Quintin Lonell Berry (born November 21, 1984) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

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 cat ...

. He played in

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) for the

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 ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles 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 American League's eight charter ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

, and

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 ...

Early career

Berry played prep baseball at Morse High School in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, where he also played football and basketball. He was a classmate and teammate of future Major League outfielder Adam Jones, and the two remain good friends. Berry played one season of baseball at Grossmont Junior College before moving on to

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

(SDSU). Berry's head coach at SDSU was former major leaguer and

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member

Tony Gwynn Anthony Keith Gwynn Sr. (May 9, 1960 – June 16, 2014), nicknamed "Mr. Padre", was an American professional baseball right fielder, who played 20 seasons (1982–2001) in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. The left-handed hit ...

. He was named to the All-

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations ...

first team in 2005 and the second team in 2006.

Career

Philadelphia Phillies

Berry was originally drafted by 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 (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

in the 25th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school, but did not sign. He was drafted three years later in the fifth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft by the

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

, with whom he signed within 48 hours. Berry played in the Phillies minor league system for seasons before being

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on July 12, 2010.

San Diego Padres

He was claimed on waivers by the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

two days later and spent the remainder of the 2010 season playing for the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded ...

New York Mets

On December 10, 2010, Berry was claimed by the

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 ...

from the Padres in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. The Mets released Berry 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 ...

in 2011.

Cincinnati Reds

On April 21, 2011 Berry signed a minor league contract with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. He spent a majority of the season playing for the

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and play their home games at Five County Stadium. ...

in the Double-A Southern League. He made his Triple-A debut that same year, appearing in four games with the

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the winged mammal and basebal ...

Detroit Tigers

On November 9, 2011 Berry signed a minor league contract with the

. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

following spring training in 2012. 20120713-0017j Quintin Berry

Berry's contract was purchased by the Tigers on May 23, 2012, and he was added to the 25-man roster. He made his debut the same day, replacing an injured Austin Jackson in centerfield and batting leadoff. His first MLB hit came in the form of a rare bunt

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

. Berry became the first

player since 1918 to hit safely in his first six games as a Tiger. On June 17, 2012, Berry became just the third Tigers rookie to have five hits in a game since 1999. Seven days later, on June 24, 2012, he hit his first big-league home run in a 3–2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Berry was added to the Tigers postseason roster following the conclusion of the 2012 regular season. Berry was named the 2012 Detroit Tigers Rookie of the Year by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association. He led the major leagues in stolen base percentage with a 100% success rate (21 for 21 in the regular season and two for two in the playoffs), and he also finished 10th in the

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 ...

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

s, with six. The 21 stolen bases set an American League record for most stolen bases in a season without a single caught stealing, surpassing the previous record of 20 set by

Paul Molitor Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, 1956), nicknamed "Molly" and "the Ignitor", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and former manager of the Minnesota Twins, who is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. During his 21-year baseball car ...

in 1994. Berry participated in the

2012 World Series The 2012 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 season. The 108th edition of the World Series, the series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and ...

, which pitted the Tigers against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

. He played in all four games and was hitless in eight at-bats, drawing a single

base on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Sec ...

as the Giants swept the Tigers. Before the 2013 season, Berry entered

in competition for a spot on the Tigers 25-man roster. On March 27, he was optioned to the

, the Tigers Triple-A minor league affiliate. Berry hit .323 (10-for-31) with seven RBIs, three walks and six strikeouts in

Grapefruit League 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 establi ...

play, but had also missed some time due to

patellar tendinitis Patellar tendinitis, also known as jumper's knee, is an overuse injury of the tendon that straightens the knee. Symptoms include pain in the front of the knee. Typically the pain and tenderness is at the lower part of the kneecap, though the upp ...

. Berry began the 2013 season playing for the Toledo Mud Hens. However, Berry was designated for assignment when Detroit traded for Francisco Martínez to make room for Martínez on the 40 man roster. Berry was designated for assignment on June 2, 2013.

Kansas City Royals

On June 4, the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

claimed Berry off waivers and assigned him to their Triple-A minor league affiliate the

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, and play their home games at W ...

Boston Red Sox

On August 27, 2013, Berry was traded to the

for

Clayton Mortensen Clayton Grant Mortensen (born April 10, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. He played in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, and Boston Red Sox. Amateu ...

. He appeared in only 13 regular season games for the Red Sox, but hit .625 with a home run, 4 runs batted in and 3 stolen bases, earning him a postseason roster spot for his base-stealing abilities. Berry did not have a plate appearance in the 2013 postseason, but made three pinch-running appearances and went 3 for 3 in stolen base attempts, earning his first career World Series ring when the Red Sox defeated the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

for the title. The Red Sox released Berry on December 23, 2013.

Baltimore Orioles

Berry signed a minor league deal with the

on January 3, 2014. On June 12, 2014, while playing for the

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

, he was ejected by an umpire after hitting a single. Berry proceeded to run the bases, slide into home, and then yell profanities at the umpires. The video of this bizarre incident was played on several sports television shows, including

Keith Olbermann Keith Theodore Olbermann (; born January 27, 1959) is an American sports and political commentator and writer. Olbermann spent the first 20 years of his career in sports journalism. He was a sports correspondent for CNN and for local TV and ...

's.

Second Stint With Red Sox

On January 18, 2015, Berry once again signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox. He opted out of his contract and was released by the Red Sox on August 21, 2015.

Chicago Cubs

Berry signed a minor league deal with the

on August 25, 2015.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Berry signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 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 ...

on December 2, 2015. He was released on August 23, 2016.

Toronto Blue Jays

Berry signed a minor league contract with 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) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

on September 1, 2016, and was assigned to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen F ...

. Berry was released by the Bisons on September 7.

Minnesota Twins

On February 11, 2017, Berry signed a minor league contract 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) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. He was released on May 9, 2017.

Long Island Ducks

On July 2, 2017, Berry signed with the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor-league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "part ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

Milwaukee Brewers

On August 17, 2017, Berry signed a minor league deal with the

. His contract was selected by the Brewers on September 5. He was outrighted to AAA and elected free agency on November 2, 2017. He re-signed with the Brewers on another minor league deal in February 2018. He spent the majority of the season with the Triple-A

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockies ...

, posting a .214 average over 42 games played, before he was released on August 23, 2018.

New York Yankees

Berry signed a minor league deal with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

on August 27, 2018 and was assigned to the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

Coaching career

Berry announced his retirement on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

on November 9, 2018 and took a coaching job with the

on the same day. On November 4, 2020, it was announced that Berry would be the first base coach for the Brewers in 2021.

References

External links

San Diego State Aztecs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Quentin 1984 births Living people Baseball players from San Diego Major League Baseball outfielders Detroit Tigers players Boston Red Sox players Baltimore Orioles players Chicago Cubs players Milwaukee Brewers players San Diego State Aztecs baseball players Toledo Mud Hens players Louisville Bats players Grossmont Griffins baseball players Batavia Muckdogs players Lakewood BlueClaws players Clearwater Threshers players Mesa Solar Sox players Reading Phillies players Criollos de Caguas players San Antonio Missions players Carolina Mudcats players Omaha Storm Chasers players Pawtucket Red Sox players Norfolk Tides players Iowa Cubs players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Rochester Red Wings players Long Island Ducks players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente outfielders