Lyle Overbay, Retired


Date of Birth: 1/28/1977
Birthplace: Centralia, Washington
College: University of Nevada-Reno

Lyle Overbay returned to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2014 after eight years playing for five different teams. Overbay started his professional baseball career in 1999 when he was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played in the minor leagues for Arizona from 1999 through 2003, appearing in just 98 games with the Diamondbacks (2 games in 2001, 10 games in 2002, 86 games in 2003).

In December, 2003, Overbay was traded to the Brewers. He had a strong first year with Milwaukee, playing in 159 games with them in 2004. He batted .301 with 174 hits, a career high 53 doubles, 16 home runs, and 87 RBIs.

The Brewers traded Overbay to the Toronto Blue Jays in December, 2005. His best season in the major leagues was also his first year with Toronto. In 2006, he had career highs in hits with 181, home runs with 22, RBIs with 92, and batting average with .312. He also had 46 doubles that season.

After his strong 2006 season, the Blue Jays rewarded Overbay with a four-year, $24 million contract in January, 2007. The following season, he batted .270 with 147 hits, 32 doubles, and 15 home runs in 158 games. Overbay stayed with the Blue Jays through 2010.

In December, 2010, Overbay signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After less than a full season with the Pirates, they released him on August 5, 2011. Eight days later, Overbay returned to the Diamondbacks. In 2011, he played in 103 games with the Pirates and 18 games with the Diamondbacks. After the season ended, he signed a new one-year contract with Arizona in December, 2011.

After just 45 games in 2012, the Diamondbacks released Overbay. On August 20th, he signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. He played in just 20 games with the Braves in 2012.

Overbay's next contract was another minor league deal. In January, 2013, he signed with the Boston Red Sox but they released him at the end of March. He was then signed by the New York Yankees, who needed a first base replacement for the injured Mark Teixeira. Overbay did a good job with the Yankees, batting .240 with 107 hits, 24 doubles, 14 home runs, and 59 RBIs in 142 games. His fielding at first base was even better with 67 assists, 933 putouts, 93 double plays, just 4 errors, and a .996 fielding percentage.

With the healthy return of Mark Teixeira, the Yankees no longer needed Overbay. In January, 2014, he returned to the Brewers on a minor league contract. His 2014 Spring training games convinced the team to place him on their roster as the new first baseman. He finished the 2014 season with 60 hits, 14 doubles, and a .233 batting average in 121 games.

Overbay retired after the 2014 season.

Statistics for Overbay in 12 seasons in the major leagues (2003-2014) include:

  • 2 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 181 in 2006
  • 7 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 53 in 2004
  • 2 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 22 in 2006
  • 2 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .312 in 2006

Career batting statistics for Overbay through 2014 include:

  • 1,587 games played
  • 1,355 hits
  • 356 doubles
  • 151 home runs
  • 675 RBIs
  • 1,108 strikeouts to 638 walks
  • .266 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Overbay at first base through 2014 include:

  • 1,435 games played
  • 1,000 assists
  • 1,125 double plays
  • 11,755 putouts
  • 68 errors
  • .995 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Lyle Overbay
ESPN - Lyle Overbay