| Gerald Laird | |
|---|---|
 Laird with the Atlanta Braves | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1979-11-13)November 13, 1979 (age 46) Westminster, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 30, 2003, for the Texas Rangers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 8, 2015, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .243 |
| Home runs | 38 |
| Runs batted in | 238 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Gerald Lee Laird III (born November 13, 1979) is an American former professionalbaseballcatcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theTexas Rangers,Detroit Tigers,St. Louis Cardinals,Atlanta Braves, andArizona Diamondbacks.
Laird first attendedRancho Alamitos High School, and then later graduated fromLa Quinta High School inWestminster, California. He was chosen by theOakland Athletics in the second round of the1998 draft, but held out for more money.[1] When the A's declined, Laird enrolled inCypress College and led its baseball team to the Orange Empire Conference Championship.[2] In June 1999, Oakland and Laird negotiated a new contract. In his first minor league season, 1999, he played 60 games with the Low-ASouthern Oregon Timberjacks and hit .285. He divided the 2000 season between the rookie-levelArizona League Athletics and High-AVisalia Oaks, but a broken wrist limited his playing time. Going into the 2001 season he was considered a top prospect until he tailed off to .255 with theModesto A's.[3]
Shortly before the 2002 season Oakland traded Laird to theTexas Rangers along with outfielderRyan Ludwick,Jason Hart andMario Ramos, for sluggingfirst basemanCarlos Peña and southpaw reliefpitcherMike Venafro.[4] Texas assigned Laird to its Double-ATulsa Drillers, where his strong defensive play and improved batting average (.276) drew plaudits.[5]
He joined the Rangers for 2003spring training, but was soon farmed out to the Triple-AOklahoma RedHawks. The parent club recalled him on April 30 when catcherTodd Greene went on the disabled list, and he made his major league debut the same day. But when Greene returned from the disabled list after 15 days, Laird was optioned back to Oklahoma. The Rangers recalled him again in September when the rosters expanded, and he remained with the big league club for the rest of the season. In his two stints with Texas, he got into only 19 games and hit .273 but at the end of the year was chosen for theUSA Baseball squad.[6]
Laird won the Rangers' starting catching job in 2004spring training after theEinar Diaz trade, but after dislocating his thumb in ahome plate collision in May ended up on thedisabled list and lost his starting job toRod Barajas.[7] After spending most of the 2005 season in Triple-A, he was called up again as backup catcher for the Rangers in 2006. He went into that season well-regarded around the majors for his defensive skills.[8] CommentedSan Diego Padres general managerKevin Towers: "The Rangers knew they had a commodity. The only way they were going to part with him was if some team grossly overpaid [in a trade]."[9] In 78 games in 2006, he hit an improved .296 with seven home runs, earning the starting catcher's job for 2007. New Ranger managerRon Washington took a special interest in him during spring training: "I just want him to concentrate on making this pitching staff better and helping them to believe in him."[10] He was in the second mostdouble plays among all MLB catchers despite being among the lowest in fielding chances.[11][12][13]
On December 8, 2008, he was traded to theDetroit Tigers for twominor league pitchers,Carlos Melo andGuillermo Moscoso.[14] The Tigers named him starting catcher ahead ofDane Sardinha andMatt Treanor, and Laird rewarded them with the highest caught-stealing throwing average in the American League.[15] In May 2010, while struggling offensively, Laird changed his jersey number from 8 to 12.[16]
TheSt. Louis Cardinals signed Laird to a one-year contract for the 2011 season, where he won his firstWorld Series ring as backup catcher to All-StarYadier Molina.[17]
On November 18, 2011, theDetroit Tigers welcomed Laird back with a one-year contract for the 2012 season as backup catcher toAlex Avila while sluggerVictor Martinez, often used as a DH rather than as a catcher in any event, was on the disabled list for the entire season. He rewarded them by hitting .282, often hitting DH, in the regular season and helping them come back from well behind theChicago White Sox to win their second consecutive AL Central Division title, edge the powerful young upstartOakland Athletics 3–2 in the ALDS thanks to defending MVPJustin Verlander's stellar pitching in Games 1 & 5, and then sweep the suddenly discombobulatedNew York Yankees 4–0 in the ALCS. Laird had the key hit that put the Tiger's ahead in Kansas City the night they beat the Royals to clinch the AL Central for 2012. He was in his second World Series in a row, which the Tigers lost to theSan Francisco Giants 4–0, and became a free agent on October 29.[18][19]
After formerBraves backupDavid Ross signed withBoston for a two-year contract early in the off-season, the Braves scavenged the open market for a backup catcher. They found Laird, signing him to a two-year, $3 million contract with up to $750,000 in performance bonuses based on games played.[20] WithBrian McCann leaving in free agency, Laird handled the primary backup role toEvan Gattis in 2014. Laird ended his tenure with the Braves posting a .204 batting average.[21]
On February 2, 2015, he signed a minor league contract with theArizona Diamondbacks.[22] A back injury sustained during the first month of the season ended Laird's season.[23][24] He was designated for assignment on August 20, 2015, and released on August 24.[25][26]
On June 16, 2016, Laird signed with theToros de Tijuana of theMexican League.[27][28] In two appearances for Tijuana, Laird went 0-for-1 at the plate. He announced his retirement from professional baseball on April 2, 2017.
He retired at the end of the 2016 season to become the manager of the Single-ADetroit Tigers affiliate, theConnecticut Tigers of theNew York–Penn League.[29]In 2021 Laird was a coach with theIllinois Valley Pistol Shrimp[30]In December 2021 Laird was hired as the catching coach for theLotte Giants of theKBO.[31]
Laird is represented bysports agentScott Boras.[1] His younger brother,Brandon has also played in MLB.
· Baseball Almanac| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by | ALRookie of the Month April 2004 | Succeeded by |
