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Denard Span

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Denard Span
Span with the Seattle Mariners in 2018
Center fielder
Born: (1984-02-27) February 27, 1984 (age 40)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
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 runs71
Runs batted in490
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

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Span was raised by his single mother, Wanda Wilson, in Tampa. Wilson, a Federal City College graduate, supported Span and his brother, Ray, by working variously as a claims adjuster and day care operator. Their father had very little presence in their lives.[2]

As a teenager, he attended Tampa Bay Devil Rays games at Tropicana Field.[3] He attended Tampa Catholic High School where he played football and baseball. Span won a state baseball championship with Tampa Catholic as a junior in 2001. As a senior, he hit .490 with 17 doubles, three triples, 20 RBI, 24 stolen bases and 33 runs scored in 28 games.[4][5] He committed to play college baseball at Florida. According to Baseball America, he could have played college football as a wide receiver if he had not focused on baseball.[6]

Professional career

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Span was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the first round (20th overall) of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft from Tampa Catholic.[4] 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.[7] Following his selection, Span signed with the Twins on August 15, 2002, receiving a $1.7 million signing bonus.[8]

Span started his minor league career in 2003 with the Elizabethton Twins, the Twins' rookie-league affiliate. In 50 games, he batted .271 with a home run, 18 RBI and 14 stolen bases.[9] In 2004, Span was promoted first to the Gulf Coast League Twins in Fort Myers, Florida and, after only appearing in five games,[10] for the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Low-A Midwest League. Overall, in 2004, he hit a combined .273 with 15 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 69 games.[9] In 2005, he was promoted to the Fort Myers Miracle, the Twins Advanced-A affiliate, and then to the New Britain Rock Cats, the Twins Double-A affiliate. Span batted .307 with a home run, 45 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 117 combined games in 2005. In 2006, Span returned to the Rock Cats and spent the entire season with the team, batting .285 with two home runs and 45 RBI in 134 games.[9] He was later promoted to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings for the 2007 season, and hit .267 with three home runs, 55 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 139 games.[9]

Minnesota Twins

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Span batting for the Minnesota Twins in 2008

Throughout the 2008 spring training, Span was competing with Carlos Gómez to be the Twins' starting center fielder,[11] but ultimately lost out to Gómez and was outrighted to Triple-A Rochester.[12] However, on April 5, Michael Cuddyer was placed on the 15-day disabled list and Span was called up to make his Major League debut against the Kansas City Royals the next day.[13] Span failed to impress the Twins (hitting .258/.324/.258) and was sent back down to Rochester.[14] However, he got hot over the next 40 games in AAA (.340/.434/.481) and was recalled to the Twins, where he spent the rest of 2008 season.[14] Span's 2008 season totals were .294/.387/.432 with six home runs, 47 RBI, and seven triples in 93 games.[10] Span was chosen to play in the 2008 Beijing Olympics but because he had been promoted, he was forced to skip the Olympics.

In 2009, Span got the nod to start as a left fielder. He also played center field and right field throughout the season. His 2009 stats showed some improvement from 2008, hitting .311/.392/.415 with eight home runs, 68 RBI, and 10 triples in 145 games.[10] He also stole bases 23 times while getting caught 10 times.[10] Span earned the odd distinction of becoming the player to hit both the first regular and post season hits at Yankee Stadium in 2009.

On March 13, 2010, Span signed a five-year, $16.5 million contract extension with the Twins that included an option for the 2015 season worth $9 million with a $500,000 buyout.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17]

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.[18][19] 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 2,354 at-bats and stole 90 bases in 118 attempts.[10] Adding his strong defense gives him an overall wins above replacement of 15.9. He also became the first ever player on the 7-day disabled list in 2012.[14]

Washington Nationals

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Span during his tenure with the Washington Nationals in 2013

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 Alex Meyer.[20] After the trade, Span became the team's starting center fielder, moving 2012 NL Rookie of the Year Bryce Harper to left field.[21] During the 2013 season, Span set a personal and league high with a 29-game hit streak (besting the previous 2013 season high of 27 games set by former Twins teammate Michael Cuddyer). The streak ended on September 19 following an 0-for-4 performance against the Miami Marlins. During the streak, Span raised his season average from .258 to .281 (46-for-128) while hitting two home runs, recording 9 RBI, and scoring 21 runs.[22] For the season, he batted .279/.327/.380 with four home runs and 47 RBI in 153 games, and he led the majors with 11 triples.[10] On September 5, 2014, he earned his 1,000th career hit against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park.[23] Span finished the 2014 season hitting .302/.355/.416 with five home runs, 37 RBI and a career-high 31 stolen bases in 147 games.[10] He also led the National League with 184 hits, which also set the Nationals club record for hits in a single season.[10][24]

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.[25] Recovery time required six weeks, giving him enough time to be ready for 2015 spring training. During March 2015, Span underwent core muscle surgery.[26] He began the 2015 season on the 15-day disabled list and made his season debut on April 19, 2015.[27] Span was limited to just 61 games in 2015, posting a slash line of .301/.365/.431 with five home runs and 22 RBI.[10]

San Francisco Giants

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On January 7, 2016, Span signed a three-year, $31 million contract with the San Francisco Giants that included a mutual option for 2019 and $5 million in performance bonuses.[28] On June 13 at AT&T Park, Span became the first Giant to hit a leadoff splash hit home run in the first inning into McCovey Cove and joined the San Diego Padres' Brian Giles (2008) as the only two players in the history of the ballpark to accomplish the feat.[29] He batted .268/.330/.402 in his two seasons for San Francisco.[10]

Tampa Bay Rays

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On December 20, 2017, the Giants traded Span, Christian Arroyo, Matt Krook, and Stephen Woods to the Tampa Bay Rays for Evan Longoria and cash considerations.[30] On March 29, 2018, Span hit a three-run triple on Opening Day 2018 against Carson Smith of the Boston Red Sox to give the Rays a 5–4 lead. He became the third player to triple in his Rays debut.[31][32] He batted .238/.364/.385 with four home runs and 28 RBI in 43 games with Tampa Bay.[10]

Seattle Mariners

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On May 25, 2018, the Rays traded Span and reliever Álex Colomé to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor leaguers Andrew Moore and Tommy Romero.[33] He hit .272/.329/.435 with seven home runs and 30 RBI in 94 games for Seattle.[10] The Mariners declined the 2019 option on his contract, making him a free agent, on October 30, 2018.[34]

On June 8, 2020, Span confirmed that he had played his final game in the major leagues.[35]

Career statistics

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In 1,359 games over 11 seasons, Span posted a .281 batting average (1,498-for-5,326) with 773 runs, 265 doubles, 72 triples, 71 home runs, 490 RBIs, 185 stolen bases, 515 bases on balls, .347 on-base percentage and .398 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .991 fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions. In 14 postseason games, he hit .258 (17-for-66) with four runs, three doubles, one triple, two RBI, two stolen bases and two walks.[10]

Career after baseball

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On January 24, 2021, it was announced that Span was hired by the Tampa Bay Rays as a special assistant in baseball operations.[36] Span joined Bally Sports Sun as an analyst for the Rays in February 2023.[37]

Personal life

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Span is a Christian.[38] 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.[39] 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.[40]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Neyer, Rob (March 10, 2010). "How Denard Span became Denard Span". ESPN. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  2. ^ Comack, Amanda (March 19, 2013). "Raised by a single mom, Denard Span pays tribute by helping others". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  3. ^ Mooney, Roger (December 22, 2017). "Denard Span excited to play for hometown Rays — if they keep him". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Sheldon, Mark (June 4, 2002). "Twins make Span top pick". Minnesota Twins. MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  5. ^ "Tampa Catholic High School :: Denard Span". Tampa Catholic High School. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  6. ^ "Baseball America Online - 2002 Draft Preview". Baseball America. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  7. ^ Law, Keith (June 3, 2007). "Law: Flashback to the 2002 draft". ESPN. Retrieved June 4, 2007.
  8. ^ Nipps, Emily (August 16, 2002). "Tampa's Span, Twins reach deal". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d "Denard Span Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Denard Span Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  11. ^ Thesier, Kelly (March 11, 2008). "Gomez, Span battling for starting role". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on March 27, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  12. ^ Miller, Phil (March 24, 2008). "For his speed and potential, Minnesota Twins award Carlos Gomez starting center field, leadoff jobs". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  13. ^ Thesier, Kelly (April 5, 2008). "Cuddyer dislocates right index finger". Minnesota Twins. MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Sickels, John (November 30, 2012). "Prospect Retrospective and Career Profile: Denard Span". Minor League Ball. SB Nation. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  15. ^ Thesier, Kelly (March 13, 2010). "Twins reward Span with five-year contract". Minnesota Twins. MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  16. ^ Hoch, Bryan; DiComo, Anthony (March 31, 2010). "Span hits mom with foul ball". Minnesota Twins. MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  17. ^ "Cardinals 8-4 Twins (Apr 2, 2010) Play-by-Play". ESPN. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  18. ^ Maggio, Anthony (June 29, 2010). "Triple threat: Span's big night helps Twins coast". Fox Sports North. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  19. ^ "Span's outburst helps starter Blackburn get first win since May". ESPN. Associated Press. June 29, 2010. Archived from the original on July 1, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  20. ^ Ladson, Bill (November 19, 2012). "Nationals acquire Denard Span from Twins for Minor Leaguer Alex Meyer". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  21. ^ "Twins trade Denard Span to Nats". ESPN. Associated Press. November 29, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  22. ^ "Denard Span Game-by-Game Stats and Performance". ESPN. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  23. ^ @Nationals (September 5, 2014). "WATCH: That's career hit No. 1,000 for Denard Span! Congrats, Denard!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ^ Wagner, James (March 10, 2016). "Denard Span on his time with Nationals: 'That was the right place for me at the right time'". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  25. ^ Wile, Brandon (December 3, 2014). "Nationals' Span undergoes successful sports hernia surgery". theScore. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  26. ^ White, R.J. (March 9, 2015). "Nationals' Denard Span undergoes surgery on core muscle". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  27. ^ "Nationals' Span returns from DL, bats leadoff vs. Phillies". Erie Times-News. Associated Press. April 19, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  28. ^ Shea, John (January 8, 2016). "Denard Span joining Giants' outfield". SFGate. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  29. ^ "Crawford has 3 RBIs to lead Giants in 11-5 win over Brewers". ESPN. Associated Press. June 13, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  30. ^ Kramer, Daniel (December 20, 2017). "Giants acquire Longoria from Rays". San Francisco Giants. MLB.com. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  31. ^ Tampa Bay Rays [@RaysBaseball] (March 30, 2018). "Meet the man, Denard Span. #RaysUp" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ^ Chastain, Bill (March 29, 2018). "Span trips up Red Sox in wild six-run 8th". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  33. ^ 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. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  34. ^ Adams, Steve (October 30, 2018). "Mariners To Decline Denard Span's Option". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  35. ^ Adams, Steve (June 8, 2020). "Denard Span Discusses His Decision To Walk Away". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  36. ^ Franco, Anthony (January 24, 2021). "East Notes: Mets, Hand, Bradley, Yankees, Rays". MLB Trade Rumors.
  37. ^ Topkin, Marc (February 22, 2023). "Why you won't see Dewayne Staats as much on Rays telecasts this year". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  38. ^ Romano, Jason (August 10, 2018). "Mariners' Denard Span shines for Christ in transition to Seattle". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  39. ^ Schulman, Henry (February 17, 2017). "Giants' Denard Span marries Olympian after adorable proposal". SFGate. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  40. ^ Ferrell, Kandice (August 5, 2015). "Nationals Centerfielder Denard Span Empowers Single Parents". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
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