Craig Alan Gentry (born November 29, 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 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) for the Texas Rangers,

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 ...

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

and

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 ...

Baseball career

Texas Rangers

Gentry was a multi-sport athlete at Fort Smith Christian High School, and then attended the

University of Arkansas – Fort Smith A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

during his freshman and sophomore years. He then attended the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Arkansas Razorbacks baseball The University of Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and is coached by Dave Van Horn. The program started in 1897, and is in its 102nd seaso ...

team. The Texas Rangers selected him in the 10th round (298th overall) of the 2006 MLB draft. The Rangers promoted Gentry to the majors on September 1, 2009, but he did not see significant playing time. He began the 2010 season with the AAA

Oklahoma City RedHawks Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, but was called up to the majors on April 27 due to

Nelson Cruz Nelson Ramón Cruz Martínez (born July 1, 1980), nicknamed "Boomstick", is a Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Ranger ...

being placed on the 15-day

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 ...

. On May 15, he was optioned back to Oklahoma City. In 2011, Gentry batted .271 in 133 at-bats, with 18 steals in 18 attempts. He hit his first MLB triple on September 11 against the

. A few days later, on September 23, he hit his first Major League home run, an

inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a rare play in which a Batter (baseball), batter rounds all four bases for a home run without the baseball leaving the baseball field, field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-p ...

against the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. At the end of the season, he was named the Rangers' Rookie of the Year. In 2012, Gentry batted .304, a career high. He also hit his first outside-the-park home run, a two-run homer to left in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

on April 30. Gentry pitched the final inning of a 12–1 loss at the hands of the Oakland Athletics on June 4. He allowed two runs on three hits and a walk. In 2013, Gentry hit two home runs, stole 24 bases and had an

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...

of .373, all career highs. He broke his left hand in June against the Oakland Athletics on a

bunt Bunt may refer to: People * Darrell Bunt (1902–1977), Royal Navy chaplain * Dick Bunt (1929–2021), American basketball player * Raymond Bunt (born 1944), Pennsylvania politician * Bunt Stephens (John L. Stephens, 1889–1951), or Uncle Bunt ...

attempt. Gentry was named Rangers' player of the month in September after batting .354 with 10 stolen bases, 10 runs, 2 doubles, a triple and four RBI. He also won the Rangers'

Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...

. In 102 games, he committed 2 errors, had 7 outfield assists, saved 12 runs and had the best UZR on the team.

Oakland Athletics

On December 3, 2013, Gentry, along with pitcher

Josh Lindblom Joshua William Lindblom (born June 15, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, ...

, was traded to the Oakland Athletics for outfielder

Michael Choice Michael Blair Choice (born November 10, 1989) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Choice played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers, and in the KBO League for the Nexen Heroes. Choice p ...

and infielder

Chris Bostick Christopher Michael Bostick (born March 24, 1993) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins. Career Bostick grew up in Gates ...

. Gentry missed much of

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2014, due to a

lower back Lower may refer to: * ''Lower'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is sit ...

strain he suffered on the first day of workouts. Gentry played most of the season with a sore knee. On July 27, he suffered a broken right hand when hit by a pitch during a bunt attempt against the Texas Rangers. Although the injury occurred during the second inning, he played the entire game including four more plate appearances. On September 9, Gentry suffered a season-ending

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

after a collision at first base with Carlos Sanchez of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. Due to his injuries, Gentry played in only 94 games, batting .254/.319/.289. He still managed to finish the season with 20 stolen bases which made him Oakland's leader in that category. After hitting .120/.196/.200 with no home runs and 3 RBIs in 50 at bats over 26 games for the A's in 2015, Gentry was sent down to AAA. He remained in AAA for the rest of the season and was designated for assignment after the season.

Los Angeles Angels

Gentry signed a one-year deal with the

on December 9, 2015. He began the 2016 season as a platoon player in LF with

Daniel Nava Daniel James Nava (born February 22, 1983) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Philadelphia Phillies. ...

. His struggles from 2015 continued into the 2016 season as Gentry began the season 5-for-34 at the plate and on May 1, was placed on the disabled list. On July 30, Gentry was designated for assignment by the Angels and released on August 3, after declining an outright assignment. For the season, in 34 at bats he hit .147/.237/.176 with no home runs and 2 RBIs.

Baltimore Orioles

Gentry signed a minor league contract with the

on February 18, 2017. On April 16, Gentry hit his first home run with the Orioles, a two-run blast off Matt Dermody. Gentry hit a walk-off single on July 31 against

Joakim Soria Joakim Agustín Soria Ramos (born May 18, 1984) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Milwa ...

of 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) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. Gentry signed another minor league contract with the Orioles on February 7, 2018. His contract was purchased by the Orioles on March 29, 2018. On the same day his contract was purchased, opening day occurred against 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 ...

, where Gentry robbed Eddie Rosario of a home run in right field. The Orioles won 3-2. He was designated for assignment on August 31, 2018. He hit .269 with a home run and 12 stolen bases. He was released on September 5, 2018.

San Francisco Giants

On February 14, 2019, Gentry signed a minor league contract with the

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

. He was released on March 26, 2019.

Colorado Rockies

On April 9, 2019, Gentry signed a minor league deal with the

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 ...

Retirement

On May 2, 2019, Gentry announced his retirement from baseball.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gentry, Craig 1983 births Living people Baseball players from Arkansas Sportspeople from Fort Smith, Arkansas Major League Baseball center fielders Texas Rangers players Oakland Athletics players Los Angeles Angels players Baltimore Orioles players Arkansas–Fort Smith Lions baseball players Arkansas Razorbacks baseball players Spokane Indians players Arizona League Rangers players Bakersfield Blaze players West Oahu Canefires players Clinton LumberKings players Frisco RoughRiders players Oklahoma RedHawks players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Round Rock Express players Leones del Escogido players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Stockton Ports players Sacramento River Cats players Nashville Sounds players Inland Empire 66ers players Salt Lake Bees players Norfolk Tides players Frederick Keys players Bowie Baysox players Albuquerque Isotopes players 21st-century American sportsmen