| Reid Brignac | |
|---|---|
 Brignac with the Tampa Bay Rays | |
| Infielder | |
| Born: (1986-01-16)January 16, 1986 (age 40) St. Amant, Louisiana, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 4, 2008, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 26, 2016, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .219 |
| Home runs | 12 |
| Runs batted in | 84 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Reid Michael Brignac (pronounced Brin-yack) (born January 16, 1986) is an American former professionalbaseballinfielder and currentmanager. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theTampa Bay Rays,Colorado Rockies,New York Yankees,Philadelphia Phillies,Miami Marlins, andAtlanta Braves. He is currently serves as the manager for theBinghamton Rumble Ponies.
Brignac attendedSt. Amant High School in Louisiana where he playedbaseball andfootball and earned a 3.5GPA.[1] Brignac was recruited to playcollege baseball atSouthern Miss andLouisiana before ultimately accepting a scholarship to play atLouisiana State.[2]
Brignac was drafted by Tampa Bay Rays in the second round (45th overall) of the2004 Major League Baseball draft out ofSt. Amant High School as ashortstop. He made his professional debut on August 4 with Advanced RookiePrinceton, where in 25 games, he hit .361 with a home run and 25 RBI. He also had a 3-game stint with Single-ACharleston, where he went 7-for-14 (.500). Brignac played all of 2005 with Single-ASouthwest Michigan, where in 127 games as the Devil Rays shortstop, he hit .264 with 15 home runs, 61 RBI, 77 runs and 39 doubles. He was also the Eastern Division's starting shortstop in theMidwest League All-Star Game. Brignac had a breakout year with High-AVisalia, hitting .326 with 21 home runs, 83 RBI, 82 runs, 26 doubles and a league-leading .939on-base plus slugging (OPS) in 100 games as the Oaks shortstop. He earned a promotion to Double-AMontgomery for the last month of the season, along with third basemanEvan Longoria,[3] and in 28 games with the Biscuits, he hit .300 with three home runs, 16 RBI and 18 runs. He was a Mid and Post-Season All-Star in theCalifornia League, and he was named the League's MVP and Rookie of the Year.[4]Baseball America rated Brignac as the 17th best MLB prospect in 2007 and 39th best in 2008.
Brignac was Montgomery's shortstop for 2007, where in 133 games and a league-leading (withEmilio Bonifacio) 596 plate appearances, he hit .260 with 17 home runs, 81 RBI. He also posted a league-leading 91 runs and 30 doubles. After the year, he played in theArizona Fall League withScottsdale, where he hit .177 (20-113) with two home runs and 6 RBI in 26 games. Brignac began 2008 with Triple-ADurham as their shortstop, where he was hitting .265 with seven home runs and 38 RBI through the first 3 months.
Brignac was called up from the minors on July 3, 2008, afterJason Bartlett was placed on the 15-daydisabled list. He made his major league debut on July 4, 2008.[5] He was optioned back toDurham on July 15, 2008,[6] having gonehitless in his first 10 major leagueat-bats with 1walk and 5strikeouts over 4 games. On August 6 in a game against Richmond, he was hit by a pitch on the wrist fromJo-Jo Reyes, and left the game after the third inning. He would miss the rest of the season, and a possible September call-up, because of the injury.[7] In 97 games with Durham in 2008, he hit .250 with nine home runs, 43 RBI, 43 runs and 26 doubles.
Brignac began 2009 as Durham's shortstop, where he was hitting .291 in the first month and a half before he earned a promotion to Tampa Bay on May 22. He got his first careerhit, a single, that day offRenyel Pinto of Florida. He was optioned to Durham when Bartlett returned from the disabled list on June 15. In his 21-game stint, he hit .271 with 2 RBI. After a 4-day, 1-game stint back in Tampa in mid-August, he returned on September 3 after the rosters had expanded. On September 14, 2009, Brignac hit his first major league home run off ofDavid Hernandez of theBaltimore Orioles. He finished the game 4-for-4 with threeRBIs, arun, astolen base and atriple shy ofhitting for the cycle. In 31 games with the Rays in 2009, he hit .278 with a home run, 6 RBI and 10 runs.
Brignac made the Opening Day roster in 2010 with Tampa Bay as a second baseman and backup shortstop, and stayed there for the whole season. In 113 games in 2010, he hit .256 with eight home runs and 45 RBI. On September 13, Brignac hit a walk-off home run offSergio Mitre of the Yankees, putting the Rays in first place in the division, half a game ahead of the Yankees. The Rays ultimately won the AL East that year, finishing one game ahead of New York.
Brignac was the Rays Opening Day shortstop in 2011, and he split time there withElliot Johnson. He hit 14-for-63 (.222) in April, 4-for-41 (.098) in May, 11-for-56 (.196) in June and 7-for-27 (.259) in July before being demoted to Durham on July 22, 2011 to make space for Rays prospectDesmond Jennings, andSean Rodriguez became the starting shortstop. ManagerJoe Maddon said:
There's no question Reid is a Major League caliber shortstop. And I don't like the idea of him not playing defense for us. But moving down the road we have to get better on the offensive side of the ball.[8]
At the time of his demotion, Brignac was hitting .193 with a home run and 10 RBI in 68 games. After an 11-game stint in Durham, he was recalled on August 10 after outfielderJustin Ruggiano was placed on the disabled list. Brignac finished the year with Tampa Bay. In 96 games with the Rays, he hit .193 with a home run and 15 RBI.
Brignac began 2012 splitting time with Rodriguez at shortstop, but after hitting .118 in 8 games with the Rays, he was optioned to Durham in favor ofBrandon Allen. Rodriguez was awarded the starting shortstop job, although he eventually relinquished to Johnson and subsequentlyBen Zobrist. Brignac spent the next 4 months at Durham, where in 99 games, he hit .231 with eight home runs and 46 RBI.
He was designated for assignment on February 5, 2013.[9][10]
Brignac was traded to theColorado Rockies in exchange for cash considerations on February 14, 2013.[11] Brignac made the Opening Day roster as a backup infielder, and had a pinch-hit single in his Rockies debut. He hit 9-for-35 (.257) in April and was hitting 3-for-13 (.231) in May before he wasdesignated for assignment on May 16.[12] In 29 games with Colorado, Brignac hit .250 with a home run and 6 RBI.
Brignac was traded to theNew York Yankees for cash considerations on May 18, 2013.[13] He split time withJayson Nix at shortstop before he was designated for assignment on June 21, 2013.[14] He was released a few days thereafter. In 17 games with New York, he hit .114 with 1 double.
Brignac signed a minor league contract with theColorado Rockies on June 26, 2013.[15] He was assigned to the Triple-AColorado Springs Sky Sox, where in 48 games all over the infield, he hit .230 with two home runs and 11 RBI. After the season, Brignac became a minor league free agent following the season.
On November 19, 2013, Brignac signed a minor league deal with thePhiladelphia Phillies that included an invitation to spring training.[16] The Phillies selected his contract from the Triple-ALehigh Valley IronPigs on May 9, 2014.[17]
On June 11, 2014, Brignac hit a walk-off home run off Padres relieverNick Vincent for his first home run as a Phillie.[18]
Shortly after, Brignac was placed on the disabled list (on June 20) with a high ankle sprain. Before heading to the DL, Brignac hit .258/.329/.409 with five doubles, one triple, one home run, 10 RBI, seven walks, 24 strikeouts and one stolen base in 66 at-bats.[19]
The Phillies designated Brignac for assignment on August 23, 2014.[20] He elected free agency in October 2014.[21]
Brignac signed a minor league contract withMiami Marlins for the 2015 season.[22] After recording only one hit through 17 plate appearances, the Marlins designated him for assignment on May 8.[23]
Brignac signed a minor league contract with theAtlanta Braves on November 24, 2015.[24] He was designated for assignment on May 27, 2016.[25]
On December 9, 2016, Brignac signed a minor league contract with theHouston Astros organization.[26] During his tenure with the Astros, Brignac began experimenting as aswitch hitter in an effort to prolong his career in the majors.[27][28] He played in 110 games for the Triple–AFresno Grizzlies, hitting .251/.326/.411 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI. Brignac elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.[29]
On January 29, 2018, Brignac signed a minor league contract with theWashington Nationals.[30] Brignac was released March 24, near the end of spring training.[31]
On April 21, 2018, Brignac signed with theNew Britain Bees of theAtlantic League of Professional Baseball.[32] Brignac announced his retirement from professional baseball, following his final game as a Bee, on July 6, 2018, in which he went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and two RBI. In total he played in 61 games for New Britain, hitting .296/.364/.382 with one home run, 23 RBI, and four stolen bases.
On January 7, 2020, Brignac was named manager of theColumbia Fireflies, the Single-A affiliate of theNew York Mets.[2] On March 8, 2021, Brignac was announced as the new manager for theSt. Lucie Mets, New York's Low-A affiliate.[33]
On January 6, 2022, Brignac was named manager of theBinghamton Rumble Ponies, a Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets.[34] Following the 2025 season, in which the Rumble Ponies won theEastern League championship, Brignac won the Manager of the Year award.[35]
On December 7, 2025, Brignac was hired to serve as an assistant coach for theDurham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of theTampa Bay Rays.[36]
Since 2010, Brignac is married toPlayboy Playmate Miss July 2002,Lauren Anderson. They have two children together.[37]
