Juan Pierre, left fielder for the Miami Marlins, began his major league career in 2000 in a Colorado Rockies uniform. After playing with the Rockies for three years, Pierre was traded to the Florida Marlins in November, 2002. He then played for three years with the Marlins until they traded him in December, 2005 to the Chicago Cubs.
Nate McLouth, left fielder for the Baltimore Orioles, was first drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000 and he made his first major league appearance in June, 2005. McClouth played in 41 games that season, ending the year with a .257 batting average and 5 home runs. He struggled in 2006, batting only .233 with 7 home runs. The 2007 season was a better one for McLouth, with 13 home runs and a .258 batting average.
Jason Bay, right fielder for the Seattle Mariners, was initially with the New York Mets but they traded him almost immediately to the San Diego Padres in 2002. A year later, on May 23, 2003, Bay made his first major league appearance with the Padres. His first season with the Padres was cut short quickly after his debut when his wrist was broken by a pitch. At the end of August, 2003, the Padres traded Bay to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Alfonso Soriano, left fielder and DH for the New York Yankees, started playing professional baseball in Japan in 1996. Two years later, he was signed as a free agent by the Yankees. After just a short time in the minor leagues, the Yankees called him up in 1999 to play with the team. He played, however, in just nine games with the Yankees that year and only 22 games in 2000.
Justin Upton, left fielder for the Atlanta Braves, was drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2005 and he made his first appearance in a D-Backs uniform in August, 2007. In 140 at-bats that season, he batted only .221, with 2 home runs and 11 RBIs. Upton didn't show his potential until 2009, when he batted .300, with 158 hits, 30 doubles, 26 home runs, and 20 stolen bases.
Angel Pagan, center fielder for the San Francisco Giants, originally signed with the New York Mets. In 2006, the Chicago Cubs bought his contract from the Mets before he ever had the chance to play with New York. He played for two years with the Cubs, but only partial seasons due to injuries. In January, 2008, Pagan was traded back to the Mets. He played in only 31 games that year and finished the season with a .275 batting average.
Adam Jones, center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles, started his major league career as a shortstop with the Seattle Mariners in 2006. Later, he was moved to the outfield. Jones played two partial seasons with the Mariners before he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles prior to the 2008 season. In his first year with Baltimore, Jones played in 132 games and finished the season with a .270 batting average, with 9 home runs, 21 doubles and 7 triples. He also had 10 stolen bases.
Jacoby Ellsbury, center fielder for the Boston Red Sox, was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2005 and he made his first appearance with the Boston team in Spring training in 2007. He spent several months in the minor leagues before being called up by the Red Sox in June, 2007 to replace an injured Coco Crisp in center field. Ellsbury played in only 33 games with the Red Sox in the 2007 regular season but his numbers were impressive. He batted .353 with 3 home runs and 18 RBIs and an OBP of .394. His postseason numbers in the division championship and World Series were even better: .360 average with .429 OBP.
Mark Teixeira, power hitting first baseman for the New York Yankees, was already a top baseball player in high school and the Boston Red Sox wanted to sign him in 1998 when he was only 18. Teixeira preferred getting an education first at Georgia Tech, where he again shone as a baseball player. In 2001, with a batting average of .427, Teixeira received the Dick Howser Trophy as national college baseball player of the year. Later that year, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers.
Kevin Youkilis, relief third baseman for the New York Yankees, played for over eight years with the Boston Red Sox before being traded to the Chicago White Sox in June, 2012. Youkilis was first signed by the Boston Red Sox in 2001 after setting baseball records in college. He had the most home runs and walks of any University of Cincinnati baseball player and he batted .366 during his college years.