Floyd was born to parents Cornelius Clifford Floyd Sr. and Olivia Floyd. After spending 13 years as an only child,Floyd was joined by brother Julius. Sister Shanta was later adopted when the Floyds noticed her as a six-year-old classmate of Julius' who had been troublesome for her then adoptive parents. The three siblings were raised in Markham,Illinois,a small suburb southwest of Chicago. Floyd's father,a former member of the United States Marine Corps,worked double shifts at a U.S. Steel plant in Chicago to allow the family to live in a safe and stable neighborhood.[1]
Prior to being called up by the Expos,Floyd won The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year Award in 1993 after successful stints with the Harrisburg Senators of the Eastern League and Triple-AOttawa Lynx.[3] He made his major league debut that same year at only 21 years old,playing in 10 games with the Expos. On June 27,1994,Floyd hit a home run off Atlanta Braves pitcher Greg Maddux at Olympic Stadium on a pitch that was low,by golfing the ball out in what would become a signature moment in the Expos dominant but strike-shortened 1994 season.[3] Although Floyd never showed the power that was to come in later years during his first tenure with the Expos,he has expressed fondness for his time in Montreal,crediting his initial experience there for helping him grow both professionally and as a person.[4]
Florida Marlins
In 1997,Floyd was traded from the Expos to the Florida Marlins for Dustin Hermanson and Joe Orsulak. He won his lone World Series with the franchise in 1997. In 1998,Floyd earned a starting position in the Marlins' outfield. In 2000,in 420 at-bats,he hit .300 with 22 home runs and 91 RBI,[5] including two walk-off home runs.[6] In 2001,Floyd hit 31 home runs and set career highs with a .317 batting average and 103 RBIs in 149 games and was selected to play in his first and only All-Star Game.[5]
On July 30,2002,Floyd was traded from the Expos to the Boston Red Sox for Sun-woo Kim and Song Seung-jun.[8] Theories swirled around baseball as to the move (along with several others done by the Expos that year),with critics suggesting the MLB-owned Expos had traded Floyd in order to help the Red Sox.[9] Floyd hit .317 in 47 games for the Red Sox.[10]
New York Mets
Floyd with the Mets
In 2003,Floyd was signed by the New York Mets. He played well for the Mets,but was hampered by injuries in 2003 and 2004. However,Floyd stayed healthy in 2005 and responded with a career-high and team-leading 34 home runs.[10] The next year,though,Floyd was once again limited by injuries and only played in 97 games during New York's division-winning year. He caught the division-clinching out for the Mets,[11] but was slowed by injuries in the playoffs for New York,only recording twelve at-bats in his team's ten postseason games.
Chicago Cubs
On January 21,2007,Floyd agreed to a one-year,$3 million deal with his hometown Chicago Cubs for the 2007 season. The deal included multiple incentives and an option for 2008.[12] Floyd missed nine games in August 2007 to mourn the death of his father,Cornelius. He returned on August 21,2007,to play the San Francisco Giants,where he drove in the winning runs in the top of the 9th.[13]
Tampa Bay Rays
On December 14,2007,Floyd signed a $3 million,one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.[14] Floyd spent 2008 platooning for the Rays at DH against righties.
In 2022,Floyd joined the Marquee Sports Network as a studio analyst and also appeared on Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball as one of three rotating analysts.[19][20]
Personal life
Floyd lives in Florida with his longtime companion Maryanne Manning,the couple's three children (Bria,Tobias,and Layla),his mother,and the two children of his sister Shanta. Shanta died in 2006 after a long battle with cancer.[citation needed]
In 1997,Floyd appeared in a Season 23 episode of Saturday Night Live in full Florida Marlins uniform with fourteen other MLB players.[21]
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