Jason Jerrod Bourgeois (; born January 4, 1982) 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 ...

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 c ...

. He played eight seasons 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 (AL) ...

(MLB), with two seasons each for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

and 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 ...

. Bourgeois would play all

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball a ...

positions and second base in MLB.

Amateur career

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Bourgeois was teammates with fellow MLB outfielders

Carl Crawford Carl Demonte Crawford (born August 5, 1981), nicknamed "The Perfect Storm", is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He ba ...

and

Michael Bourn Michael Ray Bourn (born December 27, 1982) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Baltimore Orioles ...

on a little league team that won the state championship. Bourgeois would later go on to attend

Forest Brook High School Forest Brook High School was a high school located at 7525 Tidwell Road in Houston, Texas, United States. Serving grades 9 through 12, Forest Brook was a part of the North Forest Independent School District. It is now the site of Forest Brook Midd ...

. During his senior year at Forest Brook, Bourgeois hit .553 with four home runs, 43 RBI, and 24 stolen bases.

Professional career

Texas Rangers

Bourgeois was drafted as a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

in the second round (56th overall) of the

2000 Major League Baseball draft First round selections Compensation picks Background The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...

by the Texas Rangers. He played in the Rangers minor league system until 2004, reaching as high as Double-A.

Atlanta Braves

On March 23, 2005, 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 B ...

claimed Bourgeois off waivers from the Rangers. He spent the entire season with the Triple-A

Richmond Braves The Richmond Braves were an American minor league baseball club based in Richmond, Virginia, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 2008. Owned by the parent Atlanta club and colloquially referred to as the ...

, batting .240 with two home runs and 16 RBI in 119 games.

Seattle Mariners

The

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

selected Bourgeois in the Rule 5 Draft on December 8, 2005. In 107 games with the Double-A San Antonio Missions, he batted .277 with four home runs and 38 RBI while stealing 23 bases in 30 attempts. He would become a minor league free agent after the season.

Chicago White Sox

On December 19, 2006, Bourgeois signed a contract with 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) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. He was recalled by the White Sox on September 6, , and made his major league debut on September 9 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) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

as a

pinch runner In baseball, a pinch runner is a player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing another player on base. The pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been subs ...

. Bourgeois is the last player to get his first major league hit at the original

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

Milwaukee Brewers

On November 24, 2008, 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) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

signed Bourgeois to a minor league deal with an invitation to

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 ...

. He was assigned to play for with the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry, ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

. He would hit .189/.250/.270 in 24 games for Milwaukee in 2009, but did hit his first big league home run off of the

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 (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

Zach Duke Zachary Thomas Duke (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, St. Lo ...

on August 28. On August 12, 2009, he was called to play for the Brewers to replace Bill Hall, who 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 play ...

. This would be the first of two times that Bourgeois would replace Bill Hall on a Major League roster. The second came on June 4, 2011, when the

released Hall after activating Bourgeois from the disabled list.

Houston Astros

Bourgeois was claimed off waivers by the

on October 26, 2009. On January 20, 2010, Bourgeois, who was

by the Astros, accepted his assignment to Triple A Round Rock after clearing waivers. On June 20, 2010, Bourgeois, Jason Castro and Chris Johnson were added to the major league roster and

Casey Daigle Sean Casey Daigle (born April 4, 1981) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Professional career Arizona Diamondbacks Daigle made his major league debut in 2004, giving up five home runs in less than three innings. , he is the only pitche ...

Cory Sullivan Cory Sullivan (born August 20, 1979) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, and Houston Astros between 2005 and 2010. Early life Sullivan was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and grad ...

and

Kevin Cash Kevin Forrest Cash (born December 6, 1977) is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, Cash played catcher in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, ...

were designated for assignment. Bourgeois played in 69 games for the Astros that year, batting .220 with 3 RBI. He also made twelve starts in September and October after starting center fielder

was injured. On April 30, 2011, Bourgeois earned his first career walk-off win with a single to left field in the bottom of the ninth inning scoring Bill Hall (who pinch ran for

Brett Wallace Brett Alexander Wallace (born August 26, 1986) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres. High school A 2005 graduate of Justin-Siena High School ...

after he reached base on a walk earlier that inning) from second base to lead the

Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

to a 2–1 victory over the

. Bourgeois had the other run in that game. Overall, it was a breakout game for Bourgeois, as he had a game-high three hits (two singles and a double). He also had two stolen bases (second and third consecutively) in the first inning, and would later come home and score a run that inning on a

Hunter Pence Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San Fra ...

RBI single. Later that year on July 31, he would hit his second major league home run off of

Chris Narveson Christopher Gregg Narveson (; born December 20, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Miami Marlins, and in Nippon Professional Base ...

and his former team, the Brewers.

Kansas City Royals

On March 20, 2012, Bourgeois was traded to 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 expa ...

along with Humberto Quintero for minor leaguer

Kevin Chapman Kevin Chapman (born July 29, 1962) is an American actor known for playing an assortment of characters ranging from the obnoxious brother Terrence Garrity in FX's '' Rescue Me'' to street enforcer Val Savage in Clint Eastwood's '' Mystic River'' ...

and a player to be named later. He appeared in 30 games for the Royals during the 2012 season, batting .258 with 5 RBI and five stolen bases. Most of his season was spent with the Triple A affiliate

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 Wer ...

, where he had a .243 batting average with three home runs, 8 RBI and seven stolen bases in 60 games. On November 2, 2012, the Royals designated Bourgeois for assignment. After clearing waivers, he elected to become a free agent on November 12.

Tampa Bay Rays

On December 5, 2012, the

Tampa Bay 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 v ...

signed Bourgeois to a minor league contract, with no guaranteed invite to Spring Training. Bourgeois played most of his season with 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 i ...

, batting .290 with two home runs and 61 RBI in 90 games. On August 14, playing only his sixth game for the Rays after being called up, Bourgeois hit a walk-off RBI single to help the Rays defeat the

. He was designated for assignment on August 23, 2013.

Cincinnati Reds

On November 5, 2013, Bourgeois signed with the

with an invite to Spring Training. On September 1, 2014, the Reds selected Bourgeois' contract from the Triple-A

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 baseball ...

, and he hit .242/.265/.303 in 18 games. Bourgeois would take on a larger role for Cincinnati during the 2015 season, hitting .240/.294/.332 with three home runs and 14 RBI in 68 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 23, 2015, Bourgeois signed a minor league deal with 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. ...

. He began the season with the Triple-A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009 ...

, batting .356 with 9 RBI in 33 games.

Chicago White Sox

Bourgeois was traded to the

for cash considerations on May 16, 2016. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

, where he hit .273 with three home runs and 38 RBI in 89 games to finish the season. On January 17, 2017, Bourgeois was re-signed by the White Sox to a minor league deal. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On December 4, 2017, Bourgeois signed with the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Quintana Roo Tigers (), formerly known as the Mexico (City) Tigers () are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve champion ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He was released on July 15, 2018.

Coaching career

On January 16, 2019, he was announced as an assistant coach for the

Great Lakes Loons The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007. His ...

in the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

farm system.

Personal life

Bourgeois is married to American singer and Sony ATV songwriter Coline Creuzot. The couple had their first child in 2015.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourgeois, Jason 1982 births Living people African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball players Águilas de Mexicali players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball coaches from Texas Baseball players from Houston Birmingham Barons players Cañeros de Los Mochis players Charlotte Rangers players Cincinnati Reds players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Corpus Christi Hooks players Durham Bulls players Frisco RoughRiders players Gulf Coast Astros players Gulf Coast Rangers players Houston Astros players Kansas City Royals players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball outfielders Mexican League baseball center fielders Mexican League baseball right fielders Milwaukee Brewers players Minor league baseball coaches Naranjeros de Hermosillo players Nashville Sounds players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Omaha Storm Chasers players Peoria Saguaros players Pulaski Rangers players Reno Aces players Richmond Braves players Round Rock Express players San Antonio Missions players Savannah Sand Gnats players Stockton Ports players Tampa Bay Rays players Tigres de Quintana Roo players Venados de Mazatlán players Forest Brook High School alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people