Jon Jay, Center Field


Date of Birth: 3/15/1985
Birthplace: Miami, Florida
College: University of Miami
Nickname: The Federalist

Jon Jay, center fielder, was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals out of the University of Miami in 2006. He played in the Cardinals' minor league system from 2006 through 2009.

In 2010, Jay played in 105 games with the Cardinals, batting .300 with 86 hits and 19 doubles. The next year, he batted .297 in 159 games. In 2011, he played defensively at all three outfield positions. An excellent outfielder, Jay set a National League record for most errorless games (245 games) from August 24, 2011 until July 30, 2013.

Jay was on the DL for part of the 2012 season, playing in just 117 games with the Cardinals. In that time, he had career highs in stolen bases with 19 and in batting average with .305. He became the Cardinals center fielder in 2012. In 2013, he had one of his best seasons, batting .276 with career highs in hits (151), doubles (27), and RBIs (67).

Jay had another strong season in 2014, finishing with 125 hits, 16 doubles, 46 RBIs, and a .303 batting average in 140 games. His postseason was even better with 14 hits, 1 double, 2 RBIs, and a .483 batting average in 29 at-bats in 9 games.

Jay spent all of July and August, 2015, on the DL with wrist injuries. He finished the 2015 season with 44 hits and a .210 batting average in 79 games. Defensively, he played 17 games in left field, 54 games in center field, and 7 games in right field. He had one strikeout in one at-bat in the postseason.

Jay was traded to the San Diego Padres on December 8, 2015. He finished the 2016 season with 101 hits, 26 doubles, and a .291 batting average in 90 games. Defensively, as the Padres' center fielder in 72 galems, he made 155 putouts and 1 error.

Jay signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs on November 29, 2016. He had a good 2017 season, batting .296 with 112 hits, 18 doubles, 34 RBIs, and 80 strikeouts to 37 walks in 141 games. Defensively, he played 64 games in left field, 54 games in center field, and 19 games in right field. He pitched 1.0 innings in 1 game. In the postseason, he had 4 hits and 1 RBI in 23 at-bats in 9 games.

Jay elected free agency on November 2, 2017. He signed with the Kansas City Royals on March 6, 2018. He was traded to the Diamondbacks on June 6th. He finished the 2018 season with 141 hits, 19 doubles, 40 RBIs, 95 strikeouts to 33 walks, and a .268 batting average in 59 games with the Royals and 84 games with the Diamondbacks.

Jay became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed with the Chicago White Sox on January 10, 2019. He spent most of the 2019 season on the DL with a hip injury. He played in 47 games and he had 44 hits and a .267 batting average.

Jay became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks on February 3, 2020. He played in just 18 games in the shortened 2020 season.

Jay became a free agent again on October 28, 2020. He signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels on February 11, 2021. After just five games with the Angels in 2021, he was released on July 13th.

Career batting statistics for Jay through 2021 include:

  • 1,201 games played
  • 1,087 hits
  • 185 doubles
  • 341 RBIs
  • 716 strikeouts to 285 walks
  • .283 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Jay as a center fielder through 2021 include:

  • 678 games played
  • 1,471 putouts
  • 6 errors
  • .996 fielding percentage

Charitable Work

In 2011, Jay sponsored a celebrity bowling challenge that raised $25,000 to aid homeless centers in Miami, Florida. He sponsored another bowling event in 2014 to aid Great Circle, an organization that provides mental health services.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jon Jay
ESPN - Jon Jay