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Craig Gentry

Craig Gentry
Gentry with the Baltimore Orioles
Outfielder
Born: (1983-11-29) November 29, 1983 (age 40)
Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 6, 2009, for the Texas Rangers
Last MLB appearance
August 29, 2018, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Batting average.262
Home runs7
Runs batted in104
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

Craig Alan Gentry (born November 29, 1983) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles.

Baseball career

Texas Rangers

Gentry during his tenure with the Clinton LumberKings, Single-A affiliates of the Texas Rangers, in 2007

Gentry was a multi-sport athlete at Fort Smith Christian High School,[1] and then attended the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith during his freshman and sophomore years.[2] He then attended the University of Arkansas, where he played college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team. The Texas Rangers selected him in the 10th round (298th overall) of the 2006 MLB draft.[3]

The Rangers promoted Gentry to the majors on September 1, 2009,[4] but he did not see significant playing time. He began the 2010 season with the AAA Oklahoma City RedHawks, but was called up to the majors on April 27 due to Nelson Cruz being placed on the 15-day disabled list. 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.[5] He hit his first MLB triple on September 11 against the Oakland Athletics.[6] A few days later, on September 23, he hit his first Major League home run, an inside-the-park home run against the Seattle Mariners.[7] At the end of the season, he was named the Rangers' Rookie of the Year.[8]

In 2012, Gentry batted .304, a career high.[9] He also hit his first outside-the-park home run, a two-run homer to left in Toronto on April 30.[10] Gentry pitched the final inning of a 12–1 loss at the hands of the Oakland Athletics on June 4.[11] 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 of .373, all career highs.[12] He broke his left hand in June against the Oakland Athletics on a bunt attempt.[9] 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.[13] He also won the Rangers' Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award. In 102 games, he committed 2 errors, had 7 outfield assists, saved 12 runs and had the best UZR on the team.[14]

Oakland Athletics

On December 3, 2013, Gentry, along with pitcher Josh Lindblom, was traded to the Oakland Athletics for outfielder Michael Choice and infielder Chris Bostick.[15]

Gentry missed much of spring training in 2014, due to a lower back strain he suffered on the first day of workouts.[16][17] Gentry played most of the season with a sore knee.[18] 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.[19] On September 9, Gentry suffered a season-ending concussion after a collision at first base with Carlos Sanchez of the Chicago White Sox.[20] Due to his injuries, Gentry played in only 94 games, batting .254/.319/.289.[21] He still managed to finish the season with 20 stolen bases which made him Oakland's leader in that category.[22]

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 Los Angeles Angels on December 9, 2015.[23] He began the 2016 season as a platoon player in LF with Daniel Nava. 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.[24] 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.[25]

Baltimore Orioles

Gentry autographing a baseball for a young fan in 2018

Gentry signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles on February 18, 2017.[26] 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 of the Kansas City Royals.

Gentry signed another minor league contract with the Orioles on February 7, 2018.[27][28] His contract was purchased by the Orioles on March 29, 2018.[29] On the same day his contract was purchased, opening day occurred against the Minnesota Twins, where Gentry robbed Eddie Rosario of a home run in right field. The Orioles won 3-2.[30] 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.[31] He was released on March 26, 2019.

Colorado Rockies

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

Retirement

On May 2, 2019, Gentry announced his retirement from baseball.[32]

References

  1. ^ "Craig Gentry (2013) - Hall of Fame".
  2. ^ "UA Fort Smith Athletics". uafortsmithlions.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  3. ^ "Ticket Office Information". Arkansas Razorbacks. January 24, 2015. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  4. ^ T.R. Sullivan. "Gentry's callup not a hint about Byrd". mlb.com. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  5. ^ "Craig Gentry Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  6. ^ "A's eliminated from playoff race with loss". go.com. September 11, 2011. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  7. ^ "Craig Gentry's first homer one to remember". ESPN.com. 24 September 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  8. ^ "Minor league award winners announced". ESPN.com. 10 January 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Rangers place Gentry on DL, call up E. Beltre". Texas Rangers. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  10. ^ "Craig Gentry Career Home Runs - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  11. ^ "June 4, 2012 Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  12. ^ "Craig Gentry Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  13. ^ "Rangers Activate Matt West from 60-Day DL". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. 9 October 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  14. ^ "Rangers' Craig Gentry earns honors for defense". Texas Rangers. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  15. ^ "The Texas Rangers trade Craig Gentry, Josh Lindblom to A's for Chris Bostick, Michael Choice". Texas Rangers Blog. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  16. ^ "Gentry still out with lower back strain". Oakland Athletics. Retrieved November 20, 2015.[dead link]
  17. ^ "A's injury updates; the outlook for Sam Fuld, Michael Taylor". Oakland Athletics: The Drumbeat. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  18. ^ "A's notes: Vogt, Gentry contributing despite lingering injuries". CSN Bay Area. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  19. ^ "Craig Gentry breaks hand — A's call up Billy Burns". Oakland Athletics : The Drumbeat. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  20. ^ "Oakland Athletics' Craig Gentry sustains concussion during collision". ESPN. 10 September 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  21. ^ "Craig Gentry Stats, Fantasy & News". Oakland Athletics. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  22. ^ "Sortable Player Stats". Oakland Athletics. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  23. ^ "Angels sign outfielder Gentry to 1-year deal". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-12-15.
  24. ^ "Angels Make Handful of Roster Moves". May 2016.
  25. ^ "Craig Gentry Stats".
  26. ^ Encina, Eduardo A. "Orioles' signing of outfielder Craig Gentry more than just another depth piece". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  27. ^ "Orioles to Re-Sign Craig Gentry". 7 February 2018.
  28. ^ "Orioles sign outfielder Craig Gentry, two others to minor league deals".
  29. ^ "Orioles notes: Chris Davis at leadoff on Opening Day 'a new toy' in hopes of jump-starting slugger".
  30. ^ "Craig Gentry is just the latest OF to show off his incredible skill by robbing a home run at Camden Yards". MLB Cut 4. 29 March 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  31. ^ Eddy, Matt (February 18, 2019). "Minor League Transactions: Feb 2 - Feb 15". Baseball America. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  32. ^ Adams, Steve (May 2, 2019). "Craig Gentry Retires". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved May 2, 2019.

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