Desmond Jennings

Desmond Jennings

Jennings with the Tampa Bay Rays
Free Agent
Outfielder
Born: (1986-10-30) October 30, 1986
Birmingham, Alabama
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 2010, for the Tampa Bay Rays
MLB statistics
(through 2016 season)
Batting average .245
Hits 508
Home runs 55
Runs batted in 191
Stolen bases 95
Runs 311
Teams

Desmond Delane Jennings (born October 30, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Early career

Jennings was taken by the Cleveland Indians in the 18th round of the 2005 amateur draft out of Pinson Valley High School in Pinson, Alabama but did not sign. He decided to go to Itawamba Community College to play baseball and football, he led all junior college wide receivers with 54 receptions while scoring 6 touchdowns and netting 848 yards in 8 games. On the diamond, he hit .378 with 29 steals. Desmond was picked by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 10th round of the 2006 amateur draft and signed.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Rays

Jennings was the Rays fifth-best prospect heading into the 2009 season according to Baseball America,[1] and the 18th-best prospect overall in their midseason top 25.[2]

Jennings entered 2010 ranked among the top 20 prospects in baseball.[3] He was named to the 2010 All-Star Futures Game.

In 2010, he batted .278 for the season in Triple-A Durham, and .190 in 21 at-bats with Tampa Bay.[4]

Jennings was called up from Triple-A Durham on July 23, 2011, as the Rays optioned Reid Brignac to Durham. At the time of his call-up, Jennings was batting .275 and leading the International League in runs scored, with 68.[5] On July 28, 2011, Jennings blasted his first career home run, a two-run shot against the Oakland Athletics. On September 7, 2011, Jennings hit his first career walk-off home run off Mark Lowe to give the Rays a 5-4 win over the Texas Rangers and give them their 1,000th win in franchise history.

With the departure of B.J. Upton to Atlanta, Jennings began the 2013 season as the starting center fielder and lead-off hitter, with Sam Fuld as his backup. On August 3, Jennings fractured his left middle finger, and was placed on the disabled list 3 days later.[6] Jennings returned on August 19, and finished the season with Tampa Bay. In 139 games, he hit .252/.334/.414 with 14 HR, 54 RBI, 82 R and 20 SB. He led the team in triples (6) and stolen bases.

On May 7, 2013, Jennings hit a line drive which hit Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J. A. Happ in the head. Happ needed to be carried off the field on a stretcher after an 11 minute delay. Jennings was visibly shaken by the accident but remained in the game.[7][8]

On May 3, 2015, Jennings was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to left knee bursitis.[9]

On August 26, 2016, The Rays announced that Jennings would be released the next day.[10] Over his 7 year career with the Tampa Bay Rays, he batted a .245 avg, with 55 homeruns 191 RBI's, a .715 ops and 95 stolen bases. [11]

References

  1. ↑ Ballew, Bill (November 12, 2008). "Tampa Bay Rays top 10 prospects". Baseballamerica.com. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Midseason Top 25 Prospects". Baseballamerica.com. July 9, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  3. ↑ Deep Leagues. "Top 100 Prospects". Deep Leagues. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Desmond Jennings Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Axisa, Mike (August 6, 2013). "Rays lose leadoff hitter Desmond Jennings to 15-day DL". CBS Sports.
  7. ↑ "Happ hit by line drive, taken to hospital; Jays top Rays". TSN.ca. May 8, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Jennings, Rays shaken by Happ getting hit in the head". ctpost.com. May 8, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  9. ↑ Kolligan, Michael. "Jennings placed on 15-day DL with knee bursitis.". MLB.com. MLB.com. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Rays To Release Desmond Jennings". MLBTradeRumors.com. MLBTradeRumors. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "Desmond Jennings Stats - Tampa Bay Rays". espn.com. ESPN Inc. Retrieved August 26, 2016.

External links

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