Adam Lind
Encyclopedia
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
with the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He was drafted in the third round (83rd overall) of the Major League Baseball amateur draft and was signed on June 30, 2004. He was first drafted by the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
in the eighth round (242nd overall) of the amateur draft. Lind attended Highland High School
Highland High School (Anderson, Indiana)
Highland High school will become Highland Junior High school after the year of 09-10. Grades 7-9 will attend. Registration starts August 16, and classes start August 23....
in Anderson, Indiana
Anderson, Indiana
Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison county. Anderson is the headquarters of the Church of God and home of Anderson University, which is...
. Lind was named Eastern League MVP, playing for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a minor league baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major-league club....
.
Lind attended the University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
in 2003 and 2004 before being drafted by the Jays in 2004 as a draft-eligible sophomore. In 2003, he was named as a Freshman 2nd team All-American first baseman. In 2004, he was named a Sun Belt Conference All-Star outfielder.
Minor leagues
In his first professional season for the Single-A short-season Auburn DoubledaysAuburn Doubledays
The Auburn Doubledays are a minor league baseball team in Auburn, New York, USA, that is owned and operated by Auburn Community Baseball. They are a member of the Short-Season Class A New York-Penn League and have been a farm team of the Houston Astros , the Toronto Blue Jays , and Washington...
, Lind hit .312 with 7 home runs and 50 runs batted in.
2007–2008
Lind would be a September call-up for the Blue Jays, and would contribute quickly. His first major league hit came on September 2, 2006 against Lenny DiNardoLenny DiNardo
Leonard Edward DiNardo is a professional baseball pitcher in the Oakland Athletics organization. He graduated from Santa Fe High School in Alachua, Florida in 1998, and went on to attend Stetson University...
of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. He hit his first major league career home run on September 10, 2006 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
off of fellow rookie Jered Weaver
Jered Weaver
Jered David Weaver , is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
. In his first five games at the major league level, he had a batting average of .417 with seven hits, one home run, and three runs batted in. After the 2006 season he finished hitting .367, with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs.
Lind was called up on April 13, 2007, from Syracuse to replace Reed Johnson
Reed Johnson
Reed Cameron Johnson is an American professional baseball outfielder. He was born in Riverside, California-College career:...
, who was placed on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
with a herniated disc in his back. Lind was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on July 7, 2007, when Johnson was activated from the disabled list. After the conclusion of the 2007 season he hit 11 homers and 48 RBIs while hitting at a poor .238 batting average.
After a poor start to the 2008 season, Lind was demoted to AAA. He subsequently hit .300 and earned a call-up again on June 21, 2008 by new manager Cito Gaston. After being called up Lind finished the 08 season hitting .282 with 9 homers and 40 RBIs.
2009–2010
In 2009, Lind was the Opening Day starter at designated hitterDesignated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
for the Blue Jays, and drove in six runs against the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, a Blue Jay Opening Day record, propelling the Jays to a 12 - 5 victory. He went on to tie the Blue Jays record of 11 RBI in 5 games to start the season, set by Carlos Delgado
Carlos Delgado
Carlos Juan Delgado Hernández is a retired Puerto Rican professional baseball player. With 473 home runs and 1,512 RBI, he holds the all-time home run and RBI records among Puerto Rican players....
in 2001. Lind ended April with 4 homers, 20 RBIs and a .315 batting average in 23 games. In a game against the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
on August 31, Lind hit a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
, the first of his career, and had a career single-game high eight RBI. He became the second Blue Jay of the '09 season (after Lyle Overbay
Lyle Overbay
Lyle Stefan Overbay is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent.-Amateur career:...
) to win AL Player of the Week for the week ending September 6, sharing the award with Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria
Evan Longoria
Evan Michael Longoria is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Formerly, Longoria was a star infielder for the Long Beach State University baseball team, the Cape Cod League MVP, and the Big West Co-Player of the Year.He made his major league debut for the Rays in , and...
. On September 14, Lind drove in three runs to reach 100 RBIs on the season, becoming the first Blue Jays player to do so since Troy Glaus
Troy Glaus
Troy Edward Glaus is a Major League Baseball first baseman and third baseman who is currently a free agent. Previously, Glaus played with the Anaheim Angels , Arizona Diamondbacks , Toronto Blue Jays , St. Louis Cardinals , and the Atlanta Braves . Glaus lettered in baseball while attending UCLA...
and Vernon Wells did so in 2006. The next day Lind hit his 30th home run of the season, joining teammate Aaron Hill with thirty or more home runs. On September 29, 2009, Lind hit three home runs in a game against the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. He finished the 2009 season with 35 HR, 114 RBI, a batting average of .305, 46 doubles, and 179 hits.
Lind won the Edgar Martinez Award
Edgar Martinez Award
The Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, commonly referred to as the Edgar Martínez Award and originally known as the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, has been presented annually to the most outstanding designated hitter in the American League in Major League Baseball since 1973...
as the most Outstanding DH for the 2009 season on December 15, 2009. He became the third Jay to win the award behind Dave Winfield
Dave Winfield
David Mark Winfield is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor of the San Diego Padres and an analyst for the ESPN program Baseball Tonight...
and Paul Molitor
Paul Molitor
Paul Leo Molitor , nicknamed "Molly" and "The Ignitor", is an American former Major League Baseball designated hitter and infielder. During his 21-year baseball career, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers , Toronto Blue Jays , and Minnesota Twins...
.
On April 3, 2010, Lind signed a contract extension with the Blue Jays. He will earn $400,000 in the 2010 season
2010 Toronto Blue Jays season
The 2010 Toronto Blue Jays season was the 34th season of Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays franchise, and the team's 21st full season of play at the Rogers Centre. The 2010 season was the first under general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who replaced J. P...
, with a $600,000 signing bonus
Signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive to the employee, e.g., if the annual salary is lower than he or she desires...
, and $5 million per season for each of the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons. The Blue Jays also have the right to exercise yearly club options
Option (finance)
In finance, an option is a derivative financial instrument that specifies a contract between two parties for a future transaction on an asset at a reference price. The buyer of the option gains the right, but not the obligation, to engage in that transaction, while the seller incurs the...
of $7 million for 2014 (or buy out the contract for $2 million), $7.5 million for 2015 (or $1.5 million buyout), and $8 million for 2016 (or $500,000 buyout).
2011 - present
On opening day of the 2011 season, Lind hit his first home run of the season back-to-back with Jose BautistaJosé Bautista
José Antonio Bautista is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. Though now primarily a right fielder, having been a utility player in the past, he has major league experience at six different positions...
.
On May 18, Lind was placed on the 15-day DL for "lower back stiffness", retroactive to May 8. On June 4, Lind made a return to the lineup against the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. He finished 0-3 with one walk.
On August 13, Lind hit his 100th career home run (and his second grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
of the season) off of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
starter Jered Weaver
Jered Weaver
Jered David Weaver , is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
.