Denard Span
Denard Span | |
---|---|
Center fielder | |
Born: Tampa, Florida, U.S. | February 27, 1984|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
April 6, 2008, for the Minnesota Twins | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 30, 2018, for the Seattle Mariners | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .281 |
Home runs | 71 |
Runs batted in | 490 |
Teams | |
Keiunta Denard Span (born February 27, 1984) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners.
Span batted and threw left-handed and at the height of his career was known as one of the premier leadoff hitters in baseball due to his exceptional on-base percentage.[1]
Early life
Span was raised by his single mother, Wanda Wilson, in
As a teenager, he attended
Professional career
Span was selected by the Twins with the 20th overall pick 2002 Major League Baseball draft from Tampa Catholic. Span turned down just over $2 million from the Colorado Rockies in a predraft deal (who instead drafted Jeff Francis with the eighth pick) and his fall to the 20th pick cost him around $800,000.[6] Following his selection, Span signed with the Twins on August 15, 2002 which caused him to miss all of the 2002 minor league season.[7]
He started his minor league career in 2003 at
Minnesota Twins
Throughout the 2008
In 2009, Span got the nod to start as a
On March 13, 2010, Span made public a five-year deal worth $16.5 million with the Minnesota Twins that included an option for the 2015 season worth $9 million with a $500,000 buyout.[9] This contract effectively bought out all of Span's arbitration years but did not go beyond his available free agency. On March 31, he unintentionally hit his mother, who was sitting in the stands, with a foul ball.[10] On April 2, Span collected the first hit (a triple) and the first home run in the Twins' new ballpark Target Field in an exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
On June 29, Span tied the modern-day Major League Baseball record by hitting three triples in one game against the Detroit Tigers in an 11-4 victory. He became the 29th player since 1900 to accomplish this feat, the second Minnesota Twin (after Ken Landreaux in 1980), and the first player since Rafael Furcal performed the feat on April 21, 2002.[11][12] His night also included a single and five runs batted in.
Overall, Span hit .284/.357/.389 in his Minnesota career, with 254 walks and 321 strikeouts in 2354 at-bats and stole 90 bases in 118 attempts. Adding his strong defense gives him an overall
Washington Nationals
After being tied with the Nationals in trade rumors as far back as 2011, the Twins finally traded Span to the team on November 29, 2012 for Washington's 2011 first round pick (23rd overall), starting pitcher
On December 3, 2014, Span underwent a sports hernia surgery. He claimed that he suffered this injury toward the end of the 2014 season but didn't miss any games.[citation needed] Recovery time required 6 weeks, giving him enough time to be ready for 2015 spring training. During March 2015, Span underwent core muscle surgery. He began the 2015 season on the 15-day disabled list and made his season debut on April 19, 2015.
San Francisco Giants
On January 7, 2016, Span signed a three-year, $31 million, contract with the
Tampa Bay Rays
On December 20, 2017, the Giants traded Span,
Seattle Mariners
On May 25,
On June 8, 2020, Span confirmed that he had played his final game in the major leagues.
Career statistics
In 1359 games over 11 seasons, Span posted a .281
Career after baseball
On January 24, 2021, it was announced that Span was hired by the Tampa Bay Rays as a special assistant in baseball operations.[25] Span joined Bally Sports Sun as an analyst for the Rays in February 2023.[26]
Personal life
Span is a Christian.[27] Span proposed to Anne Schleper, who won a silver medal for ice hockey with the United States in the 2014 Winter Olympics, on December 31, 2016. They married in January 2017 in Naples, Florida.[28] The couple had their first child, a son, in October 2017.
Span founded a non-profit, The Denard Span Foundation, to aid single parent families.[29]
See also
References
- ^ Neyer, Rob (March 10, 2010). "How Denard Span became Denard Span – SweetSpot Blog – ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ Comack, Amanda (March 19, 2013). "Raised by a single mom, Denard Span pays tribute by helping others". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ Mooney, Roger (December 22, 2017). "Denard Span excited to play for hometown Rays — if they keep him". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- ^ "Tampa Catholic High School :: Denard Span". www.tampacatholic.org. Tampa Catholic High School. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- ^ "Baseball America Online - 2002 Draft Preview". Baseball America. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- ^ Talent emerging from 2002 draft", by Keith Law from Scouts, Inc. accessed on ESPN.com, accessed June 4, 2007
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Denard Span Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ a b Sickels, John (November 30, 2012). "Prospect Retrospective and Career Profile: Denard Span". MinorLeagueBall.com. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ^ Twins reward Span with five-year contract", by Kelly Thesier from MLB.com. accessed on MLB.com Archived March 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 13, 2010
- ^ "Span hits mom with foul ball | twinsbaseball.com: News". Minnesota Twins. MLB. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ Maggio, Anthony (June 29, 2010). "Triple threat: Span's big night helps Twins coast". Retrieved June 30, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ ESPN.com (June 29, 2010). "Span's outburst helps starter Blackburn get first win since May". Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ^ "Nationals acquire Denard Span from Twins for Minor Leaguer Alex Meyer | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. June 19, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ "Twins trade Denard Span to Nats". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 29, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ^ "Denard Span Game-by-Game Stats and Performance". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ^ @Nationals (September 5, 2014). "WATCH: That's career hit No. 1,000 for Denard Span! Congrats, Denard!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Shea, John (January 8, 2016). "Denard Span joining Giants' outfield". SF Gate. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ^ Denard Span Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ "Giants acquire Longoria from Rays". MLB.com. December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- ^ Tampa Bay Rays on Twitter: "Meet the man, Denard Span. #RaysUp… "
- ^ Denard Span lifts Rays over Red Sox in opener | MLB.com
- ^ Denard Span Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ Johns, Greg (May 25, 2018). "Mariners acquire Colome, Span from Rays: Club sends out young arms Moore, Romero in deal to bolster depth". MLB.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ Mariners To Decline Denard Span's Option – MLB Trade Rumors
- ^ "East Notes: Mets, Hand, Bradley, Yankees, Rays". January 24, 2021.
- ^ Topkin, Marc. "Why you won't see Dewayne Staats as much on Rays telecasts this year". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Romano, Jason (August 10, 2018). "Mariners' Denard Span shines for Christ in transition to Seattle". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ "Giants' Denard Span marries Olympian after adorable proposal". SF Gate. February 17, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- Huffington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Denard Span on Twitter