Alexander Crawford Presley (born July 25, 1985) is an American former

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)

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, and Detroit Tigers from 2010 to 2017.

Early and personal life

Presley was born on July 25, 1985, in Monroe, Louisiana. He graduated from

Neville High School Neville High School is a high school in Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is administered by the Monroe City Schools Board. It is located 1/2 mile from the Ouachita River. Its mascot is the Tiger. Academics Neville offers a wide variety of aca ...

and attended the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

. In 2005, he played collegiate summer baseball for the

Chatham A's The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Presley was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 8th round (230th overall) of the 2006 MLB Draft. Presley started his professional career with the

Williamsport Crosscutters The Williamsport Crosscutters are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. From 1994 to 2020, they were ...

in 2006. He played for the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

in 2007. Presley spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons with the

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinna ...

. Presley was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on September 8, 2010, and made his MLB debut the same day, getting his first major league hit off

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

pitcher Cristhian Martínez. He started the 2011 season with the Pirates' AAA team, the Indianapolis Indians. Presley was leading the Indians with a .336 batting average with eight home runs and 36 RBI when he was called up to MLB Pittsburgh on June 27, 2011. His .336 batting average was also the third-best in the International League at the time of his call up. Presley hit his first home run on June 27, 2010, against Billy Buckner of the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

, and also posted the Indians first-ever cycle on the same day. On April 7, 2012, Presley hit his first walk-off hit—an infield single off of

Joe Blanton Joseph Matthew Blanton (born December 11, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kansas City Royals, Pi ...

in the 10th inning, scoring

Michael McKenry Michael Charles McKenry (born March 4, 1985), nicknamed "The Fort", is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. High schoo ...

to give the Pirates a 2-1 win over the Phillies. Presley went 2-for-5 in the game. Alex Presley on June 12, 2012 (2)

Presley was recalled by the Pirates from Indianapolis on May 31, 2013. He had a game-winning, walk-off single against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 30, 2013, giving the Pirates the division lead.

Minnesota Twins

On August 31, 2013, Presley was traded to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for

Justin Morneau Justin Ernest George Morneau (born May 15, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago White Sox. At and , ...

Houston Astros

On March 27, 2014, Presley was claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros. In 89 appearances for the Astros, Presley batted .244 to go along with 6 home runs and 19 RBIs. On November 18, 2014, the Astros resigned Presley on a 1-year contract. He was designated for assignment on April 1, 2015, but had his contract purchased on July 2, 2015. He was designated for assignment again on July 18.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 14, 2015, Presley signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Presley was one of nine players competing to be the Brewers center fielder for the 2016 season. On April 2, 2016, Presley was informed he would not make the Brewers Opening Day roster and was subsequently optioned to the minors. On April 21, 2016, Presley had his contract purchased by the Brewers. Presley was released after he rejected an outright assignment.

Detroit Tigers

On August 18, 2016, the Tigers purchased Presley's contract from the Triple-A

. On December 19, 2016, Presley signed a minor league contract with the Tigers that included an invitation to spring training. On May 28, 2017, the Tigers again purchased Presley's contract from Toledo and added him to the starting lineup that day. Presley enjoyed a strong season with the 2017 Tigers, hitting .314 in 71 games while playing all three outfield positions. He was outrighted to Triple-A on November 2, 2017, and elected free agency on November 7.

Baltimore Orioles

On February 19, 2018, Presley signed a minor league contract with 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) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. He was released on May 18, 2018.

Chicago White Sox

On May 23, 2018, Presley signed a minor league deal with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. He was assigned to the Class AAA

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

. He was released by the White Sox on June 29, 2018

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Presley, Alex 1985 births Living people Altoona Curve players Baseball players from Louisiana Bradenton Marauders players Charlotte Knights players Chatham Anglers players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Detroit Tigers players Fresno Grizzlies players Hickory Crawdads players Houston Astros players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Lynchburg Hillcats players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball outfielders Milwaukee Brewers players Minnesota Twins players North Shore Honu players Ole Miss Rebels baseball players Pittsburgh Pirates players Sportspeople from Monroe, Louisiana Toledo Mud Hens players Tri-City ValleyCats players Williamsport Crosscutters players