Jason Orville Pridie (born October 9, 1983) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

, and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

Baseball career

Tampa Bay Rays

Pridie was drafted out of Prescott High School, where he hit a record-setting 13

triples TripleS (; ; stylized as tripleS) is a South Korean 24-member multinational girl group formed by Modhaus. They aim to be the world's first decentralized idol group, where the members will rotate between the full group, sub-units, and solo activi ...

, by the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based i ...

in the second round (43rd overall) of the

2002 Major League Baseball draft The 2002 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis (author), Michael Lewis' 2003 book ''Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first r ...

. After signing with the Devil Rays, Pridie was assigned to play with the Rookie-level

Princeton Devil Rays Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. In 67 games, he batted .368 with seven

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...

and 33 RBI. Pridie was promoted on August 28, , to the

Hudson Valley Renegades The Hudson Valley Renegades are a Minor League Baseball team based in Fishkill, New York. The High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, the Renegades play in the South Atlantic League. The Renegades play their home games at Heritage Financial Pa ...

, the Devil Rays' Single-A team. He finished the season there and batted .344 with a home run in eight games. ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' named Pridie to the Rookie League All-Star team and also rated him as the best hitter and the best tools player in the Devil Rays' organization. In and , Pridie played the entire two seasons with the Single-A

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Char ...

. Playing in 128 games during both seasons, Pridie hit .260 with seven home runs and 48 RBI in 2003 and .276 with 17 home runs and 86 RBI in 2004. Pridie was also rated by ''Baseball America'' as the best defensive outfielder in the Rays' organization. In , he began the season with the Single-A

Visalia Oaks Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-most populous city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 38th most populous in California, and 183 ...

. He played just one game before being on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

for three and a half months from April 9 to July 26. Immediately upon being activated from the disabled list, he was promoted to the Double-A

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

. He finished the season for the Biscuits and played in 28 games for them, batting .213 with three home runs and 8 RBI. On December 8, , the

selected Pridie in the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Without enough roster room for Pridie, the Twins sent him back to the Rays on March 29, . In the season, Pridie played in 132 games and batted .230 with five home runs and 34 RBI with the Biscuits. He also began the season in Double-A, playing in 71 games and batted .290 with four home runs and 27 RBI. After

Dustan Mohr Dustan Kyle Mohr (born June 19, 1975) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for several teams between 2001 and 2007. Amateur career A native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Mohr attended Oak Grove High School and the U ...

's promotion to the Devil Rays on June 27, Pridie was sent to the Triple-A

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

to take his roster spot. He finished the season with the Bulls, posting a .318 batting average with 10 home runs and 39 RBI in 63 games. While in Durham, Pridie was the focal point of an unofficial Bulls fanclub named "Pridie's Pack." JasonPridie

Minnesota Twins

On November 20, 2007, the Rays purchased Pridie's contract, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft. Eight days later, the Rays traded Pridie along with

Delmon Young Delmon Damarcus Young (born September 14, 1985) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Philade ...

and

Brendan Harris Brendan Michael Harris (born August 26, 1980) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Minnesota T ...

to the Minnesota Twins for

Matt Garza Matthew Scott Garza (born November 26, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2006 with the Minnesota Twins, and also played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Texas ...

, Jason Bartlett, and Eduardo Morlan. Pridie began the season with the Twins' Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

. On July 12, he hit a go-ahead

grand slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

in the top of the ninth, and another go-ahead solo home run in the top of the 13th inning to give the Red Wings a 9–8 win at Durham. On September 2, 2008, Pridie was promoted to the Twins as part of the team's September call-ups. He made his major league debut on September 3 against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

as a

pinch runner In baseball or softball, a pinch runner is a player substituted into a game for the purpose of base running. Description A pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been s ...

for Delmon Young, and later scored on a

Joe Mauer Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and first baseman who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Minnesota Twins. Regarded as one of the greatest contact h ...

double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...

. He remained in the game in

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In t ...

, and committed a game-tying

error An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

with two outs in the ninth

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

, allowing the game (eventually won by the Jays) to go into extra innings. He remained with the club for the rest of the season, but did not have a hit in six plate appearances. Pridie batted .265 with nine home runs and 53 RBI in 121 games for the Red Wings in . His only major league appearance in 2009 was as a pinch runner against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

on June 20.

New York Mets

On February 9, , Pridie was claimed off waivers by the

. The Mets purchased his contract on April 22, , when starting center fielder

Angel Pagan An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in various ...

was placed on the 15-day disabled list. On April 23, Pridie collected his first major league hit off

Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established o ...

pitcher

Barry Enright Barry Ryan Enright (born March 30, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angel ...

. The very next day, he hit a three-run home run, the first of his career, off

Armando Galarraga Armando Antonio Galarraga Barreto (born January 15, 1982) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. Galarraga made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers on September 15, 2007. He was ...

. For the season, Pridie hit .231 with four home runs and 20 RBI in 101 games. After the season, he was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo, but elected free agency.

Oakland Athletics

The

signed Pridie to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training on November 15, 2011. On March 9, , Pridie was suspended for 50 games for violating the minor league drug-testing policy. He was granted free agency on June 4.

Philadelphia Phillies

On June 15, the

signed Pridie to a minor league contract, and assigned him to the Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

. After batting .370 in 13 games with Lehigh Valley, Pridie was called up to Philadelphia to fill the roster spot vacated by

Jim Thome James Howard Thome (; ; born August 27, 1970) is an American former professional baseball first baseman, third baseman and designated hitter, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 22 seasons (1991–2012). A prolific power hitter, Thome ...

on June 30. He hit his first home run with the Phillies on July 8 against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. Pridie was designated for assignment by the Phillies on July 22. On October 6, he elected free agency.

Baltimore Orioles

In October 2012, Pridie signed a minor league deal with the

for the 2013 season. The Orioles purchased Pridie's contract from the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

on September 25 when

Manny Machado Manuel Arturo Machado (; born July 6, 1992) is an American professional baseball third baseman and shortstop for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Highly recruited from an early age, he was raised in Miami, where he attende ...

was placed on the 60-day disabled list. After the season, Pridie was non-tendered by Baltimore, becoming a free agent.

Colorado Rockies

Pridie signed a minor league deal with the

on December 5, 2013. He was designated for assignment on August 6, 2014. Pridie elected free agency on October 12, 2014.

Oakland Athletics

Pridie signed a minor league deal with the

on January 10, 2015. He played the majority of the 2015 season with the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

, but played six games for Oakland (0-for-9, one BB) after being called up to the major league club on September 1. He was released after the season to pursue an opportunity to play in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

Prior to the 2016 season, Pridie signed with the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

. He played in 89 games with the Carp, batting .230 with nine home runs and 40 RBI.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Pridie signed a minor league deal with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

on December 9, 2016. He was released on March 29, 2017.

Pericos de Puebla

On May 7, 2017, Pridie signed with the

Pericos de Puebla The Pericos de Puebla (English: Puebla Parrots) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Hermanos Serdán. Established in 1938, the Pericos have won five Mexican League ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He was released on May 15.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pridie, Jason 1983 births Living people People from Prescott, Arizona Baseball players from Phoenix, Arizona Major League Baseball outfielders Minnesota Twins players New York Mets players Philadelphia Phillies players Baltimore Orioles players Colorado Rockies players Oakland Athletics players Princeton Devil Rays players Hudson Valley Renegades players Charleston RiverDogs players Visalia Oaks players Montgomery Biscuits players Durham Bulls players Rochester Red Wings players Gulf Coast Mets players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players 21st-century American sportsmen Norfolk Tides players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Nashville Sounds players Hiroshima Toyo Carp players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Pericos de Puebla players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico