Adam Alan Lind (born July 17, 1983) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

and

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. Lind has also appeared as a

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

and in

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

. In 2009, Lind won the

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters cons ...

and the

Edgar Martínez Award The Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, commonly referred to as the Edgar Martínez Award and originally known as the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, has been presented annually to the most outstanding designated hitter (DH) ...

Early life

Lind was born in

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs ...

, on July 17, 1983, and later moved to

Anderson, Indiana Anderson, named after Chief William Anderson, is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison County. Anderson is ...

, where he attended Highland High School. He has an older sister, Allison. Lind was drafted by the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

in the eighth round (242nd overall) of the

2002 Major League Baseball draft The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book '' Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first round compensation selections * ...

. He did not sign with the Twins, and attended the

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May, 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. The first ...

in 2003 and 2004 before being drafted by the Jays in 2004 as a draft-eligible sophomore. In 2003, he was named as a Freshman second team All-American first baseman and played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fi ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

. In 2004, he was named a Sun Belt Conference All-Star outfielder.

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

Minor leagues

The

selected Lind in the third round, with the 83rd overall selection of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. In his first professional season, Lind hit .312 with seven home runs and 50 runs batted in 70 games for the Low-A

Auburn Doubledays The Auburn Doubledays are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) that is located in Auburn, New York. From 1958 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) ...

. He was promoted to the High-A

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...

in 2005, where he batted .313 with 12 home runs and 84 RBI in 126 games played.

2006–2008

Lind was a September call-up for the Blue Jays in 2006, and his first major league hit, a double, came on September 2 against

Lenny DiNardo Leonard Edward DiNardo (born September 19, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 through 2009, with the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, and Kansas City Royals. Listed at ...

of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. He hit his first major league career home run on September 10 against the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

off fellow rookie

Jered Weaver Jered David Weaver (born October 4, 1982) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres. Weaver was drafted in the first round (12th overall ...

. In 18 games at the major league level in 2006, Lind hit .367 with two home runs and 8 RBI. In the minors that season, Lind batted .330 with 24 home runs and 89 RBI split between the Double-A

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major league club. During the team's first seas ...

and Triple-A

Syracuse SkyChiefs The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which open ...

. For his efforts in Double-A, he was named the 2006 Eastern League

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

. Lind was called up on April 13, 2007, from Syracuse to replace

Reed Johnson Reed Cameron Johnson (born December 8, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, and Washingt ...

, who was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

with a herniated disc in his back. Lind was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on July 7, 2007, when Johnson was activated from the disabled list. For the 2007 season, Lind had a .238 batting average with 11 homers and 46 RBI. After a poor start to the 2008 season, Lind was demoted to Triple-A. He subsequently hit .300 at the Triple-A level and earned a call-up again to the Blue Jays on June 21, 2008. After being recalled, Lind finished the 2008 season hitting .282 with nine homers and 40 RBI in 88 games.

2009–2010

In 2009, Lind was the

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

for the Blue Jays and drove in six runs against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, a Blue Jay Opening Day record, propelling the Jays to a 12–5 victory. He went on to tie the Blue Jays record of 11 RBI in five games to start the season, set by

Carlos Delgado Carlos Juan Delgado Hernández (born June 25, 1972) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball primarily as a first baseman, from 1993 to 2009, most prominently as a member of the Toronto ...

in 2001. Lind ended April with four homers, 20 RBIs and a .315 batting average in 23 games. In a game against the Texas Rangers on August 31, Lind hit a

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

, the first of his career, and had a career single-game high eight RBI. He became the second Blue Jay of the 2009 season (after

Lyle Overbay Lyle Stefan Overbay (born January 28, 1977) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees ...

) to win AL Player of the Week (for the week ending September 6), sharing the award with Tampa Bay's

Evan Longoria Evan Michael Longoria (born October 7, 1985), nicknamed "Longo", is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2008 through 2017, and the S ...

. On September 14, Lind drove in three runs to reach 100 RBIs on the season, becoming the first Blue Jay to do so since

Troy Glaus Troy Edward Glaus (; born August 3, 1976) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and third baseman. Glaus played in Major League Baseball with the Anaheim Angels (–), Arizona Diamondbacks (), Toronto Blue Jays (–), St. Lou ...

and

Vernon Wells Vernon Michael Wells III (born December 8, 1978) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the New York Yankees. Wells ...

in 2006. The next day, Lind hit his 30th home run of the season, joining teammate Aaron Hill with thirty or more home runs. On September 29, 2009, Lind hit three home runs in a game against the

. He finished the 2009 season with a .305 batting average, 35 home runs, 114 RBI, 46 doubles, and 179 hits. Lind won the Edgar Martinez Award as the outstanding DH for the 2009 season on December 15, 2009. He became the third Jay to win the award. Previous Jays to win the award were

Dave Winfield David Mark Winfield (born October 3, 1951) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder. He is the special assistant to the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Over his 22-year career, he playe ...

and

Paul Molitor Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, 1956), nicknamed "Molly" and "the Ignitor", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and former manager of the Minnesota Twins, who is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. During his 21-year baseball car ...

. Lind also received the American League

for designated hitter. On April 3, 2010, Lind signed a four-year contract extension with the Blue Jays. He would earn $400,000 in the 2010 season, with a $600,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

, and $5 million per season for 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Blue Jays also had the right to exercise yearly club options of $7 million for 2014 (or buy out the contract for $2 million), $7.5 million for 2015 (or $1.5 million

buyout In finance, a buyout is an investment transaction by which the ownership equity of a company, or a majority share of the stock of the company is acquired. The acquiror thereby "buys out" the present equity holders of the target company. A buyout ...

), and $8 million for 2016 (or $500,000 buyout).

2011–2012

On Opening Day of the 2011 season, Lind hit his first home run of the season, back-to-back with

José Bautista José Antonio Bautista Santos (born October 19, 1980), nicknamed "Joey Bats", is a Dominican special advisor for the general manager of the Leones del Escogido and former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman. He played in Majo ...

. On May 17, Lind was placed on the 15-day disabled list for "lower back stiffness", retroactive to May 8. On June 5, Lind made his return to the lineup against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

. He finished 0-for-3 with one walk. On August 13, Lind hit his 100th career home run (and his second

of the season) off

starter

. In 125 games with Toronto, Lind hit .251 with 26 home runs and 87 RBI. In 2012, in a game against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

on April 20, Lind recorded the first two outs of a

triple play In baseball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 733 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season. Th ...

, the first triple play by the Blue Jays since 1979, and the fourth in franchise history. On May 17, the Blue Jays optioned Lind to the Las Vegas 51s of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

Yan Gomes Yan Gomes (; ; born July 19, 1987) is a Brazilian-American professional baseball catcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals and Oakland Ath ...

was called up to replace Lind. Later that month, Lind was placed on outright waivers. This made it possible for another team to claim Lind and to become responsible for the remainder of his contract. Lind went unclaimed and on May 31, was removed from the Blue Jays

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

, allowing the team to select the contract of

Robert Coello Robert Coello (; born November 23, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and in the KBO League for the Ne ...

. On June 24, the Blue Jays recalled Lind from Triple-A. In 93 games with Toronto, Lind hit .255 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI.

2013–2014

Lind had a bounce back year for the Blue Jays in 2013. In 143 games, he hit .288 with 23 home runs and 67 RBI, while playing the majority of his games at first base. In 2014, Lind spent time on the disabled list due to a broken foot. He saw a reduction in his power numbers, but improved his batting average, finishing the season with a .321 batting average, six home runs, and 40 RBIs in 96 games.

Milwaukee Brewers

On November 1, 2014, Lind was traded to the

in exchange for pitcher Marco Estrada. He played in 149 games for the Brewers in 2015, and batted .277 with 20 home runs and 87 RBI. On November 3, the Brewers exercised their $8 million option on Lind for the 2016 season.

Seattle Mariners

On December 9, 2015, the Brewers traded Lind to the

in exchange for minor leaguers Carlos Herrera, Daniel Missaki, and

Freddy Peralta Freddy Peralta Diaz (born June 4, 1996) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Early life Freddy Peralta was born in Moca, Dominican Republic, on June 4, 1996, to Pedro Peralta and ...

. During the 2016 season, Lind played in 126 games for the Mariners, batting .239 with 20 home runs and 58 RBI. Adam Lind on May 29, 2016

Washington Nationals

On February 15, 2017, Lind signed a one-year contract with the

. The contract included a mutual option for the 2018 season. In his first at bat, pinch hitting for

Stephen Strasburg Stephen James Strasburg (; born July 20, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Strasburg was selected by Washington with the first overall pick in the 2009 Major League ...

, Lind hit a two-run home run on April 3. Lind batted .303 with 14 home runs and 59 RBI while appearing in 116 games for the Nationals during the 2017 regular season. Lind made his postseason debut in the

2017 National League Division Series The 2017 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams of the 2017 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1–3) and a fourth team—the winner of a one ...

, playing in three games during the 3–2 series loss to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

; he had two hits in three pinch hitting at bats.

New York Yankees

On March 2, 2018, Lind signed a minor league contract with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

, receiving a non-roster invitation to spring training. He was released by the Yankees on March 14, and re-signed with the Yankees on April 18, and released again on May 25. Lind appeared in eight games for the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Tampa Tarpons The Tampa Tarpons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Tampa, Florida. The Tarpons play their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is ...

, batting .429, and 16 games for the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

, batting .241.

Boston Red Sox

On June 2, 2018, Lind signed a minor league contract with the

. In 46 games with the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

, he batted .216 with eight home runs and 32 RBI. The Red Sox released Lind on August 1, 2018.

Personal life

Lind is

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. His wife, Lakeyshia Bertie, is originally from

Richmond Hill, Ontario Richmond Hill (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 202,022) is a city in south-central Regional Municipality of York, York Region, Ontario, Canada. Part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is the York Region's third most populous municipality and th ...

; the couple met while Lind was playing for the Blue Jays in 2007, and they were married in a Catholic ceremony on November 13, 2010, in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. She gave birth to their first daughter in September 2011. A son, their second child, was born on April 25, 2013. His nickname is "Adam Bomb."

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lind, Adam 1983 births Living people Toronto Blue Jays players Milwaukee Brewers players Seattle Mariners players Washington Nationals players South Alabama Jaguars baseball players Auburn Doubledays players Dunedin Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Las Vegas 51s players Pawtucket Red Sox players Peoria Saguaros players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Syracuse Chiefs players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Tampa Tarpons players Wareham Gatemen players Baseball players from Indiana American expatriate baseball players in Canada Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball designated hitters Sportspeople from Anderson, Indiana Sportspeople from Muncie, Indiana Silver Slugger Award winners Catholics from Indiana