Benard moved to Los Angeles with his mother and father when he was 12.[1] After a stellar prep career at Bell High School,he attended El Camino College (Torrance,CA) freshman year. After his Head Coach Tom Hicks stepped down,Benard transferred to L.A. Harbor Junior College in Wilmington,Calif.,then Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston,Idaho.
Benard played with the San Francisco Giants from 1995 to 2003. He was a starter from 1999–2001,and played most of the 1996 season due to an injury to Glenallen Hill. He won the 1999 Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership. Despite a disappointing postseason performance in 2000,Marvin had one of the most memorable hits of series,driving in Ellis Burks with an RBI single in Game 3 of the 2000 National League Division Series.
Benard had above-average power for a leadoff hitter. A notorious first-pitch hitter prone to striking out,Benard had good bat speed and could steal bases,though he was caught stealing 29% of the time over the course of his career. He played all three outfield positions,mostly as a center fielder. As a pinch hitter,he had a career .267 batting average. Benard hit the final San Francisco Giants home run in the history of Candlestick Park,which came in the first inning of the Giants' eventual 9-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.[4]
After becoming a free agent after the 2003 season,Benard agreed to a minor-league contract with the Chicago White Sox but was released before the season began and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was released after one season with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs,hitting .211 with four homers and 18 RBI in 33 games.
Post-retirement
On April 11,2010,Benard admitted to using steroids during the 2002 season in which the Giants reached the World Series.[5]
Benard managed Gigantes de Rivas,champions of the 2023–24 Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League,at the 2024 Caribbean Series (taking over from Germán Mesa). He drew criticism after making comments criticizing the heart of his team,saying "I'm going to get in trouble for saying this... the Nicaraguan baseball player is a conformist. I try to motivate them,but they can't get it out of their heads."[8] The Nicaraguan team finished the tournament in last place with a 0–6 record,being eliminated in the first round.[9]
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