| Jay Gibbons | |
|---|---|
 Gibbons with the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Right fielder /Designated hitter | |
| Born: (1977-03-02)March 2, 1977 (age 48) Rochester, Michigan, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 6, 2001, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 3, 2011, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .260 |
| Home runs | 127 |
| Runs batted in | 427 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Jay Jonathan Gibbons (born March 2, 1977) is an American former professionalbaseballright fielder inMajor League Baseball.[1]He playedcollege baseball atCalifornia State University, Los Angeles and in theMajor Leagues for theBaltimore Orioles andLos Angeles Dodgers. He attendedMayfair High School inLakewood, California.
Gibbons was selected by theToronto Blue Jays in the 14th round, 411th overall, of the 1998amateur draft and that season captured thePioneer LeagueTriple Crown with theMedicine Hat Blue Jays,hitting .397 with 19home runs and 98RBI. After the 2000 season, he was picked up by theBaltimore Orioles in theRule 5 draft.
As a rookie for the Orioles in 2001, he hit 15 home runs before a hand injury cut short his season. The next year, he hit a career-best 28 homers. In 2003, Gibbons had another excellent season. Playing in a career-high 160 games, he established personal bests with a .277 batting average and 100 RBI and was voted Team MVP.
In 2004, Gibbons suffered multiple injuries and only played in 97 games. Because of his hobbling injuries, his numbers plummeted: his batting average was a mere .246, and he hit only 10 homers. After the 2004 season, he hadLASIK eye surgery to improve his declining eyesight, which went from 20–10 to 20–35 in only a few months. He bounced back with a solid 2005 season as he hit .277 with 26 home runs and 79 RBI in 139 games.
He wore No. 25 untilRafael Palmeiro signed a contract with the Orioles in 2004. Out of respect for the older and more established Palmeiro, Jay switched to No. 31, which he wore for the rest of his time with the Orioles, even after Palmeiro left the Orioles.
On September 30, 2006, theLos Angeles Times reported that formerrelief pitcherJason Grimsley, during a June 6, 2006, federal raid, told federal agents investigating steroids in baseball that Gibbons was a user ofanabolic steroids. TheTimes reported that Gibbons was one of five names blacked out in an affidavit filed in federal court.[2] However, on October 3, 2006, theWashington Post reported that San Francisco United States attorney Kevin Ryan said that theLos Angeles Times report contained "significant inaccuracies."[3] Gibbons, along with the other four players named, denounced the story.[3] However, on September 9, 2007,Sports Illustrated reported that a source close to an Orlando-based compound pharmacy alleged that Gibbons had received multiple shipments of performance-enhancing steroids and human growth hormone (HGH) between October 2003 to July 2005.[4]
On December 13, 2007, he was cited in theMitchell Report.[5]
He was suspended for the first 15 games of the 2008 season on December 6, 2007, and performed so poorly in 2008 spring training that the Orioles cut him even though he was owed nearly $12 million for the last two years of his contract. The Orioles management claimed that the release was a "baseball decision" unrelated to the steroid allegations.[6]
On June 12, 2008, Gibbons wrote an emotional letter to all 30 MLB clubs, asking to return to baseball, promising to donate his salary to charity.[7] The only team that gave him a chance was the independentLong Island Ducks of theAtlantic League, a team unaffiliated with MLB. He played in 27 games for the Ducks, hitting .280 with five home runs in 107at-bats.
On July 22, 2008, Gibbons signed a minor league contract with theMilwaukee Brewers[8] and was assigned to the Double-AHuntsville Stars. Gibbons spent approximately one week at Double-A Huntsville before being promoted to Triple-ANashville on July 27. He became a free agent after the season.
Gibbons signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with theFlorida Marlins on January 13, 2009.[9] He was released by the Marlins on March 13, 2009; the Marlins stated that they did not have room on the roster for him.[10]
On May 11, 2009, Gibbons agreed to play for theNewark Bears of the Atlantic League. In 40 games he hit .233/.286/.387 with 4 home runs and 19 RBIs.
Gibbons signed a minor league contract with theLos Angeles Dodgers prior to the 2010 season. He was assigned to the Triple-AAlbuquerque Isotopes to start the season and was selected to the mid-seasonPacific Coast League all-star team. In 94 games with the Isotopes, he hit .347 with 19 home runs.
Gibbons was called up to the Dodgers on August 8, 2010.[11] In the game that day against the Washington Nationals, he hit a pinch-hit RBI single. Two days later, Gibbons started in left field against thePhiladelphia Phillies, finishing 3–4 with a home run and three RBI.
He appeared in 37 games with the Dodgers, getting extensive playing time after the trade ofManny Ramirez. He finished hitting .280 with five home runs and 17 RBI.
On November 4, 2010, Gibbons signed a one-year deal to remain with the Dodgers. He began to experience some vision problems while playing winter ball inVenezuela[12] and saw some eye specialists when the problem persisted through spring training, causing him to lose his chance to be the team's regular left fielder.[13] The problems continued into April and he began the season on the disabled list while trying out different contact lenses. He was even concerned that his career might be over.[14] After an extended rehab assignment at AAA Albuquerque that lasted for most of April, he was activated on May 3.[15] He appeared in 24 games, hitting .255 before he was designated for assignment on June 6.[16] He returned to the Isotopes, where he played in 76 games the rest of the season, hitting .300 with nine home runs and 46 RBI. He became a free agent after the season.
Gibbons signed a minor league contract with theMilwaukee Brewers in February 2012. He retired from baseball as an active player on July 9.[17]
In 2015, he became a hitting coach for the Dodgers Class-A team in theMidwest League, theGreat Lakes Loons.[18] The following season, he was promoted to the hitting coach job with theRancho Cucamonga Quakes in theCalifornia League.[19]
