

The album peaked at #3 on the chart of iTunes Children's Albums.^[36]

See also[link]

• List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
• Moneyball by Michael Lewis

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nick Swisher

• NickSwisher.net
• Baseball Almanac
• Nick Swisher on Twitter
• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Christopher Michael Reitsma (born December 31, 1977) is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played seven seasons in the majors, from 2001 until 2007, with the Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, and Seattle Mariners.

Professional career[link]

Red Sox and Reds[link]

Reitsma, drafted in the first round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft by the Boston Red Sox (34th overall), made his major league debut in 2001 for the Cincinnati Reds. After spending three seasons with the Reds as both a starter and reliever, the Atlanta Braves traded for him on March 26, 2004 to bolster their bullpen.

Atlanta Braves[link]

Reitsma was used as a setup man for Atlanta's closer John Smoltz in 2004. He appeared in 84 games and did a servicable job, but he was shelled in Game 5 of the 2004 National League Division Series against the Houston Astros, allowing the game to be broken open, and essentially ending the Braves' season.

In 2005, with newly-acquired closer Danny Kolb getting off to a rough start, the Braves elected to use Reitsma as the closer rather than returning John Smoltz to that role. Reitsma did relatively well, earning 15 saves, but on the last day of non-waiver trades, the Braves traded for relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth from the Detroit Tigers. Farnsworth soon replaced Reitsma as the closer, sending Reitsma back to being a setup man.

With the Braves unable to retain Farnsworth, who signed with the New York Yankees following the 2005 season, the team feverishly searched to fill the closer's role through free agency or a trade. However, they were not able to find anyone to fill the hole left by Farnsworth's departure, and because of this, Reitsma had numerous chances to be the Braves' closer in 2006. However, he proved to be ineffective in the job throughout his abbreviated season.

On July 3, 2006, Reitsma was placed on the disabled list with ulnar neuritis in his right arm. He spent the rest of the season on the disabled list. Bob Wickman was brought in to replace Reitsma near the trade deadline, and after performing well, Wickman was signed to a contract in the offseason by the Braves.

Seattle Mariners[link]

Reitsma was non-tendered by the Braves on December 12, 2006. The Seattle Mariners signed him to a one-year deal with a club option for 2008 on January 5, 2007, to be their setup man for incumbent closer J. J. Putz. Reitmsa's 2007 season was marred by injuries, making his last appearance on July 29. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 30 and was transferred to the 60-day disabled list on September 4, ending his season. After the season, his club option was not picked up and Reitsma became a free agent. On January 10, 2008, he resigned with the Mariners to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. However, he never pitched with the Mariners in 2008, and has not played professionally since.

The Grim Reitsma[link]

Reitsma's team nickname on the Mariners was "The Grim Reitsma". Reitsma himself was apparently the last to know his bullpen brethren had taken to wearing T-shirts with his name on them. The relievers began wearing gray shirts with the words "The Grim Reitsma" on them, complete with a maple leaf logo — Reitsma is Canadian — and the picture of a Grim Reaper.

Seattle reliever George Sherrill and strength coach Allen Wirtala had the shirts made up shortly after a game at Yankee Stadium. Reitsma had gotten up in the bullpen when a fan stood up in the stands and shouted, "Grim Reitsma!" Reitsma went on the disabled list shortly after. "I didn't even know about the shirts until I got back," he said. "I saw everybody wearing them."^[1]

Olympics[link]

Reitsma was a member of Canada's Olympic baseball team competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Pitches[link]

Reitsma features three pitches. He has a sinking fastball that sometimes will induce groundballs, as well a changeup. He also possesses a big, looping curveball that he does not throw as much as his fastball and changeup. Braves coaches attempted to get Reitsma to focus on only two pitches in an attempt to simplify his delivery.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2010)

He is married to Janelle and has three daughters, Kylie, Emily and Allyson. He graduated from Calgary Christian High School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with three varsity letters in basketball. He is also a dual citizen of both Canada and the United States. He is a born-again Christian.

Philanthropy[link]

Reitsma also performs generous charity work in the off season with the mentally and physically handicapped.

On June 20, 2008, Reitsma was named as spokesman for the Parkinson's Society of Southern Alberta's SuperWalk fundraiser. Reitsma's father Mike, former senior pastor of River Park Church in Calgary, was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1985.

Chris is the founder of Reitsma's Relievers, whose mission is to benefit at-risk children, youth and their families by providing assistance, programs and events designed to build self-esteem, provide unique life changing opportunities and help them to set and achieve their life goals.

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Career statistics and player information from ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Reitsma's Relievers
• http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003768887_marinotes30.html