Reid Michael Brignac (pronounced Brin-yack) (born January 16, 1986) is an American professional baseball manager and 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 ...
infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base.
Standard arrangement of positions
In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...
, who 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
Tampa Bay 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) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
,
Miami 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
, and
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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
. He is currently the manager of the minor league
Binghamton Rumble Ponies
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...
.
Amateur career
Brignac attended
St. Amant High School in Louisiana where he played
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 ...
and
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
and earned a 3.5
GPA
Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...
.
Brignac was recruited to play
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, ...
at
Southern Miss
The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...
and
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
before ultimately accepting a scholarship to play at
Louisiana State.
Professional career
Tampa Bay Rays
Brignac was drafted by Tampa Bay Rays in the second round (45th overall) of the
2004 Major League Baseball Draft out of
St. Amant High School as a
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...
. He made his professional debut on August 4 with Advanced Rookie
Princeton
Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...
, where in 25 games, he hit .361 with a home run and 25 RBI. He also had a 3-game stint with Single-A
Charleston, where he went 7-for-14 (.500). Brignac played all of 2005 with Single-A
Southwest Michigan
West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake M ...
, where in 127 games as the Devil Rays shortstop, he hit .264 with 15 home runs, 61 RBI, 77 runs and 39 doubles. He was also the Eastern Division's starting shortstop in the
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
All-Star Game. Brignac had a breakout year with High-A
Visalia, hitting .326 with 21 home runs, 83 RBI, 82 runs, 26 doubles and a league-leading .939
on-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are ...
(OPS) in 100 games as the Oaks shortstop. He earned a promotion to Double-A
Montgomery for the last month of the season, along with third baseman
Evan Longoria
Evan Michael Longoria (born October 7, 1985), nicknamed "Longo", is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants, and Arizona Diamondbac ...
, and in 28 games with the Biscuits, he hit .300 with three home runs, 16 RBI and 18 runs. He was a Mid and Post-Season All-Star in the
California League
The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...
, and he was named the League's MVP and Rookie of the Year. ''
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...
'' rated Brignac as the 17th best MLB prospect in 2007 and 39th best in 2008.
Brignac was Montgomery's shortstop for 2007, where in 133 games and a league-leading (with
Emilio Bonifacio Emilio may refer to:
* Emilio Navaira, a Mexican-American singer often called "Emilio"
* Emilio (given name)
* ''Emilio'' (film), a 2008 film by Kim Jorgensen
See also
* Emílio (disambiguation) Emílio is a variant of the given names Emil, Emi ...
) 596 plate appearances, he hit .260 with 17 home runs, 81 RBI. He also posted a league-leading 91 runs and 30 doubles. After the year, he played in the
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...
with
Scottsdale, where he hit .177 (20-113) with two home runs and 6 RBI in 26 games. Brignac began 2008 with Triple-A
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England
**County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States
Durham may also refer to:
Places
...
as their shortstop, where he was hitting .265 with seven home runs and 38 RBI through the first 3 months.
Brignac was called up from the minors on July 3, 2008, after
Jason Bartlett was 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 ...
. He made his major league debut on July 4, 2008. He was optioned back to
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England
**County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States
Durham may also refer to:
Places
...
on July 15, 2008, having gone
hitless in his first 10 major league
at-bats
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...
with 1
walk
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...
and 5
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...
s over 4 games. On August 6 in a game against Richmond, he was hit by a pitch on the wrist from
Jo-Jo Reyes
Joseph Albert Reyes (born November 20, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He also p ...
, and left the game after the third inning. He would miss the rest of the season, and a possible September call-up, because of the injury. In 97 games with Durham in 2008, he hit .250 with nine home runs, 43 RBI, 43 runs and 26 doubles.
Brignac began 2009 as Durham's shortstop, where he was hitting .291 in the first month and a half before he earned a promotion to Tampa Bay on May 22. He got his first career
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...
, a single, that day off
Renyel Pinto of Florida. He was optioned to Durham when Bartlett returned from the disabled list on June 15. In his 21-game stint, he hit .271 with 2 RBI. After a 4-day, 1-game stint back in Tampa in mid-August, he returned on September 3 after the rosters had expanded. On September 14, 2009, Brignac hit his first major league home run off of
David Hernandez of the
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 ...
. He finished the game 4-for-4 with three
RBIs
A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
, a
run
Run(s) or RUN may refer to:
Places
* Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia
* Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant
People
* Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...
, a
stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...
and a
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
* I ...
shy of
hitting for the cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hit (baseball), hits a single (baseball), single, a double (baseball), double, a triple (baseball), triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that ...
. In 31 games with the Rays in 2009, he hit .278 with a home run, 6 RBI and 10 runs.
Brignac made the Opening Day roster in 2010 with Tampa Bay as a second baseman and backup shortstop, and stayed there for the whole season. In 113 games in 2010, he hit .256 with eight home runs and 45 RBI. On September 13, Brignac hit a walk-off home run off
Sergio Mitre
Sergio Armando Mitre (born February 16, 1981) is a Mexican-American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Yankees. In 2022, he was se ...
of the Yankees, putting the Rays in first place in the division, half a game ahead of the Yankees. The Rays ultimately won the AL East that year, finishing one game ahead of New York.
Brignac was the Rays Opening Day shortstop in 2011, and he split time there with
Elliot Johnson. He hit 14-for-63 (.222) in April, 4-for-41 (.098) in May, 11-for-56 (.196) in June and 7-for-27 (.259) in July before being demoted to Durham on July 22, 2011 to make space for Rays prospect
Desmond Jennings
Desmond Delane Jennings (born October 30, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Early life
Jennings was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the second of three so ...
, and
Sean Rodriguez
Sean John Rodriguez (born April 26, 1985) is an American former professional baseball utility player who currently serves as a player development instructor for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the L ...
became the starting shortstop. Manager
Joe Maddon
Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager (baseball), manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB).
After playing ...
said:
There's no question Reid is a Major League caliber shortstop. And I don't like the idea of him not playing defense for us. But moving down the road we have to get better on the offensive side of the ball.
At the time of his demotion, Brignac was hitting .193 with a home run and 10 RBI in 68 games. After an 11-game stint in Durham, he was recalled on August 10 after outfielder
Justin Ruggiano was placed on the disabled list. Brignac finished the year with Tampa Bay. In 96 games with the Rays, he hit .193 with a home run and 15 RBI.
Brignac began 2012 splitting time with Rodriguez at shortstop, but after hitting .118 in 8 games with the Rays, he was optioned to Durham in favor of
Brandon Allen. Rodriguez was awarded the starting shortstop job, although he eventually relinquished to Johnson and subsequently
Ben Zobrist
Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (; born May 26, 1981) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chica ...
. Brignac spent the next 4 months at Durham, where in 99 games, he hit .231 with eight home runs and 46 RBI.
He was designated for assignment on February 5, 2013.
Colorado Rockies
Brignac was traded to 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 ...
in exchange for cash considerations on February 14, 2013. Brignac made the Opening Day roster as a backup infielder, and had a pinch-hit single in his Rockies debut. He hit 9-for-35 (.257) in April and was hitting 3-for-13 (.231) in May before he 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 ...
on May 16. In 29 games with Colorado, Brignac hit .250 with a home run and 6 RBI.
New York Yankees
Brignac was traded to 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 ...
for cash considerations on May 18, 2013. He split time with
Jayson Nix
Jayson Truitt Edward Nix (born August 26, 1982) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yank ...
at shortstop before he was designated for assignment on June 21, 2013. He was released a few days thereafter. In 17 games with New York, he hit .114 with 1 double.
Second stint with Rockies
Brignac signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies on June 26, 2013. He was assigned to Triple-A
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...
, where in 48 games all over the infield, he hit .230 with two home runs and 11 RBI. After the season, he became a minor league free agent.
Philadelphia Phillies
On November 19, 2013, Brignac signed a minor league deal with the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
that included an invitation to spring training. The Phillies selected his contract from the Triple-A
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...
on May 9, 2014.
On June 11, 2014, Brignac hit a walk-off home run off Padres reliever
Nick Vincent for his first home run as a Phillie.
Shortly after, Brignac was placed on the disabled list (on June 20) with a high ankle sprain. Before heading to the DL, Brignac hit .258/.329/.409 with five doubles, one triple, one home run, 10 RBI, seven walks, 24 strikeouts and one stolen base in 66 at-bats.
The Phillies designated Brignac for assignment on August 23, 2014. He elected free agency in October 2014.
Miami Marlins
Brignac signed a minor league contract with
Miami 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
for the 2015 season. After recording only one hit through 17 plate appearances, the Marlins designated him for assignment on May 8.
Atlanta Braves
Brignac signed a minor league contract with 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
on November 24, 2015. He was designated for assignment on May 27, 2016.
Houston Astros
On December 9, 2016, Brignac signed a minor league contract with the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
organization. During his tenure with the Astros, Brignac began experimenting as a
switch hitter
In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers, although there are some exceptions.
Characteristics
Right-han ...
in an effort to prolong his career in the majors.
He played in 110 games for the Triple–A
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...
, hitting .251/.326/.411 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI. Brignac elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.
Washington Nationals
On January 29, 2018, Brignac signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
. Brignac was released March 24, near the end of spring training.
New Britain Bees
On April 21, 2018, Brignac signed with the
New Britain Bees
The New Britain Bees are an American collegiate summer baseball team based in New Britain, Connecticut. They are a member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league with teams in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connectic ...
of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...
. He announced his retirement from professional baseball in July 2018. In his final game as a Bee, on July 6, 2018, Brignac went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and two RBIs. In total he played in 61 games hitting .296/.364/.382 with 1 home run, 23 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.
Post-playing career
On January 7, 2020, Brignac was named manager of the
Columbia Fireflies
The Columbia Fireflies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Columbia, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. Their home stadium is Segra Park. The team was previously known as the ...
, a Single-A
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
affiliate.
On March 8, 2021, Brignac was announced as the new manager for the
St. Lucie Mets
The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...
, the Low-A affiliate of the New York Mets.
On January 6, 2022, Brignac was named manager of the
Binghamton Rumble Ponies
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...
, a Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets.
Personal life
Since 2010, Brignac is married to
''Playboy'' Playmate Miss July 2002,
Lauren Anderson. They have two children together.
Brignac is
Cajun
The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast states.
Whi ...
.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brignac, Reid
1986 births
Living people
Atlanta Braves players
Baseball players from Louisiana
Cajun sportspeople
Charleston RiverDogs players
Colorado Rockies players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Durham Bulls players
Fresno Grizzlies players
Gwinnett Braves players
Lehigh Valley IronPigs players
21st-century American sportsmen
Major League Baseball shortstops
Miami Marlins players
Montgomery Biscuits players
New Britain Bees players
New Orleans Zephyrs players
New York Yankees players
People from Ascension Parish, Louisiana
Philadelphia Phillies players
Princeton Devil Rays players
Southwest Michigan Devil Rays players
Tampa Bay Rays players
Visalia Oaks players
St. Amant High School alumni