Jacinto Damion Easley (born November 11, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player who is currently an assistant hitting coach for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB). While primarily a second baseman throughout his career, he made appearances at every position except

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

and

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...

. He played in MLB for the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ...

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

, and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

Early life

Easley was born November 11, 1969 in New York City. His father was half- Puerto Rican, half- Jamaican; his mother was

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a pers ...

with

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

ancestry. At age five, his family moved from

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 73,893, making it th ...

. At age 11, his parents divorced and he moved with his father to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He attended Lakewood High School in

Lakewood, California Lakewood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 80,048 at the 2010 census. It is bordered by Long Beach on the west and south, Bellflower on the north, Cerritos on the northeast, Cypress on the east, ...

, where he was a member of the CIF champions in 1987. He attended

Long Beach City College Long Beach City College (LBCC) is a public community college in Long Beach, California. It was established in 1927 and is divided into two campuses, the Liberal Arts Campus in Lakewood Village and the Pacific Coast Campus in central Long Beach ...

before being drafted by the

in the 30th round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Baseball career

Easley has played for the

, and the

. On September 6, 1995, Easley was the final out of the 5th inning, making Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2,131st consecutive game official. Easley served as a

utility infielder In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various s ...

with the Angels, making appearances at third base, shortstop, and second base. He also developed a reputation as being oft-injured, with several trips to 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 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

. On July 31, 1996, Detroit Tigers general manager Randy Smith traded pitcher and former first round pick

Greg Gohr Gregory James Gohr (born October 29, 1967) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1993 to 1996 for the Detroit Tigers and California Angels. He was drafted in the first round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft ...

to the Angels for Easley. The trade was a disaster for the Angels, as Gohr pitched poorly the rest of the season and was out of the majors thereafter, while with the Tigers, Easley's career took off. In 1997 he became the fourth Tiger in history with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a single season while also leading the team with 37 doubles. At year's end Easley's yield was rewarded with a three-year, $8.7 million contract. By 1998, he was an

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

All-Star. That year, he batted .271 and set career-highs with 27

home run 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 i ...

s and 100 RBI. He also participated in the 1998 Home Run Derby, was named the May 24 AL Player of the Week, and won the

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters ...

for second baseman. Easley also played excellent defense in 1998, leading AL second baseman in

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, di ...

, range factor, assists, and

putouts In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or '' fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner wit ...

. He did not however win the

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in b ...

, with the award going to perennial winner

Roberto Alomar Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez (; ; born February 5, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball player for the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Arizon ...

. With a combination of power, speed, and defense, Easley was considered to be amongst the best second baseman in baseball. In 2001, Easley became the ninth Detroit Tiger to hit for the cycle. In 2001, Easley also had a five-hit game and an inside-the-park home run. On August 8, 2001, he tied a Tigers franchise record with 6 hits in a single game against the Texas Rangers. Easley finished the game 6 for 6, tying for the club record with

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the l ...

and Kid Nance. In 2000, Easley signed a $28.9-million, five-year contract extension with the Tigers, making him amongst the highest paid second baseman in baseball. During

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

before the 2003 season, new Tigers manager

Alan Trammell Alan Stuart Trammell ( ; born February 21, 1958) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, manager and coach and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a player. His entire 20-year playing career in Major League Baseball ...

named Ramon Santiago as the team's starting second baseman. Viewed as expendable by the Tigers, Easley became the most expensive player cut loose in baseball history when he was released with $14.3 million still owed on his contract. Shortly after his release from the Tigers, Easley signed as a bargain free agent with the

. On November 16, 2006, Easley signed with the Mets as a free agent. His first year was a success, serving as a valuable

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

and

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, America ...

. On August 2, 2007, Easley became the 24th player in Mets' history to hit an

inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of the field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-park home run", or "in-the-park homer". Discussion To score ...

(against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

), during a 12-4 victory. On August 18, 2007, Easley suffered a

high ankle sprain A high ankle sprain, also known as a syndesmotic ankle sprain (SAS), is a sprain of the syndesmotic ligaments that connect the tibia and fibula in the lower leg, thereby creating a mortise and tenon joint for the ankle. High ankle sprains are desc ...

while advancing to second base on a

wild pitch In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, or the batter (on an uncaught third str ...

. This injury ended his 2007 baseball season, but he resumed play with the Mets in 2008. At the time of his retirement following the 2008 season, Easley had played the most regular season games (1706) of any player during the divisional playoff era (1994–present) that had never played in the postseason.

Randy Winn Dwight Randolph Winn (born June 9, 1974) is an American former professional baseball player. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily as an outfielder. Winn was a switch hitter, and threw right-handed. He mad ...

broke this record in 2010;

Adam Dunn Adam Troy Dunn (born November 9, 1979), nicknamed "Big Donkey", is an American former professional baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Na ...

is the current record holder. (

Ernie Banks Ernest Banks (January 31, 1931 – January 23, 2015), nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine", was an American professional baseball player who starred in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between ...

, who played most of his career before the League Championship Series was introduced, holds the all-time record.)

Personal life

Easley is married with four children. His son Jayce was selected in the 5th Round of the 2018

Draft as Pick #149 by the Texas Rangers.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
o
SABR Biography Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Easley, Damion 1969 births Living people African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American League All-Stars American people of Cherokee descent American sportspeople of Jamaican descent Arizona Diamondbacks coaches Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from California Baseball players from New York (state) Bend Bucks players California Angels players Detroit Tigers players Edmonton Trappers players Florida Marlins players Long Beach City Vikings baseball players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball hitting coaches Major League Baseball second basemen Midland Angels players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela New York Mets players People from Lakewood, California Sportspeople from Mount Vernon, New York Sportspeople from New York City People from the Bronx Quad Cities Angels players San Diego Padres coaches Silver Slugger Award winners Sportspeople from the Bronx Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Toledo Mud Hens players Vancouver Canadians players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Early life

Baseball career

Personal life

See also

References

External links