Craig Keystone Monroe (nicknamed "C. Mo") (born February 27, 1977) is a former

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)

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 ...

and current sportscaster. He played for the Texas Rangers,

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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

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

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 ...

and

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

Professional career

Monroe was selected by the Texas Rangers in the eighth round (206th overall) of the

1995 Major League Baseball draft The 1995 Major League Baseball draft began June 1995 to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 1994 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who did not s ...

. He made his major league debut on July 28, 2001, against 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 ...

, going 0-for-3 as the Rangers lost 7–3. The next day, Monroe hit first major league home run off Devil Rays pitcher Joe Kennedy in a 2–0 victory for the Rangers. He appeared in 27 games for the Rangers in 2001, batting .212 with two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 5 RBI. On February 1, 2002, Monroe was claimed off waivers by the

organization. He played in his first full major league season in 2003, batting .240 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI in 128 games. On July 19, 2006, Monroe hit a grand slam home run off Javier Vázquez 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 ...

which was decisive in the Tigers 5–2 win. At the time, the teams were locked in a struggle for the

American League Central The American League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994 by moving three teams from the American League West and two teams from the American League East. Its teams are al ...

division lead. Monroe called it "by far the biggest one I've ever hit." Monroe finished the 2006 season batting .255 with a team-leading 28 home runs and 92 RBI in 147 games. His 92 RBI and 35 doubles also ranked second on team. The Tigers turned around more than a decade of losing with 95 wins, and made the postseason. He also hit five home runs in the 2006 postseason, which culminated in a World Series appearance. Monroe played in 99 games with the Tigers in 2007, batting .222 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI. On August 17, 2007, the Tigers designated Monroe for assignment. On August 23, he was traded to the

for a player to be named later. Monroe played with the Cubs for the remainder of the 2007 season. The Tigers received Clay Rapada to complete the trade on August 30. On November 13, Monroe was traded to the

for a player to be named later. On August 1, 2008, Monroe was

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 ...

by the Twins, and released on August 8. Monroe signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on January 13, 2009. Monroe was added to the Major League roster at the end of spring training. Monroe was designated for assignment on June 20 to make room on the roster for Steve Pearce. Monroe was released on July 1, after which he retired as an active player.

Retirement activities

Monroe became a studio analyst for the Detroit Tigers on Bally Sports Detroit in 2012 and started serving as an occasional

color analyst A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

on game broadcasts. In 2022, Monroe could be heard on the

Detroit Tigers Radio Network The Detroit Tigers Radio Network is an American radio network composed of 49 radio stations which carry English-language coverage of the Detroit Tigers, a professional baseball team in Major League Baseball (MLB). Detroit's WXYT-FM (97.1 ...

as a color commentator alongside play-by-play announcer Dan Dickerson on select road games. Monroe was promoted to the primary analyst for Tigers game broadcasts on Bally Sports Detroit in 2023.

Personal life

Monroe's mother's name is Marilyn Monroe, the same as that of the

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. She was on hand to watch her son hit a go-ahead home run against the

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

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

on August 30, 2006. After the game, he told the media, "Marilyn Monroe is here in New York, and I'm thrilled." Monroe and his wife, Kasey, have three children. On July 1, 2024, Bally Sports Detroit and Tigers radio indefinitely suspended Monroe after it was announced he is being investigated for sex crimes in

Charlotte County, Florida Charlotte County is a U.S. county located in southwestern Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,847. Its county seat is Punta Gorda. Charlotte County comprises the Punta Gorda, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is i ...

against a now 35-year-old woman starting when she was 12.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monroe, Craig 1977 births Living people African-American baseball players Baseball players from Dallas Charleston RiverDogs players Chicago Cubs players Detroit Tigers announcers Detroit Tigers players Hudson Valley Renegades players Major League Baseball broadcasters Major League Baseball left fielders Minnesota Twins players Oklahoma RedHawks players Baseball players from Texarkana, Texas Pittsburgh Pirates players Baseball players from Arlington, Texas Texas Rangers players Toledo Mud Hens players Tulsa Drillers players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen