Rick Short
Encyclopedia
Richard Ryan Short is a former Major League Baseball
infielder who is currently a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks
. He retired in after playing for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
of the Japanese Pacific League
for four seasons. He bats and throws right-handed. He is an alumnus of Western Illinois University
and Larkin High School in Elgin, IL.
Short was drafted in by the Baltimore Orioles
in the 33rd round. He played eleven seasons in the minors and one in Japan before playing his first game in the major leagues. While having an impressive offensive season for the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs
, Short was called up to the big leagues by the Washington Nationals
after twelve years in the minors and made his Major League Baseball debut on June 10, , collecting a pinch hit
RBI
in his first major league at-bat. Rick's big league hit, after so many minor league at bats and seasons, became a national story.
He was sent back to New Orleans the next day. Short grabbed attention later in 2005, when he was hitting
.400 for New Orleans with only 24 games left, resulting in the opportunity for him to become the first player to hit .400 in the Pacific Coast League
since . However, Short did not break the record, finishing the season with a .383 average, he was promoted to the Nationals again in September. On September 7, Short hit his first major league home run
against Dontrelle Willis
of the Florida Marlins
at RFK Stadium. Short's season ended on September 23, when he suffered a shoulder injury. He ended the season with only 15 at-bats in 11 MLB games—and six hits
giving him a .400 average.
After the 2005 season, Short's contract was sold to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. It marked the second stint for Short in Japan—in , he played for the Chiba Lotte Marines
and hit .303 with 12 home runs and 58 RBI. http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051217&content_id=36548&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp He has hit over .300 in each season (2006, 2007, 2008) since his arrival, ranked not lower than third in three years, including one highest hit rate(.332) in 2008. Rick has shown versatility with the Golden Eagles playing first, second, and third base along with the outfield during the 2008 season.
Short has played in 1290 minor league games over 12 years and has a .317 career minor league average.
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...
infielder who is currently a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
. He retired in after playing for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...
of the Japanese Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
for four seasons. He bats and throws right-handed. He is an alumnus of Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University is a public university founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. Like many similar institutions of the time, Western Illinois State Normal School focused on teacher training for its relatively small body of students. As the normal school grew, it became...
and Larkin High School in Elgin, IL.
Short was drafted in 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...
in the 33rd round. He played eleven seasons in the minors and one in Japan before playing his first game in the major leagues. While having an impressive offensive season for the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs
New Orleans Zephyrs
The New Orleans Zephyrs are a minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The Zephyrs play in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Zephyrs play their home games at Zephyr Field....
, Short was called up to the big leagues by the Washington Nationals
Washington 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...
after twelve years in the minors and made his Major League Baseball debut on June 10, , collecting a pinch hit
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
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...
in his first major league at-bat. Rick's big league hit, after so many minor league at bats and seasons, became a national story.
He was sent back to New Orleans the next day. Short grabbed attention later in 2005, when he was 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 :...
.400 for New Orleans with only 24 games left, resulting in the opportunity for him to become the first player to hit .400 in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
since . However, Short did not break the record, finishing the season with a .383 average, he was promoted to the Nationals again in September. On September 7, Short hit his first major league 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...
against Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Wayne Willis , nicknamed "The D-Train", is an American professional baseball pitcher. Willis is notable for his success during his first few years in the league and for his unconventional pitching style, which includes a high leg kick and exaggerated twisting away from the batter...
of the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
at RFK Stadium. Short's season ended on September 23, when he suffered a shoulder injury. He ended the season with only 15 at-bats in 11 MLB games—and six hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
giving him a .400 average.
After the 2005 season, Short's contract was sold to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. It marked the second stint for Short in Japan—in , he played for the Chiba Lotte Marines
Chiba Lotte Marines
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by the Lotte conglomerate.-History:...
and hit .303 with 12 home runs and 58 RBI. http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051217&content_id=36548&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp He has hit over .300 in each season (2006, 2007, 2008) since his arrival, ranked not lower than third in three years, including one highest hit rate(.332) in 2008. Rick has shown versatility with the Golden Eagles playing first, second, and third base along with the outfield during the 2008 season.
Short has played in 1290 minor league games over 12 years and has a .317 career minor league average.