Wynton Allen Bernard (born September 24, 1990) is an American 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 ...

for the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team plays its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in 1957 ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He has previously 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

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 ...

Amateur career

Bernard attended

Rancho Bernardo High School Rancho Bernardo High School (RBHS) is a public high school in San Diego County, California. It is part of Poway Unified School District. The school was opened in 1991 as the district's third high school. Enrollment For the 2019-2020 school ...

Poway, California Poway () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city had a population of 48,841 as of the 2020 United States census. Poway is part of San Diego's East ...

. He received an athletic scholarship to attend

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in the census-designated place Niagara University, New York, in the town of Lewiston near Niagara Falls. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and ...

and 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, ...

for the

Niagara Purple Eagles The Niagara Purple Eagles are athletics teams that represent Niagara University in College athletics, college sports. Part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I, the Purple Eagles field 19 varsity leve ...

. As a freshman, Bernard had a .293

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

and led the team in

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 ...

s. He transferred to

Riverside Community College Riverside City College (RCC) is a public community college in Riverside, California. The college is part of the Riverside Community College District, as well as the larger California Community Colleges System. History RCC first opened in 1916 at ...

after the season because his father had a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

and he wanted to be closer to his family. Bernard's father died after his sophomore year, and he transferred back to Niagara for his junior year. For Niagara, Bernard compiled a .279 average and 72 stolen bases in 140 games from 2009 to 2012.

Professional career

San Diego Padres

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

selected Bernard in the 35th round, with the 1,065th overall selection, of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

. He made his professional debut with the rookie–level

Arizona League Padres The Arizona Complex League Padres or ACL Padres are a Minor League Baseball team based in Peoria, Arizona. The Padres compete in the Arizona Complex League as a rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Peor ...

, hitting .232 across 23 games. In 2013, Bernard split the season between the AZL Padres, Low–A

Eugene Emeralds The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays ...

, Single–A

Fort Wayne TinCaps The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Minor League Baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The TinCaps compete in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Parkview Field. The TinCaps won the ...

, and High–A

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team based in Lake Elsinore, California. The Storm compete in the California League as the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond, w ...

. In 51 total games, he accumulated a .251/.325/.331 batting line with 1 home run, 16 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. On January 23, 2014, Bernard was released by the Padres organization.

Detroit Tigers

On March 3, 2014, Bernard signed a minor league contract with 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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

organization. He played for the Low-A

West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpar ...

in 2014, and was named the

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

of 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 ...

after hitting .324 with 6 home runs, 47 RBI, and 45 stolen bases across 131 contests. He additionally broke the team's single season hit record with 164. On October 31, 2014, the Tigers added Bernard to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Bernard played for the Double-A

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...

in 2015. In 135 games, he batted .302/.352/.408 with 4 home runs, 36 RBI, and 43 stolen bases. Bernard was optioned 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 baseball team nicknamed the ...

to begin the season. On June 18, 2016, Bernard 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 Tigers following the promotion of

Casey McGehee Casey Michael McGehee (born October 12, 1982) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins, San Fran ...

. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Double–A on June 24. In 104 total games for Erie and Toledo, he batted .279/.345/.396 with a career–high 7 home runs, 33 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. He became a free agent after the season on November 7.

San Francisco Giants

On November 18, 2016, Bernard 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 ...

organization. In 82 games for the Triple–A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

, he hit .254/.303/.347 with 2 home runs, 14 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. Bernard elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.

Chicago Cubs

On January 29, 2018, Bernard signed a minor league contract with the

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 ...

organization. He split the season between the Double–A

Tennessee Smokies The Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based in Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, fr ...

and Triple–A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

, playing 98 total games and hitting .242/.293/.349 with 3 home runs, 22 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. Bernard elected free agency following the season on November 2. On November 22, 2018, Bernard re–signed with the Cubs on a minor league contract. In 52 games for split between Tennessee and Iowa in 2019, he hit .278/.359/.444 with 2 home runs, 15 RBI, and 8 stolen bases. Bernard was released by the Cubs organization on July 11, 2019.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On July 15, 2019, Bernard signed with the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the G ...

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 ...

. In 61 games, Bernard slashed .314/.353/.461 with 6 home runs, 36 RBI, and 32 stolen bases. On March 4, 2020, Bernard re–signed with the Skeeters for the 2020 season. After the 2020 Atlantic League season was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Bernard joined the Skeeters in the

Constellation Energy League The Constellation Energy League was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas during 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions limiting travel, and as a way to create opportunities for Minor League Baseball, minor league players. History ...

. In 23 games, he hit .270/.325/.378 with 2 home runs, 9 RBI, and 6 stolen bases.

Colorado Rockies

On January 19, 2021, Bernard signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He spent the season with the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

, playing in 100 games and batting .254/.319/.395 with 7 home runs, 30 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 7. On February 1, 2022, Bernard re–signed with the Rockies on a new minor league contract. In 108 games for Albuquerque, he hit .333/.387/.590 with career–highs in home runs (21) and RBI (92), as well as 30 stolen bases. On August 11, 2022, it was announced that Bernard would be promoted to the major leagues for the first time. The following day, his contract was officially selected to the active roster. He made his major-league debut against the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

that evening, recording a hit, stolen base, and run scored. After recording a base hit and a stolen base, he became the oldest player to do so in their major league debut since 1907. In 12 major league games for Colorado, Bernard hit .286/.286/.310 with no home runs, 3 RBI, and 3 stolen bases. On November 9, Bernard was removed from the

and sent outright to Triple–A. He elected free agency the following day.

Toronto Blue Jays

On January 24, 2023, Bernard 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

organization. Bernard played in 60 games for 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 Fiel ...

, hitting .271/.360/.393 with 3 home runs, 31 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. He was released by Toronto on June 28.

Colorado Rockies (second stint)

On June 29, 2023, Bernard signed a minor league contract with the

organization. In 66 games for the Triple–A

, he hit .329/.388/.484 with 8 home runs, 34 RBI, and 26 stolen bases. Bernard elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Chicago White Sox

On November 28, 2023, Bernard signed a minor league 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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. In 41 games for the Triple–A

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

, he batted .306/.328/.446 with three home runs, 14 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. Bernard was released by the White Sox organization on July 8, 2024.

Minnesota Twins

On July 10, 2024, Bernard 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) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

. In 32 games for the Triple–A

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They previ ...

, he slashed .248/.300/.357 with two home runs, 15 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. On August 24, Bernard was released by the Twins organization.

Leones de Yucatán

On March 16, 2025, Bernard signed with the

of the

International career

In addition to playing for various minor-league teams in the United States, Bernard has also played professionally in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Personal life

Bernard has two older brothers:

Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

played for the

New Mexico Lobos The New Mexico Lobos are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of New Mexico, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque. The university participates in the NCAA Division I in the Mountain West Conference (MW) since 1999 ...

in college and in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

, and Wayne played

professional basketball In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger a ...

in Europe. Bernard appeared on the TV game show ''

Family Feud ''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. Two families compete on each episode to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes. The show has had three separate runs, the ...

'' alongside his brother Walter in 2011.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard, Wynton 1990 births Living people African-American baseball players Águilas de Mexicali players Águilas del Zulia players Albuquerque Isotopes players 21st-century American sportsmen American expatriate baseball players in Australia American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Arizona League Padres players Baseball players from San Diego Brisbane Bandits players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Charlotte Knights players Colorado Rockies players Erie SeaWolves players Eugene Emeralds players Fort Wayne TinCaps players Iowa Cubs players Lake Elsinore Storm players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball outfielders Niagara Purple Eagles baseball players Rancho Bernardo High School alumni Sacramento River Cats players St. Paul Saints players Sugar Land Skeeters players Sultanes de Monterrey players Tennessee Smokies players Tigres del Licey players Toledo Mud Hens players West Michigan Whitecaps players