Greg Bird | |
---|---|
Charros de Jalisco – No. 13 | |
First baseman | |
Born: Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | November 9, 1992|
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
MLB debut | |
August 13, 2015, for the New York Yankees | |
MLB statistics (through 2019 season) | |
Batting average | .211 |
Home runs | 32 |
Run batted in | 98 |
Teams | |
Gregory Paul Bird (born November 9,1992) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees.
Since Bird’s 2015 debut season,his career has been plagued by a variety of injuries. Bird missed the entire 2016 campaign and played a mere 173 games with the Yankees and their respective minor league affiliates,between 2017 and 2019.
Bird attended Grandview High School in Aurora,Colorado,where he played for the baseball team as a catcher and formed a battery with pitcher Kevin Gausman. Bird was named the Colorado Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year as a senior. [1] [2] [3] He committed to attend the University of Arkansas to play college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. [4]
Bird was drafted by the New York Yankees in the fifth round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. [5] Bird signed with the Yankees,receiving a $1.1 million signing bonus and bypassing his commitment to Arkansas. [4] He was drafted as a catcher but was moved to first base. [6]
Bird made his professional debut for the Gulf Coast Yankees in 2011. He finished the season playing in four games,going 1 for 12. In 2012,he played in only 28 games due to injuries. He finished the season hitting .337/.450/.494 with two home runs. Bird started the 2013 season with the Charleston RiverDogs of the Single–A South Atlantic League. [7] He finished the season,hitting .288/.428/.511 with 20 home runs and a minor league leading 107 walks. He won the Kevin Lawn Award as the Yankees Minor League Player of the Year. [8] [9]
In 2014,Bird began the season with the Tampa Yankees of the High–A Florida State League,where he batted .277 with seven home runs and 32 runs batted in before he was promoted tor the Trenton Thunder of the Double–A Eastern League, [10] where he batted for a .253/.379/.558 triple slash to go along with seven homers and 11 RBI to create a full season equaling .271/.376/.472 slash line,14 homers,and 43 RBI in 102 games. [11] After the season,the Yankees assigned Bird to the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League (AFL). He hit a 450-foot (140 m) home run during the AFL Fall Stars Game. Bird led the AFL with six home runs was named the AFL Most Valuable Player. [12]
Bird started the 2015 season with Double-A Trenton and was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Triple–A International League during the season. [13] In May,he experienced a shoulder injury. [14]
On August 13,2015,the Yankees announced that they would promote Bird to the major leagues,serving as a backup to Mark Teixeira at first base and Alex Rodriguez at designated hitter. [13] He made his major league debut that night,going 0-for-5. [15] He collected his first hit on August 15,a single off of Toronto Blue Jays reliever LaTroy Hawkins. [16] Teixeira injured his leg during a hit-by-pitch on August 17,which was later diagnosed as a season-ending shin fracture. As a result,Bird became the Yankees' starting first baseman for the rest of 2015. [17]
On August 19,Bird hit his first two MLB home runs off of Minnesota Twins pitcher Ervin Santana. [18] On September 7,Bird hit a go-ahead three-run home run in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. [19] On September 22,Bird hit a game winning three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the top of the tenth inning. He finished the season with a .261 batting average and a .343 on-base percentage. In 46 games and 157 at-bats,Bird hit 11 home runs with 31 RBIs. [20]
Bird suffered a recurrence of his right shoulder injury during the 2015-16 offseason,which was diagnosed as a torn labrum. Bird underwent successful surgery,and was ruled out for the entire 2016 MLB season. After not playing during the regular season,Bird recovered from his shoulder injury in time to be assigned to the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League in October 2016. [21]
In spring training,Bird showed a full recovery from his season-ending shoulder surgery,hitting eight home runs,tied for the most with Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper. He also led the league in extra-base hits (16),on-base percentage (.556),slugging percentage (1.098) and OPS (1.654).[ citation needed ] During an exhibition game against the Atlanta Braves,Bird hit the first-ever home run in SunTrust Park. [22]
On May 2,Bird was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a bruised right ankle. His performance was hampered due to an injury he sustained after fouling a ball of his foot at the end of Spring Training,batting .100 in 19 games. [23] In July,Bird was diagnosed with an injury to the os trigonum in his right foot;he would have surgery to remove the bone. [24] On August 26,Bird was activated off the 60-day DL after missing 103 games and went 1-for-2 with two walks in a game that afternoon. Since his return from injury,Bird batted .253 and hit 8 home runs. In 48 games played in 2017,Bird batted .190 with 9 home runs and 28 RBI.
In Game 3 of the ALDS,Bird hit a solo home run off of Cleveland Indians reliever and former Yankee Andrew Miller,only the second home run Miller had allowed on a fastball to a lefty in the last three seasons. [25] It was the only run scored in the game as the Yankees won 1–0. Bird served as the final out in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros,flying out to center fielder George Springer to eliminate the Yankees from World Series contention. [26] In the postseason,Bird slashed .244/.426/.512 with three home runs and 6 RBIs;he was also thrown out at home plate twice. [27]
On March 26,2018,it was revealed that Bird would undergo ankle surgery,ruling him out for six to eight weeks. [28] He underwent successful surgery the next day,and it was revealed to be a small bone spur. A coin-sized calcium deposit was also removed from the ankle. This was the second time Bird had ankle surgery;a different problematic bone was removed from the ankle the previous summer. [29] Bird returned from his ankle surgery on May 26,2018. Bird struggled in 2018 batting .199/.286/.386 with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs and lost his starting job to Luke Voit late in the season.
On April 16,Bird was placed on the 10-day IL with a left plantar fascia tear,prompting the Yankees to call up first baseman Mike Ford. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 12. Bird would go on to miss the rest of the 2019 season. Bird finished the season hitting .171 in 35 at bats. [30]
On November 20,2019,the Yankees designated Bird for assignment. He became a free agent on November 27. [31]
On February 4,2020,Bird signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers.
On July 31,2020,Bird was brought back to MLB once he was recalled by the Texas Rangers. [32] Bird suffered an injury before he could appear in a game,and was designated for assignment on August 11 without ever playing as a Ranger. Bird elected free agency on August 14 after being outrighted to the minors.
On September 15,2020,Bird signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies organization. [33]
On February 11,2021,Bird signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies organization that included an invitation to Spring Training. [34]
On March 10,2022,Bird signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. [35] He was released on April 4 when he exercised an opt-out clause in his contract. [36]
On April 4,2022,Bird signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. [37] He played for the Triple–A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders,hitting .218/.325/.354 with 6 home runs and 22 RBI. On July 13,Bird was released by the Yankees organization. [38]
On August 22,2023,Bird signed with the Québec Capitales of the Frontier League. [39] In 11 games for Québec,Bird hit .293/.341/.390 with one home run and four RBI. [40]
On February 26,2024,Bird signed with the Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican League. [41]
Bird was born in Memphis,Tennessee. His family moved to Colorado when he was 10 years old. [42] [43]
Dioner Favian Navarro Vivas is a Venezuelan former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,Los Angeles Dodgers,Tampa Bay Rays,Cincinnati Reds,Chicago Cubs,Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. With the Rays,Navarro was an All-Star in 2008.
Grady Sizemore is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians from 2004 through 2011,but did not play in the majors for the following two years after back and knee injuries. He returned in 2014 with the Boston Red Sox and played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2014 to 2015 before finishing 2015 with the Tampa Bay Rays. He was a three-time MLB All-Star and a two-time Gold Glove Award winner,and also won a Silver Slugger Award.
Robinson JoséCanóMercedes is a Dominican–American professional baseball second baseman for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League,he also captains the Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Professional Baseball League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,Seattle Mariners,New York Mets,San Diego Padres,and Atlanta Braves.
Kendrys Morales Rodríguez is a Cuban-Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim,Seattle Mariners,Minnesota Twins,Kansas City Royals,Toronto Blue Jays,Oakland Athletics,and the New York Yankees. He also played right field during his MLB career.
Troy Trevor Tulowitzki,nicknamed "Tulo",is an American former professional baseball shortstop,who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB),primarily with the Colorado Rockies. He also played for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.
Brett Michael Gardner is an American former professional baseball outfielder who spent his entire 14-year Major League Baseball career with the New York Yankees.
Jay Allen Bruce is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds,New York Mets,Cleveland Indians,Seattle Mariners,Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. The Reds drafted Bruce in the first round,12th overall pick,of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft;he made his MLB debut in 2008. Bruce was named an All-Star three times during his career,and won the Silver Slugger Award twice.
Steven Wayne Pearce is an American former professional baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates,Baltimore Orioles,Houston Astros,New York Yankees,Tampa Bay Rays,Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox. Pearce is only the second player in MLB history to have played for every team in the American League East,the first being Kelly Johnson. He is also the first and only player to have hit two walk-off grand slams in the span of a single week.
Austin Jarriel Jackson is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers,Seattle Mariners,Chicago Cubs,Chicago White Sox,Cleveland Indians,San Francisco Giants and New York Mets. Prior to playing professionally,he attended Billy Ryan High School.
Dustin Michael Ackley is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees.
Aaron Michael Hicks is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Minnesota Twins,New York Yankees,and Baltimore Orioles.
Zachary Slade Heathcott is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Heathcott was a first-round draft pick by the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB) out of Texas High School in the 2009 MLB Draft. He played in 17 games for the Yankees during the 2015 season.
David Lee Adams is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees in 2013.
Kole Alan Calhoun is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels,Arizona Diamondbacks,Texas Rangers,and Cleveland Guardians. Calhoun played college baseball at Yavapai College and Arizona State University. He was drafted by the Angels in the eighth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft and made his MLB debut in 2012. He won a Gold Glove Award in 2015.
William Landis McKinney is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. McKinney was a first-round draft pick of the Athletics in 2013. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2014,and the New York Yankees in 2016. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Yankees in 2018,and was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays during the season,with whom he played until 2020. He has also played for the Milwaukee Brewers,New York Mets,Los Angeles Dodgers,and Oakland Athletics.
Ronald Alcides Torreyes is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers,New York Yankees,Philadelphia Phillies,and Minnesota Twins.
Roberto Andres Pérez is a Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher in the Boston Red Sox organization. He played college baseball for Florida Gateway College. Pérez was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 33rd round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut in 2014 with the Indians,and has also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He has won two Gold Glove Awards and two Fielding Bible Awards,and was named the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Michael Harrison Ford is an American professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter in the Cincinnati Reds organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,San Francisco Giants,Seattle Mariners,Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels.
Eloy Arturo Jiménez Solano is a Dominican professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Jiménez signed with the Chicago Cubs in 2013 as an international free agent. He made his MLB debut in 2019 with the White Sox and won the Silver Slugger Award in 2020.
Louis Linwood Voit III is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,St. Louis Cardinals,San Diego Padres,Washington Nationals,and Milwaukee Brewers.