Jason Bay

Jason Bay
Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 38
Left Field
Bats: Right Throws: Right
debut
May 23, 2003, for the San Diego Padres
Career statistics (through July 31, 2006)
Avg	.294
RBI	273
HR	86
Stats at Baseball Reference
Former teams
Montreal Expos (2000-2003) New York Mets (2002) San Diego Padres (2002)-(2003)

Jason Raymond Bay (born September 20, 1978 in Trail, British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian baseball player, who plays left field for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He bats and throws right-handed.

In his young major league career, Bay has demonstrated well above average power to all fields. He has also shown good discipline at the plate — in 2005, he ranked in the top ten in the National League in walks — although he does also strike out more often than the average hitter. On the bases, although he is not exceptionally fast, Bay is a very effective basestealer; in 2005, until he was picked off in the last week of the season, he had tied the major league record for most steals in a season without getting caught (21). Defensively, Bay has become adept at handling the large outfield in Pittsburgh's PNC Park and is a dependable fielder. Through 2005, he has made only four errors in 2329 innings in left field. His arm strength is at best average, but his throws are accurate. Overall, as attested by the accolades he has gathered in less than three full seasons, Bay has become one of the most respected players in the league.

Baseball Career

Bay was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 22nd round of the 2000 draft from Gonzaga University. He was later dealt to the New York Mets on March 24, 2002 for Lou Collier. The Mets dealt him to the San Diego Padres in an infamous trade for Steve Reed at the 2002 trading deadline, and he later debuted with the Padres on May 23, 2003. Two days later he suffered a broken right wrist after a hit by pitch. Once healed, he was traded to the Pirates, along with Oliver Perez and player to be named later Corey Stewart in August in exchange for Brian Giles. He finished the season with a .287 batting average, four home runs, and 14 runs batted in in 30 games.

File:Jason Bay Bobblehead.jpg

Jason Bay of the Pirates, in bobblehead form

Bay began the 2004 season on the disabled list due to surgery during the offseason, and did not join the team until May. Despite missing the beginning of the season, he still produced the best offensive numbers of any National League rookie. He hit .282 in 120 games, leading all major league rookies in home runs (26) and RBI (82). He also led the NL rookies in slugging percentage (.550), extra base hits (54) and total bases (226). With his 26 home runs, Bay broke a Pirates rookies record of 23 set by Johnny Rizzo in 1936 and matched by Ralph Kiner in 1946.

In 2005, Bay was selected to his first Major League Baseball All-Star Game as a reserve outfielder. He was the only player on either roster not to appear in the game at all. Bay also appeared in the 2005 Century 21 Home Run Derby, representing Canada in the nationality-themed contest; he was eliminated in the first round after hitting no home runs. Bay finished the season with a .306 average, 32 home runs, and 101 RBI, and led the Pirates in every major hitting category.

Through the 2005 season, Bay is a career .295 hitter with 62 home runs and 197 RBI in 312 games over three seasons. During the offseason, the Pirates signed Bay to a four-year deal worth approximately $18.5 million.

Following an aggressive Public Relations campaign by the Pirates, Jason Bay lead all National League outfielders in All-Star voting. Bay became the first member of the Pittsburgh Pirates voted into the All-Star game as a starter since Andy Van Slyke.

On July 11, 2006, Jason Bay made his first career appearance in the Major Leauge Baseball All-Star Game as a starter. Bay would go 1 for 3, with a single.

Career Stats

Hits - 435

Runs - 253

Doubles - 95

Triples - 14

Homeruns - 86

RBI - 273

Walks - 229

Stolen Bases - 34

Batting Average - .294

Awards and honors

• Three-time NL Rookie of the Month (June, July and September, 2004)
• National League Rookie of the Year (2004)
• The Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year (2004)
• Tip O'Neill Award winner (2004 and 2005)
• National League All-Star (2005, 2006)
• Represented Canada at the World Baseball Classic
• May 2006 Player of the Month
• Represented Canada at the 2005 Home Run Derby

Trivia

• Bay's sister, Lauren, is a professional softball player who pitched for Canada's team in the 2004 Olympics.
• Selected the NL rookie of the year by The Sporting News, Bay was the third Pittsburgh player honored with the award, after second baseman Johnny Ray (1982) and catcher Jason Kendall. Bay was also the first Canadian player to win the award.
• Bay enjoyed an exceptional May of the 2006 season, when he hit .321 with 12 home runs (a Pirate record for home runs in a month) and 35 runs batted in. From May 22 to May 28 he hit home runs in six consecutive games, two short of the major league record held by Dale Long, Don Mattingly, and Ken Griffey, Jr. He had actually hit 10 home runs in ten games, but he had failed to hit a home run in one of the games (and hit two the next day).
• Bay is good friends with Edmonton Oilers forward Shawn Horcoff, who is also from Trail, BC. Bay was seen wielding a hockey stick in the dugout at Chase Field in Arizona during the World Baseball Classic.
• Bay's walk up song is "Down with the Sickness", a heavy metal song by the band Disturbed.
• In the 2006 All-Star Game, Bay was the first Pirates player to start in an All-Star Game since Jason Kendall served as an injury substitution in 2000, and he's the first Pirate to be elected by the fans as a starter since Andy Van Slyke in 1993
• Bay competed in the 2005 Rick Hendrick Celebrity Golf Classic.

See also

• Players from Canada in MLB

External links

• MLB Profile
• Template:Espn mlb
• Career statistics from MLB  · ESPN  · Baseball Reference · Fangraphs  · Baseball Reference (Minors)  · Retrosheet