Jerry Hairston, Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds — No. 15 | |
| Utility player | |
| Born: May 29, 1976 Des Moines, Iowa |
|
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| September 11, 1998 for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2007) |
|
| Batting average | .253 |
| Home runs | 33 |
| Runs batted in | 216 |
| Teams | |
|
|
Jerry Wayne Hairston, Jr. (born May 29, 1976 in Des Moines, Iowa), nicknamed "Pork Rind," is a Major League Baseball utility player in the Cincinnati Reds organization. His father Jerry Hairston and grandfather Sam Hairston were also major league players, making him the first African American to be a third-generation major-leaguer. He attended Southern Illinois University. His uncle Johnny Hairston and his brother Scott Hairston have also played in the majors, and several other family members played in the minor leagues.
Contents |
[edit] Professional career
Hairston was drafted in the 11th round of the 1997 amateur draft by the Baltimore Orioles, and made his major league debut with the Orioles on September 11, 1998. In his seven seasons with Baltimore, he played in 558 games, batting .261. He is best known for being traded (along with Oriole prospects Mike Fontenot and David Crouthers) to the Chicago Cubs in the 2005 offseason for Sammy Sosa. The Cubs attempted to use Hairston as a leadoff man, but he finished the 2005 season with an unremarkable on-base percentage of .336 and stole only 8 bases in 17 attempts. Even though most Cubs fans initially welcomed the dismissal of Sosa-- whose performance was on the decline and was seen as a problematic teammate-- the poor play of Hairston would eventually cause many fans to sour on this particular trade.
Hairston's statistics declined further at the start of the 2006 season, and on May 31, Hairston was traded to the Texas Rangers for Phil Nevin. Hairston was released from the Rangers after the 2006 season. On January 5, 2007, the Rangers signed Hairston to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Hairston won a spot on the opening day roster, as a reserve outfielder and utility player. A series of injuries to teammates Hank Blalock, Ian Kinsler, Mark Teixeira and Frank Catalanotto, as well as the trades of Teixeira and Kenny Lofton, led to Hairston playing on a regular basis throughout the 2007 season. Hairston became a free agent after the season.
On March 3, 2008, Hairston signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds. On April 21, his contract was purchased by the Reds and was added to the roster.
[edit] Performance enhancing drugs controversy
According to Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim, Jerry Hairston Jr. received Genotropin, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and Clomiphene Citrate in 2004. One of Hairston's prescriptions was written by "A. Almarashi." Investigators believe Almarashi is an alias for a Queens, N.Y., doctor stripped of her medical license in 1999. She is awaiting trial on multiple charges after allegedly writing bogus prescriptions for thousands of online customers she never examined. Hairston denied any connection. "Not one time have I taken steroids or anything like that," he said last Thursday. "I would never do anything like that to jeopardize my career or my family's name."
On December 13, 2007, he was cited in the Mitchell Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation Into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball[1].
[edit] See also
- List of second generation Major League Baseball players
- List of Baltimore Orioles Opening Day Starting Lineups
[edit] References and citations
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
