Fred Lewis
Encyclopedia
Frederick Deshaun Lewis (born December 9, 1980 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
) is an American
professional baseball
outfielder
who is a free agent. He made his debut on September 1, , with the San Francisco Giants
. He is the cousin of former major league outfielder Matt Lawton
. Lewis also hit the 46th Splash Hit at AT&T Park
. He lived in Chatham, New Jersey
for a brief time before moving to Toronto.
in 1999, where he was a three sport star in basketball
, football
, and baseball
. He went on to attend Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
, where he played both football and baseball.
After graduating in 2001, he was drafted in the 20th round (585th overall) by the Montreal Expos
, but opted not to sign, instead attending Southern University
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
to play baseball. While attending Southern University, Lewis flipped a truck he was driving on a rainy night, and three of the occupants in the car were killed.
. While there, earned Northwest League
All-Star honors, leading the league with a .322 batting average
, while finishing 5th for both hits (77) and on-base percentage(.396). Lewis also was named co-Player of Month for July, along with Dan Ortmeier
and Greg Bruso.
Lewis spent all of 2003 with the Hagerstown Suns
, where he finished the season second in the Giants organization with 30 stolen bases. He also led the team with 61 runs scored, while ranking 3rd in games (114) and doubles(17). Lewis finished the season with a .250 batting average, but as a result of leading the team in walks with 68, wound up with a .361 on-base percentage.
Lewis starred on the Norwich Navigators in Norwich, Connecticut
, where it was customary for fans to shout his name while he was at bat, on deck, running in from the field or anywhere else in view. Lewis would choose the loudest fans to join him in Fred Lewis' Pancake Breakfasts.
against the Chicago Cubs
; he had a base hit in each of his first three at bats. Lewis finished the year 5-11 with 2 RBI.
Lewis made his first appearance on a major league 25-man roster on May 10, 2007
, and hit for the cycle
on May 13, Mother's Day, in only his 16th game in the majors at Colorado
. Lewis doubled leading off the game, then hit a three-run opposite-field home run in the fourth inning (both against Taylor Buchholz
), followed by an RBI triple in the fifth (against Tom Martin) and a single leading off the seventh inning (against Denny Bautista
). Lewis' cycle was the 22nd in Giants franchise history. Lewis is one of only a handful of major league baseball players to hit his first homer as part of a cycle.
On June 1, Lewis hit his first MLB grand slam
against the Philadelphia Phillies
. About a month later, on July 4, Lewis hit another grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds
, becoming the first player in San Francisco Giants history to hit two grand slams in his rookie season.
Lewis led the majors in steals of home in 2008 with 2, but was also caught twice while attempting to steal home.http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2008-baserunning-batting.shtml
On April 16, 2010, Lewis was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays
. Heading into the 2010 MLB All Star Game, Lewis has had a very successful stay with Toronto, batting 1st in the batting order on a regular basis with a .276 batting average. After the Blue Jays acquired Yunel Escobar from the Atlanta Braves and being inserted into the two-hole behind Lewis, Blue Jays broadcasters Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler said them being at the front of the batting order sparked a whole new dynamic to the Blue Jays lineup.
On December 3, 2010, the Blue Jays declined to tender a contract to Lewis prior to the non-tender deadline, thereby making him a free agent. On January 10, 2011, it was announced that he signed with the Cincinnati Reds to a 1-year $900,000 deal. He elected free agency on October 27.
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 44,779 at the 2000 census . It is the county seat of Forrest County...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
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...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
who is a free agent. He made his debut on September 1, , with the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. He is the cousin of former major league outfielder Matt Lawton
Matt Lawton
Matthew "Matt" Lawton, Jr. is a retired professional baseball whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, 1995, with the Minnesota Twins, who signed him four years prior...
. Lewis also hit the 46th Splash Hit at AT&T Park
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
. He lived in Chatham, New Jersey
Chatham, New Jersey
Chatham refers to two neighboring municipalities in Morris County, New Jersey – Chatham Borough and Chatham Township. The two are separate municipalities, the first a municipality that was settled in 1710 as a colonial English village in the Province of New Jersey...
for a brief time before moving to Toronto.
High school and college
Lewis graduated from Stone High School in Wiggins, MississippiWiggins, Mississippi
Wiggins is a city in Stone County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,849 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Stone County.-History:...
in 1999, where he was a three sport star in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, and baseball
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...
. He went on to attend Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College consists of four campuses and four centers: the main campus, located in Perkinston, Mississippi; the Jackson County Campus, in Gautier; the Jefferson Davis Campus, in Gulfport; the Community Campus, a non-traditional campus without walls; the George County...
, where he played both football and baseball.
After graduating in 2001, he was drafted in the 20th round (585th overall) by the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
, but opted not to sign, instead attending Southern University
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College is a historically black college located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Baton Rouge campus is located on Scott’s Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section...
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
to play baseball. While attending Southern University, Lewis flipped a truck he was driving on a rainy night, and three of the occupants in the car were killed.
Minor leagues
Lewis was drafted in the second round (66th overall), and was sent to the short season-A Salem-Keizer VolcanoesSalem-Keizer Volcanoes
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a minor league baseball team in Keizer, Oregon, United States. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League, and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants since the Volcanoes' inception in 1997...
. While there, earned Northwest League
Northwest League
The Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A-Short Season minor baseball league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...
All-Star honors, leading the league with a .322 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, while finishing 5th for both hits (77) and on-base percentage(.396). Lewis also was named co-Player of Month for July, along with Dan Ortmeier
Dan Ortmeier
Daniel David Ortmeier is a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman who is currently a Free Agent. He made his major league debut on September 5, , with the San Francisco Giants.-High school:...
and Greg Bruso.
Lewis spent all of 2003 with the Hagerstown Suns
Hagerstown Suns
The Hagerstown Suns are a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. They play in Municipal Stadium, which was opened in 1930 and seats 4,600 fans....
, where he finished the season second in the Giants organization with 30 stolen bases. He also led the team with 61 runs scored, while ranking 3rd in games (114) and doubles(17). Lewis finished the season with a .250 batting average, but as a result of leading the team in walks with 68, wound up with a .361 on-base percentage.
Lewis starred on the Norwich Navigators in Norwich, Connecticut
Norwich, Connecticut
Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing...
, where it was customary for fans to shout his name while he was at bat, on deck, running in from the field or anywhere else in view. Lewis would choose the loudest fans to join him in Fred Lewis' Pancake Breakfasts.
Major leagues
Lewis was a September call-up in 2006, making his debut on September 1 at Wrigley FieldWrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
against the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
; he had a base hit in each of his first three at bats. Lewis finished the year 5-11 with 2 RBI.
Lewis made his first appearance on a major league 25-man roster on May 10, 2007
2007 Major League Baseball season
The 2007 Major League Baseball season, began on April 1 with a rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played the first game of the season at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, which was won by the Mets, 6–1...
, and hit for the cycle
Hitting for the cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...
on May 13, Mother's Day, in only his 16th game in the majors at Colorado
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
. Lewis doubled leading off the game, then hit a three-run opposite-field home run in the fourth inning (both against Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Biography:...
), followed by an RBI triple in the fifth (against Tom Martin) and a single leading off the seventh inning (against Denny Bautista
Denny Bautista
Denny M. Bautista is Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization. He also played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Francisco Giants.-Florida...
). Lewis' cycle was the 22nd in Giants franchise history. Lewis is one of only a handful of major league baseball players to hit his first homer as part of a cycle.
On June 1, Lewis hit his first MLB 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...
against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. About a month later, on July 4, Lewis hit another grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, becoming the first player in San Francisco Giants history to hit two grand slams in his rookie season.
Lewis led the majors in steals of home in 2008 with 2, but was also caught twice while attempting to steal home.http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2008-baserunning-batting.shtml
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 ....
. Heading into the 2010 MLB All Star Game, Lewis has had a very successful stay with Toronto, batting 1st in the batting order on a regular basis with a .276 batting average. After the Blue Jays acquired Yunel Escobar from the Atlanta Braves and being inserted into the two-hole behind Lewis, Blue Jays broadcasters Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler said them being at the front of the batting order sparked a whole new dynamic to the Blue Jays lineup.
On December 3, 2010, the Blue Jays declined to tender a contract to Lewis prior to the non-tender deadline, thereby making him a free agent. On January 10, 2011, it was announced that he signed with the Cincinnati Reds to a 1-year $900,000 deal. He elected free agency on October 27.