Desmond Lamont "Desi" Relaford (born September 16, 1973) is an American former professional baseball infielder and current manager of the Danville Otterbots. He played in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies.
| Desi Relaford | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Relaford with the Kansas City Royals in 2004 | |
| Infielder | |
| Born: September 16, 1973 Valdosta, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 1, 1996, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 28, 2007, for the Texas Rangers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .243 |
| Home runs | 40 |
| Runs batted in | 308 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Career
editKnown more for his defense than his bat, his versatility was his trademark. Over the course of an 11-year major league career, he played every position in the field except first base and catcher;[1] he pitched in one game for the New York Mets in which he recorded a perfect inning with a strikeout and threw over 90 mph.
Relaford was traded twice during the 2001-2002 offseason, once with Tsuyoshi Shinjo to the San Francisco Giants for Shawn Estes and again to the Seattle Mariners for David Bell.[2]
Relaford signed a minor league deal with the Rangers on February 14, 2007. He competed with Jerry Hairston Jr., Drew Meyer, and Joaquin Arias for a spot as utility infielder during spring training,[3] but wound up starting the season in the minors. In early July, Relaford was called up to the Rangers after regular second baseman Ian Kinsler was placed on the disabled list after suffering a stress fracture.[4] Relaford was released after the season, and never played professionally after that.
On March 23, 2021, Relaford was named the manager for the Danville Otterbots of the new Appalachian League.[5]
Life beyond baseball
editRelaford currently has a home in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife, Cassandra Sapphire Daley, whom he married in 2002. They have two children.[6] Relaford is the founder of 6 Hole Records, a hip-hop record label based in Jacksonville.[7]
Relaford is a graduate of Sandalwood High School.
Notes
edit- ^ "Desi Relaford Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "M's trade David Bell for Giants' Relaford". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. January 25, 2002. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ^ Sullivan, T.R. (February 14, 2007). "Rangers sign Relaford to Minors deal". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011.
- ^ Sullivan, T.R. (July 2, 2007). "Injured Kinsler out 2-6 weeks". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011.
- ^ Crews, Daniel (March 23, 2021). "Desi Relaford named team manager for the Danville Otterbots". WSET. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "Sandalwood High School". Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ "6 Hole Records | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.
Further reading
edit- Botte, Peter (April 18, 2001). "Relaford Relishes Rare Start for Mets". New York Daily News. p. 56. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- Botte, Peter (May 18, 2001). "Desi a relief in closing nightmare". New York Daily News. p. 80. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- Everson, Darren (June 24, 2001). "Bobbleheads! Mets Fall in 11; Collapse Wastes Desi's HR". New York Daily News. p. 50. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- "New York Traffic is the Worst". Asheville Citizen-Times. June 24, 2001. p. 31. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- Quinn, T.J. (July 30, 2001). "Mets, Piazza Do as Desi Does; Little Things Set Up Big Blast". New York Daily News. pp. 4647. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- Caldera, Pete (August 23, 2001). "Relaford delivers victory for the Mets". The Bergen Record. p. S-5. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- Gross, Andrew (August 23, 2001). "Relaford Gives Mets Big Boost". The Journal News. p. 46. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs