Damon Minor

Damon Reed Minor (born January 5, 1974) is a former professional baseball first baseman for the San Francisco Giants. He also played one year in Japan for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2005. He is the hitting coach for Triple A Sacramento River Cats (Class AAA PCL for San Francisco Giants)

Damon Minor
First baseman
Born: (1974-01-05) January 5, 1974
Canton, Ohio
Batted: Left Threw: Left
Professional debut
MLB: September 2, 2000, for the San Francisco Giants
NPB: April 27, 2005, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Last appearance
MLB: June 24, 2004, for the San Francisco Giants
NPB: May 4, 2005, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
MLB statistics
Batting average.232
Home runs13
Runs batted in39
Teams

Given the nickname "Tiny" by Barry Bonds[1] because of his large frame,[2] 6' 7" 230 lbs, Minor is currently a co-owner of Minor-Foral Baseball Academy, where he gives hitting lessons and coaches prep summer showcase teams.

College career

Minor played four years of baseball at the University of Oklahoma from 1993 to 1996 as the designated hitter[3] and was a three-year starter. He helped his team win the 1994 National Championship and made it back to the College World Series in 1995.[4] His best season came in 1996, when he batted .348 with 14 home runs and 62 RBI and was named an All-American Honorable Mention.[4]

Minor leagues

Minor was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 12th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. He started his minor league career in 1996 with the Low-A Bellingham Giants. He had one of his best years in 1997 with the High-A Bakersfield Blaze; he hit .289 with 31 home runs and 99 RBI. Minor split 1998 between High-A San Jose and Double-A Shreveport. In 1999, again with Shreveport, he hit 20 home runs and had 82 RBI.

2000 was Minor's career year. With Triple-A Fresno, he hit .290 with 30 home runs and 102 RBI, which was good enough for a September call-up to the Giants. In 2001, he was again good as he hit .308 with 24 home runs and 71 RBI and was twice promoted to the majors. In 2002, he played only 9 games in the minors as he spent time in the majors and on the disabled list. Minor struggled to begin 2003 and on May 19, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor leaguer Mike Wilson. Minor spent the rest of the year with the Phillies' Triple-A team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. He became a free agent at the end of the season. During the offseason, Minor had laser eye surgery and lost 30 pounds[2] and on February 6, 2004, he re-signed with the Giants. He hit .302 for Fresno and again saw time in the majors. On November 17, 2004, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was released just one month later before the season began.

Major leagues

Minor made his major league debut on September 2, 2000, for the San Francisco Giants, and appeared in 10 games that year. In 2001, he played 19 games in the majors and spent most of the season with Triple-A Fresno. In 2002, he spent nearly the entire year in the majors. In 83 games, Minor hit .237 with 10 home runs and 24 RBIs. He spent all of 2003 in the minors with the Giants' and Phillies' organizations. After re-signing with the Giants in the offseason, Minor appeared in 24 games for the Giants in 2004. and became a free agent after the season.

Japan

In 2005, Minor signed with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, but was limited to 6 games because of injuries.[4]

Post-playing career

In 2007, Minor became a volunteer coach for his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma to help with their hitting.[4] He currently resides in Edmond, Oklahoma. He co-owns a baseball academy and coaches a prep team.

Personal life

Minor's twin brother,[5] Ryan, was also a Major League Baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles and Montreal Expos. They were teammates at Oklahoma from 1993 to 1995.

References
  1. Wayne Graczyk (2005-01-19). "With spring training near, end of line for George, Peta here?". japantimes.com. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
  2. Rich Draper (2004-05-26). "Notes: Minor back in the Majors". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
  3. Kelly Whiteside (1994-06-20). "Short hops". SI.com. Archived from the original on 2012-12-02. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
  4. "Minor joins coaching staff". Soonersports.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
  5. Andrew Baggarly (2004-05-27). "Giants look for a reliable leadoff hitter". findarticles.com. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
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