| Pokey Reese | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Reese celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the2004 World Series | |
| Second baseman /Shortstop | |
| Born: (1973-06-10)June 10, 1973 (age 52) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 1, 1997, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 2004, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .248 |
| Home runs | 44 |
| Runs batted in | 271 |
| Stolen bases | 144 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Calvin "Pokey"Reese Jr. (born June 10, 1973) is an American former professionalbaseballinfielder. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) with theCincinnati Reds,Pittsburgh Pirates, andBoston Red Sox from 1997 to 2004. With the Red Sox, he won the2004 World Series over theSt. Louis Cardinals. He batted and threwright-handed. Reese was known for his defense, winning twoGold Glove Awards during his career.[1]
Reese was born inColumbia, South Carolina. Growing up, he lived for a while in a two-room shack with an outhouse, along with eight or nine relatives, on the south end of Columbia. His father, an alcohol and drug addict, was often absent. Reese started playingLittle League baseball at the age of nine, using a borrowed glove; he would not own a baseball glove until high school. Reese started atA.C. Flora High School, then transferred toLower Richland High School, which was better-known for sports. During his sophomore year,major league scouts sent to watchEarl Cunningham were impressed by a long throw he made during a game. He was drafted by theCincinnati Reds in the first round, 20th overall, of the1991 MLB Draft.[2]
Reese began his professional career with thePrinceton Reds of the Rookie-levelAppalachian League in1991. The next season, he moved up to Single-A, joining theCharleston Wheelers of theSouth Atlantic League.
Reese made his major league debut with the Reds in 1997. He played with the team through 2001, winning twoGold Glove Awards along the way.
Following the 2001 season, the Reds traded Reese andDennys Reyes to theColorado Rockies forLuke Hudson andGabe White on December 18.[3] The next day, the Rockies traded him to the Red Sox forfirst basemanScott Hatteberg.[4] The Red Sox did not tender him a contract, making him afree agent two days later. On January 30, 2002, he signed with the Pirates.
In 2003, Reese turned down a higher-paying deal from Pittsburgh to play for the Red Sox. On May 8, 2004, atFenway Park, Reese had the first two-home run game of his career in a Red Sox 9-1 victory over theKansas City Royals. Reese hit aninside-the-park home run and one over theGreen Monster, to snap a 172at-bat homerless streak dating back to April 4, 2003. The last Red Sox player to hit a conventional homer and an inside-the-park homer in the same game wasTony Armas on September 24,1983, atTiger Stadium.
Reese fielded a ground ball fromRubén Sierra and threw toDoug Mientkiewicz for the final out of the2004 ALCS, as the Red Sox won their first pennant since 1986. They won the2004 World Series a week later.
On January 5,2005, Reese signed with theSeattle Mariners, but never played in a game before being put on the 60-daydisabled list and missing the entire season due to injury.
In2006, Reese signed a one-year deal with theFlorida Marlins; however, his contract was terminated on March 5, 2006, after he left the club on March 1 and did not have direct contact with anyone on the team for over 72 hours. Mike Nicotera, his agent, said the departure was for personal reasons.[5]
In2008, Reese signed a minor league contract with theWashington Nationals and played for the Triple-AColumbus Clippers where in two games he strained both hamstrings and was placed on the DL for several weeks. On July 3, 2008, he returned from the disabled list to the Single-AHagerstown Suns, but was quickly sent back up again to Triple-A Columbus. He became a free agent at the end of the season, after which he retired from professional baseball.
At the plate, Reesestruck out much more often than hewalked, posting a career 0.43walk-to-strikeout ratio (226-to-531). Reese was a high-percentagebase stealer (144-for-170), Reese had a career .307on-base percentage.
In an eight-year career, Reese was a .248 hitter with 44home runs and 271RBI in 856 games.
In May 2015, Reese was named the high school baseball coach at his alma mater, Lower Richland High School in Hopkins, South Carolina.[6]
Reese was engaged to be married to Tieronay Duckett, a classmate of his at Lower Richland, with whom he had a daughter in November 1992. However, his fiancée died in a car accident in 1993 while on the way to a dry cleaner. Reese also had a son with Rhonda Richardson in September 1992; Richardson would die in childbirth three-and-a-half years later. Reese had a third child, MacKayla Barnes, in 1997.[2]
· Baseball Almanac