Marlon Byrd, Retired


Date of Birth: 8/30/1977
Birthplace: Boynton Beach, Florida
College: Georgia Institute of Technology

Marlon Byrd, retired outfielder, started his professional baseball career in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system in 1999. He made his first appearance with the Phillies in 2002, playing in 10 games with them that season.

In 2003, his first full season in the major leagues, Byrd batted .303 with 150 hits and 28 doubles in 135 games. The following season, he batted just .228 in 106 games. The Phillies traded him to the Washington Nationals after just five games in 2005. He then played in 74 games with the Nationals.

Byrd was designated for assignment by the Nationals in July, 2006, after playing in 78 games. He spent the rest of the season in the minor leagues. After the season ended, he became a free agent and he signed with the Texas Rangers in December, 2006. He spent part of the 2007 season again in the minors, playing in 109 games with the Rangers.

Byrd had a good 2009 season, batting .283 with 155 hits, a career high 43 doubles, 20 home runs, and a career high 89 RBIs in 146 games. He again became a free agent after the season ended and in December, 2009, he signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.

In 2010, his first season with the Cubs, Byrd batted .293 with a career high 170 hits and 39 doubles in 152 games. The next year, he suffered from an eye injury and he played in just 119 games.

The Cubs traded Byrd to the Boston Red Sox after just 13 games in 2012. He played in 34 games with the Red Sox before they released him in June, 2012. Byrd spent the rest of the 2012 season serving a 50 game suspension for the use of a banned substance.

In February, 2013, Byrd signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets. He made the roster in 2013 and played in 117 games with the Mets before they traded him in August to the Pirates. In 2013, in a total of 147 games, Byrd batted .291 with a career high 24 home runs.

Byrd agreed to return to the Phillies in November, 2013, when he signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the team. The contract includes a club option for 2016. He had a good 2014 season, finishing with 156 hits, 28 doubles, a career high 25 home runs, 85 RBIs, and a .264 batting average in 154 games.

Byrd was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in December, 2014. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants on August 20, 2015. Eight days later, he hit a grand slam. He finished the season with 125 hits, 25 doubles, 23 home runs, 73 RBIs, and a .247 batting average in 96 games with the Reds and 39 games with the Giants. Defensively, he played 88 games in left field, 4 games in center field, and 41 games in right field.

Byrd signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians on March 17, 2016.

Byrd received a 162 day suspension for the use of PEDs on June 1, 2016. It was his second suspension. He played in just 34 games with the Indians prior to his suspension.

Byrd, following his suspension, retired in 2016.

Statistics for Byrd in 14 seasons (2003-2016) in the major leagues include:

  • 5 seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 170 in 2010
  • 3 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 43 in 2009
  • 5 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 25 in 2014
  • 2 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .307 in 109 games in 2007

Career batting statistics for Byrd through 2016 include:

  • 1,573 games played
  • 1,534 hits
  • 311 doubles
  • 159 home runs
  • 710 RBIs
  • 1,234 strikeouts to 382 walks
  • .275 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Byrd as an outfielder through 2016 include:

  • 245 games played in left field, 849 games played in center field, 460 games played in right field
  • 3,224 putouts
  • 43 errors

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Marlon Byrd
ESPN - Marlon Byrd