Charlton Jimerson
Charlton Jimerson | |
---|---|
Outfielder | |
Born: San Leandro, California, U.S. | September 22, 1979|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 14, 2005, for the Houston Astros | |
Last MLB appearance | |
April 10, 2008, for the Seattle Mariners | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .444 |
Home runs | 2 |
Runs batted in | 2 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
Charlton Maxwell Jimerson (born September 22, 1979) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played college baseball at the University of Miami.
Early life
Growing up in Hayward, California, Jimerson endured a turbulent childhood. His mother was addicted to crack cocaine, and she often abandoned Charlton and his younger brother Terrence while searching for drugs.[1] His father had moved out and abandoned the family while Jimerson was young, becoming a homeless person, and before that time had been physically abusive of Charlton's mother.[2] The family was supported largely by Jimerson's sister Lanette, who worked as many as three jobs simultaneously to provide financial support. Lanette also helped the oldest of the five children,[3] Derrell, sue for custody of Charlton and Terrence when Charlton was 15.[1]
University of Miami
After Jimerson graduated from Mt. Eden High School, he was chosen by the Astros in the 24th round of the 1997 June draft, with the 760th overall pick. Jimerson did not feel that he was ready for a professional career, however, and he instead chose to attend the University of Miami on an academic scholarship.
Jimerson earned a spot on the University of Miami's baseball team as a walk-on, although he had not been widely recruited in high school. Coach Jim Morris initially tried to convince him to transfer to a junior college,[4] but Jimerson used a homemade portfolio of clippings and a personal essay to impress the coach with his motivation.[1] He was a bench player his first three years, and he did not play during Miami's successful pursuit of the 1999 College World Series title, but an injury to a teammate opened a spot for him in the starting lineup his senior year. In 1999, he played for the Bethesda Big Train, a college wooden bat summer team. [5]
Jimerson took the opportunity and ran with it, ultimately being honored as the "
Professional career
Houston Astros
Jimerson is regarded as having very good physical tools, with some scouts comparing his abilities to those of a young Eric Davis.[9] Baseball America cited him as being the "Best Athlete" and having the "Best Outfield Arm" in Houston's farm system in 2005,[10] and he has stolen more than 25 bases in each of his four years in full-season baseball. He has had trouble maintaining his batting average, however, hitting only .245 through all levels of the minor leagues. He also strikes out frequently, with 152 Ks in 2005 and 163 the season before.
Jimerson made his major league debut on September 14, 2005, appearing as a defensive replacement in a 10–2 win against the
Seattle Mariners
The
Independent League
Jimerson signed with the
Newark Bears
Jimerson played for the Newark Bears in 2009. He carried a .335 batting average; had 21 home runs; and stole 38 bases for the team.
Minnesota Twins
Jimerson signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins in March 2010[14] and was assigned to the Rochester Red Wings. He was waived by the organization on April 6 of the same year.
Bridgeport Bluefish
Jimerson's played for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League in 2010. He was all-star selection before leaving to play for Los Angeles Angels' Double-A affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Jimerson's contract was purchased by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League on July 19, 2010. He was assigned to the Angels' Double-A affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers.
Personal life
Jimerson and his wife Candace live in Missouri City, Texas during the offseason with their daughter Carter, and sons Tyson, Nicolas and Caden.[15] He remains actively working with youth baseball in the Houston/Missouri City area.
His personal website recently launched as a portal to find all things Charlton Jimerson. The website is: www.charltonjimerson.com
Against All Odds: A Success Story
On March 14, 2015, Charlton Jimerson released a memoir titled Against All Odds: A Success Story. The book is organized into "innings" rather than chapters. In the book he tells the story of his childhood where he was raised in a family of five kids along with a mother who struggled with drug dependency and often suffered drug-related violence. He describes his growing love of baseball, sharing how both school and sports offered him positive ways forward. He also notes the key people and crucial moments in his life that led him to become a major league baseball player where he hit a home run in his first ever at-bat. The hit was off Cole Hamels and ruined his perfect game. The book was independently published on Createspace.
See also
- Home run in first Major League at-bat
References
- ^ a b c "Sports: Older sister sacrifices for baseball dream". sptimes.com.
- ^ "Baseball America Online - Ask BA". baseballamerica.com.
- ^ "Player Bio: Charlton Jimerson". Hurricanesports.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
- ^ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_26_225/ai_76134313 [bare URL]
- ^ "Bethesda Big Train Major Leaguers".
- ^ "ESPN.com: NCAA - College World Series history". go.com.
- ^ "College World Series Championship Game Notes :: The Hurricanes face Stanford @1 pm today". collegesports.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2004.
- ^ a b "Miami Earns 19th College World Series Appearance :: Series begins Friday in Omaha, Nebraska". collegesports.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2005.
- ^ "Baseball America Online - Ask BA". baseballamerica.com.
- ^ "Baseball America". BaseballAmerica.com.
- ^ "Miami at Houston - 2005-09-14 - Major League Baseball - Yahoo! Sports". Yahoo Sports.
- ^ "ASTROS NOTES: Jimerson released". Houston Chronicle. March 29, 2007.
- ^ "SI.com - MLB - Charlton Jimerson Transactions". cnn.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012.
- ^ "Twins Notes: Slowey, Casilla, Jimerson, and Man Strength". AaronGleeman.com.
- ^ "Charlton Jimerson". Major League Baseball.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet, or Baseball Reference (Minor, Fall, Winter and Independent Leagues)