Grew up Southport, North Carolina, a town of about 2,000 people located 25 miles west of Wilmington...in
1988 graduated from South Brunswick (NC) High School, where he was a star in track, basketball, football and
baseball...during his senior season played shortstop on the baseball team and led SBHS to a 29-0 record and the state
championship...played baseball at Duke, where he was a 2-sport star...started every game during his 4 years on the
baseball team and hit .349 with 263 hits and 98 stolen bases...played defensive back for Steve Spurrier's 1989 ACC
championship football team...at Duke earned degrees in political science and history in 4 years...prior to the 2001
season donated $5,000 to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.2005Was the lone spring training non-roster invitee to make the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster...collected 19
pinch hits, tying the franchise single-season record established by Carlos Baerga in 2003...early in the season became
the starter in CF when Jose Cruz Jr. was injured...from 4/9-5/19 made 22 starts at that position...hit his only homer of
the season on 4/24 vs SD off Darrell May...was his second-career home run off a lefthanded pitcher (other, 5/1/97 at
Col off Chi's Bob Patterson)...in an 11-inning, 8-7 win vs Fla on 7/18 had a season-high 3rbi and tied his career high
with 4 hits, including a game-winning RBI-triple...in 10g from 7/18-7/29 hit .455 (10-22, 2 3b, 4rbi)...on 8/26 vs Phi
collected his 50th career pinch hit...in the season finale on 10/2 at SF started in LF and collected 2 hits while batting
leadoff for the first time since 9/1/04.2004Combined to hit .273 in 74g for the Mariners and Diamondbacks...missed 2 weeks early in September with a
small meniscus tear in his right knee...as a pinch hitter hit .313...began the season with Sea and appeared in 19g
before he was released on 6/9...2 days later signed a minor league contract with Ari...was promoted on 6/30 and that
night hit his first career pinch-hit home run, a 2-run shot in the eighth inning off Brandon Puffer that helped lead the
D'Backs to an 8-5 win vs SD...was his 149th career pinch-hit at bat...in 29g from 7/29-8/31 hit .315...on 8/18 vs Pit
collected his 600th career hit...from 7/29-9/1 made 27 starts batting leadoff.2003Appeared in 115g for the Diamondbacks...produced most of his RBI in key situations, including 13rbi after the
sixth inning...on 5/3 vs Atl produced his 200th career RBI with a go-ahead single in the 7-6 win...on 6/11 at KC
recorded his 200th career double...in the 2-1 victory on 6/18 at Hou drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning off
Billy Wagner...was the first of Ari's club-record 12-game winning streak...produced his best stretch from 7/3-7/23,
when over 17g and 11 starts he hit .362...in the 10th inning on 7/4 at LA had a game-winning, 2-run single.2002In 123 apps hit a career-high .309 and led the Diamondbacks with 8 triples...hit above .300 for the first time
in his career...batted leadoff 20 times (.386, .447obp)...in 13g vs the Rockies, the team that drafted him, he hit .444
(20-45, 13r, 32tb, .711slg)...hit safely in 16 of his 18g in June (.403, 29-72), including an 11-game hitting streak from
6/15-6/29 (.447, 21-47)...included in that 11-game hitting streak was an 8-game stretch during which he produced 18
hits in 34ab (.529)...in the 5-3 victory on 7/3 vs LA capped a 3-run eighth-inning rally with a 2-run triple off Eric
Gagne...in a 4-3 win on 7/11 at LA snapped the 3-3 tie with a 2-out, run-scoring double in the eighth inning...was Ari's
first of 3 straight wins at Dodger Stadium...in a 3-
game stretch from 7/23-7/25 produced 7rbi...in Ari's 6-
5 victory on 7/23 vs Col hit a 2-run double in the eighth
inning that erased a 1-run deficit...on 7/24 vs Col had
a pair of RBI in another Diamondbacks win...on 7/25
vs SD had a 3-run double in the seventh inning...in his
first career post-season action hit .364 in 3 apps vs the
Cardinals in the National League Division Series.2001Went to spring training with the Cardinals but
was released on 3/28...on 4/14 was signed by the
Twins to a minor league contract...spent most of the
season at Class AAA Edmonton and hit .338 in 81g
there, including .382 in his first 29 apps...finished the
season ranked T2nd in the Pacific Coast League in batting average...was promoted on 6/5 and made 14 starts for the
Twins, including 8 at DH and 6 in the OF, before he was optioned back to Edmonton on 7/20...was designated for
assignment on 7/28...was outrighted off the roster to Edmonton on 8/2...beginning 8/9 hit safely in 23 of his last 25
apps of the season, including a 19-game hitting streak from 8/9-8/28 (.347, 34-98).2000Spent most of the season at Class AAA Durham, where he hit .260 in 85g...appeared in 15 Major League
games during 4 stints with the Devil Rays...made his first start of the season on 5/25 vs Oak a year and a day after
tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.1999Missed most of the season with a right knee injury...was bothered by a sprained right knee in spring
training...on 5/24 suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee when he collided with the left-center field
wall at Tropicana Field...on 6/3 had reconstructive surgery to repair the torn ACL (Dr. James Andrews)...prior to that
injury made 40 apps, including 36 starts, and hit in every spot in the batting order except fourth and ninth...on 4/21
vs Bal went 3-for-5 and tied his career high with 4rbi, including a 3-run HR off Doug Linton.1998Following one of the best seasons of his career was voted the Devil Rays' first-ever Most Valuable Player by
the local chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America...in 155g hit .292 with 19 stolen bases and a careerhigh
77 runs scored...was TB's second pick in the November 1997 Major League Baseball expansion draft...on Opening
Day vs the Tigers scored the first run in franchise history as the lead runner on Wade Boggs' home run...the first week
of the season was named American League co-Player of the Week after hitting .483 with 6 multi-hit games...his 179
hits were the most ever by a player on a first-year expansion team (Charlie Hayes, 175h, 1993 Rockies)...produced his
record-breaking 176th hit on 9/13 off Bos' Tom Gordon...also set an expansion record with 18 outfield assists, secondhighest
total in the AL to Cle's Kenny Lofton...led the club with a 19-game hitting streak from 8/18-9/9, which tied the
expansion single-season record (Tommy Davis, Seattle Pilots, 1969)...ranked third in the American League in hits, trailing
only fellow switch hitters Jose Offerman (191) and Ray Durham (181)...made 148 starts overall, including 101 starts
in CF and 47 starts in LF...led Devil Rays batters in hits, games, at bats, runs, total bases (252), doubles and sacrifice
flies...also led the team with 52 multi-hit contests, including 13 3-hit efforts and a career-high 4-hit game on 9/8.1997In 147g for the Rockies hit .292 with 28 stolen bases and 69 runs scored...entered the season as Col's fourth
outfielder but finished with 71 starts in CF...opened the season with 13 successful stolen bases, tying a Rockies record,
until Fla's Charles Johnson threw him out on 6/1.1996In his first full season in the Major Leagues hit .290 with 17 stolen bases in 124g for the Rockies...made 58 starts
in CF and 2 starts in RF...ranked third among all National League rookies in hitting, behind only Edgar Renteria (.309),
Jason Kendall (.300) and Todd Hollandsworth (.291)...recorded his first career hit on 4/16 vs SD, a pinch-hit double off
Trevor Hoffman...on 7/27 at Coors Field hit his first Major League home run, off Chi's Amaury Telemaco.1995In his Major League debut appeared in 3g for the Rockies...spent the minor league season at Class AA New
Haven and Class AAA Colorado Springs, where he combined to hit .359 to lead all minor league batters and all professional
switch hitters...began the season at New Haven...was promoted to Colorado Springs on 6/25...in August hit .396 and
then hit safely in 9 post-season games to help lead the Sky Sox to the Pacific Coast League championship...was promoted
to the Rockies on 9/16...made his Major League with a pinch-hitting appearance on 9/17 vs Fla and struck out...made
a pair of pinch-running apps, on 9/25 at LA and 9/27 at LA.1994Received an invitation to major league camp...recorded a 21-game hitting streak for New Haven in June...led the club in runs, hits, doubles and steals.1993Earned the Rockies Minor League Player of the Year while making the switch from 2nd base to CF...raised his average from the .220s in June to season-ending .292...finished the season on a 13-game hitting streak.1992Was the 711th player selected in the June free agent draft...injury to regular 2nd baseman Craig Counsell gave him a chance at Bend in the Northwest Rookie League...is a natural right handed hitter. First tried switch-hitting at Duke, but abandoned the idea. Tried switch-hitting again late in his first year of pro ball in 1992. Doubled his first time up and immediately went on a 2-week tear hitting .531 and winning consecutive league player of the week honors. Was hitting .212 at the time he started switch-hitting.
