Manny Alexander
Encyclopedia
Manuel De Jesús Alexander (born March 20, 1971 in San Pedro de Macorís
, Dominican Republic
) is a professional baseball
infielder
who currently plays for the Philadelphia Phillies
Of Major League Baseball. He has played for the Baltimore Orioles
(-, -), New York Mets
, Chicago Cubs
(1997-), Boston Red Sox
, Texas Rangers
and San Diego Padres
(-). He bats and throws right-handed.
by the Baltimore Orioles
on February 4, 1988.
Alexander made his big league debut with the Orioles at the age of 21 on September 18, 1992, during a 12-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers
. Alexander appeared as a defensive replacement for Cal Ripken Jr. in the bottom of the seventh inning and struck out
in his only at-bat of the game.
He is the only active player who played with Cal Ripken Jr. on the Orioles when he broke Lou Gehrig's
record of 2,130 consecutive games on September 6, 1995.
to the New York Mets for Héctor Ramírez
on March 22, 1997. He appeared in many games that spring, hitting
.248 with two home run
s and 14 RBI
, stealing
11 bases in 11 attempts, in 54 games with the Mets before being named on August 14 as the player to be named later in an earlier trade. The Mets sent Alexander, Lance Johnson
, and Mark Clark to the Chicago Cubs for Brian McRae
, Mel Rojas
, and Turk Wendell
.
His relative success in the regular season did not translate to post-season glory as Alexander went 0-for-5 in two games during the 1998 National League Division Series
against the Atlanta Braves
.
The Cubs traded Alexander on December 12, 1999, to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder
Damon Buford
.
On June 30, 2000, during a traffic stop, police discovered a bottle of anabolic steroids and two hypodermic needles in a Mercedes-Benz
owned by Alexander that had been loaned to team bat boy Carlos Cowart, a high school student. Cowart was arrested for driving without a license and previous charges of driving without a license and failing to stop for police. Massachusetts State Police initially sought steroid possession charges against Alexander, but opted not to after the ballplayer's lawyers provided evidence that at least five people had access to the vehicle. Alexander's named appeared in the Mitchell Report
, released on December 13, 2007, as a result of the incident.
, New York Yankees
, and Milwaukee Brewers
- as well as a brief stint playing in Mexico - before being purchased by the Texas Rangers on March 24, 2003. He spent the 2003 season in the Rangers' minor league system before returning to the big leagues after a three-season absence in 2004. His return was brief, however, as Alexander appeared in 21 games with Texas, hitting .238 (5-for-21) with three RBI and a pair of doubles
.
.
Alexander appeared in 11 games with San Diego in 2005, hitting just .111 (2-for-18) with a double, playing each infield position at least once. He was released at the end of the season, but re-signed less than a month later.
In 2006, Alexander reported late to spring training
with the Padres due to visa problems in the Dominican Republic
. Upon joining the team, he was optioned to San Diego's Triple-A
affiliate, the Portland Beavers
. He split the 2006 season between Portland and San Diego, but was released by the Padres on October 12, 2006.
In 2007, Alexander attended spring training with the Padres, but did not make the major league club. Assigned to Triple-A Portland for the third straight season, he played just 7 games before being released.
playing for their Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. Alexander became a minor league free agent at the end of the season. In an eleven-season career, Alexander has posted a .231 batting average
with 15 home runs and 115 RBI in 594 games played
with six teams.
In , he signed to play with Caffè Danesi Nettuno
in the Italian Baseball League.
.
He is currently a free agent as he became free agent after 2009 season & is not listed on any of Philadelphia Phillis Minor league system or active roster as of 7/9/2011
San Pedro de Macorís
San Pedro de Macorís is a municipality and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís province in the Dominican Republic.-Demographics:...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
) is a 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...
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
who currently plays for 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...
Of Major League Baseball. He has played for 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...
(-, -), New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, 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...
(1997-), 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"...
, 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...
and San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
(-). He bats and throws right-handed.
Baltimore Orioles
Alexander was signed as a 16-year-old amateur free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
by 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...
on February 4, 1988.
Alexander made his big league debut with the Orioles at the age of 21 on September 18, 1992, during a 12-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Alexander appeared as a defensive replacement for Cal Ripken Jr. in the bottom of the seventh inning and struck out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
in his only at-bat of the game.
He is the only active player who played with Cal Ripken Jr. on the Orioles when he broke Lou Gehrig's
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...
record of 2,130 consecutive games on September 6, 1995.
New York Mets
Alexander was traded by the Orioles along with Scott McClainScott McClain
Scott Michael McClain is a former Major League Baseball third baseman who is a scout in Nippon Professional Baseball....
to the New York Mets for Héctor Ramírez
Héctor Ramírez (baseball)
Héctor Bienvenido Ramírez is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched parts of two seasons, and , for the Milwaukee Brewers.-Sources:...
on March 22, 1997. He appeared in many games that spring, hitting
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 :...
.248 with two home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 14 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, stealing
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
11 bases in 11 attempts, in 54 games with the Mets before being named on August 14 as the player to be named later in an earlier trade. The Mets sent Alexander, Lance Johnson
Lance Johnson
Kenneth Lance Johnson is a retired Major League Baseball player. At the age of 24, Johnson broke into the big leagues on July 10, 1987, with the St. Louis Cardinals after being drafted by them in the 6th round of the 1984 amateur draft. In 1987 Johnson, playing for the Louisville Redbirds, was...
, and Mark Clark to the Chicago Cubs for Brian McRae
Brian McRae
Brian Wesley McRae is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays from to . McRae is the son of former major league All-Star, Hal McRae, and was also managed by the elder McRae for four...
, Mel Rojas
Mel Rojas
Melquiades Rojas Medrano was a pitcher with a 10 year career from 1990 to 1999. He played for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League and the Detroit Tigers of the American League.His best season was in 1992, when he posted a 7-1 record in 68...
, and Turk Wendell
Turk Wendell
Steven John "Turk" Wendell is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher from to ....
.
Chicago Cubs
Alexander hit .293 with a homer and seven RBI in 33 games with the Cubs in his six weeks with the team in 1997. In , he hit .227 in 108 games with Chicago, belting out a career-high five home runs. In 1999, Alexander appeared in 90 games with the Cubs and hit .271, the highest batting average of his career.His relative success in the regular season did not translate to post-season glory as Alexander went 0-for-5 in two games during the 1998 National League Division Series
1998 National League Division Series
-Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres:-Game 1, September 30:Turner Field in Atlanta, GeorgiaThe Braves faced the Chicago Cubs, who made it into the playoffs by beating the San Francisco Giants in a tiebreaker for the Wild Card spot. The Braves had sixteen more regular season wins and it showed in...
against the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
.
The Cubs traded Alexander on December 12, 1999, to the Boston Red Sox for 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...
Damon Buford
Damon Buford
Damon Buford is a retired Major League Baseball player. Buford played between 1993 and 2001 for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.-College career:...
.
Boston Red Sox
Alexander hit .211 with four home runs and 19 RBI in 101 games with the Red Sox in 2000, his lone season in Boston.On June 30, 2000, during a traffic stop, police discovered a bottle of anabolic steroids and two hypodermic needles in a Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
owned by Alexander that had been loaned to team bat boy Carlos Cowart, a high school student. Cowart was arrested for driving without a license and previous charges of driving without a license and failing to stop for police. Massachusetts State Police initially sought steroid possession charges against Alexander, but opted not to after the ballplayer's lawyers provided evidence that at least five people had access to the vehicle. Alexander's named appeared in the Mitchell Report
Mitchell Report (baseball)
The Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball, informally known as the "Mitchell Report", is the result of former Democratic United States Senator from Maine...
, released on December 13, 2007, as a result of the incident.
Texas Rangers
After the 2000 season and steroids incident, Alexander bounced around with minor league affiliates of the Seattle MarinersSeattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
, New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, and Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
- as well as a brief stint playing in Mexico - before being purchased by the Texas Rangers on March 24, 2003. He spent the 2003 season in the Rangers' minor league system before returning to the big leagues after a three-season absence in 2004. His return was brief, however, as Alexander appeared in 21 games with Texas, hitting .238 (5-for-21) with three RBI and a pair of doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
.
San Diego Padres
He started the 2005 season in the minor leagues before he was traded by the Rangers on August 31 to the San Diego Padres for minor leaguer Juan JimenezJuan Jiménez (baseball)
Juan Antonio Jiménez Martes was a Major League Baseball player from the Dominican Republic. His career in the majors was limited to four games as a pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates in .-Sources:...
.
Alexander appeared in 11 games with San Diego in 2005, hitting just .111 (2-for-18) with a double, playing each infield position at least once. He was released at the end of the season, but re-signed less than a month later.
In 2006, Alexander reported late to spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
with the Padres due to visa problems in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. Upon joining the team, he was optioned to San Diego's Triple-A
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
affiliate, the Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
. He split the 2006 season between Portland and San Diego, but was released by the Padres on October 12, 2006.
In 2007, Alexander attended spring training with the Padres, but did not make the major league club. Assigned to Triple-A Portland for the third straight season, he played just 7 games before being released.
Washington Nationals
He then signed a minor league deal with the Washington NationalsWashington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
playing for their Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. Alexander became a minor league free agent at the end of the season. In an eleven-season career, Alexander has posted a .231 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 :...
with 15 home runs and 115 RBI in 594 games played
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
with six teams.
Italy
In , Alexander signed to play with Telemarket Rimini in Italy's Serie A1. In his first season in Italy, he hits .331 with 2 home runs and 20 RBI.In , he signed to play with Caffè Danesi Nettuno
Caffè Danesi Nettuno
Nettuno Baseball Club are a baseball team in Serie A1, Italy's professional baseball league. Their main sponsor is Caffè Danesi. In Italy Nettuno Baseball Club is the team with most Championship titles, seventeen....
in the Italian Baseball League.
Philadelphia Phillies
On July 23, 2009 Alexander signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia 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...
.
He is currently a free agent as he became free agent after 2009 season & is not listed on any of Philadelphia Phillis Minor league system or active roster as of 7/9/2011