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Anthony Joseph Alford (born July 20, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the KT Wiz of the KBO League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
.


High school and college

Alford attended
Petal High School The Petal School District is a public school district based in Petal, Mississippi (USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, pr ...
in Mississippi, where he was the quarterback of the
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team in addition to playing baseball. As a senior, he recorded 2,058 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns, in addition to 1,731 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns, and played in the
U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...
. In the same year, he batted .483 with four home runs and stole 14 bases in 14 attempts. Alford attended University of Southern Mississippi, where he played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
. In the 2012 season, he contributed to the team as the starting quarterback in only five games due in part to a suspension for getting into a fight on campus. He was a dual-threat quarterback with the Golden Eagles. In the 2012 season, he was 57-of-127 for 664 yards and two touchdowns through the air. He had 105 carries for 329 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Due to a coaching change at Southern Miss and his ineffectiveness at quarterback, Alford transferred to the University of Mississippi where he also struggled.


Professional career


Toronto Blue Jays

Alford was projected as a first-round talent going into the
2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...
, but made it clear that his intention was to continue playing football, leading many teams to pass over him due to signability concerns. The Toronto Blue Jays drafted Alford in the third round, 112th overall. He signed a contract with Toronto which paid him a $750,000 bonus and allowed him to attend university to play
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, and then play baseball in the summer. Alford made his professional baseball debut as a member of the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays in 2012 and played in five games, where he hit .167 with one home run and four
stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
s. Following the baseball season, he began attending the University of Southern Mississippi as a member of the football team, but transferred to the University of Mississippi after one year following an on-campus fight. Alford played six games in the Gulf Coast League in 2013, batting .227 with two RBI and two stolen bases. Due to NCAA transfer rules, he was not allowed to play football for the
Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893. Originally known as th ...
in 2013. The following year, Alford played nine games for the Bluefield Blue Jays of the
Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...
and was then promoted to the Class-A Lansing Lugnuts for five games. In total, he batted .259 with two home runs, five RBI, and five stolen bases. He was relegated to a backup safety role for the Rebels in 2014, and made just six tackles in four games. On September 30, 2014, it was announced that Alford was leaving Ole Miss to join the Blue Jays organization full-time, and planning on attending their fall instructional league before playing in the Australian Baseball League. He would go on to play 36 games with the Canberra Cavalry, and batted .200 with three home runs, eight RBI, and seven stolen bases. Alford opened the 2015 season with the Lansing Lugnuts. On June 5, he was named a Midwest League midseason All-Star. At that time, Alford led the league with a .446 on-base percentage. He was promoted to the Advanced-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, ...
on June 25, and played the remainder of the season there. Alford played in 107 total games in 2015, and batted .298 with four home runs, 35 RBI, and 27 stolen bases. He was invited to Major League spring training on January 12, 2016, and reassigned to minor league camp on March 12. Alford was assigned to the Dunedin Blue Jays to open the 2016 minor league season. On June 10, Alford suffered a concussion after colliding with a teammate in the outfield, and needed to be stretchered off the field. He returned from injury on June 22. Alford struggled in 2016, batting at or near the
Mendoza Line The Mendoza Line is baseball jargon for a sub-.200 batting average, the supposed minimum threshold for competence at the Major League level. It derives from light-hitting shortstop Mario Mendoza, who failed to reach .200 five times in his nine b ...
for the first half of the year. Near the end of July, he appeared to find his stroke, raising his season batting average to a high of .249 on August 16. He finished the season with a .236 average, nine home runs, 44 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. After the 2016 season, the Blue Jays assigned Alford to the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League. On October 31, Alford was named an AFL All-Star. The Blue Jays added him to their 40-man roster after the season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Alford appeared in 23 games for Mesa during the Fall League season, and hit .253 with three home runs and 15 RBI. He was named an AFL Rising Star at the end of the season. Alford took part in 2017 Major League spring training, and was praised by manager
John Gibbons John Michael Gibbons (born June 8, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and former manager of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Gibbons briefly played in the Major Leagues as a catcher with the New York Me ...
for the improvements he had made over the past year. On March 17, he was assigned to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Prior to the start of the season, Alford was ranked third on Major League Baseball's 2017 Top 30 Blue Jays prospects list, and 70th on the Top 100 MLB prospects list. In 33 games with New Hampshire, Alford hit .325 with three home runs, 11 RBI, and nine stolen bases before being called up to the majors.


Major leagues

On May 19, 2017, Alford was called up by the Blue Jays. He started in left field and batted eighth, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout in his debut against the Baltimore Orioles. In Toronto's 4–3 victory over the
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 ...
on May 23, Alford was called on to pinch-hit in the seventh inning and recorded a
double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...
for the first hit of his career. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a fractured wrist the next day. After recovering from the injury, Alford was optioned to Double-A New Hampshire. He earned a late season promotion to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, where he finished the 2017 season. In 77 minor league games, Alford hit .299 with five home runs, 29 RBI, and 19 stolen bases. In January 2018, ''
Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
'' ranked Alford as the third-best Blue Jays prospect, and 60th overall in baseball. He was recalled by the Blue Jays on May 5, 2018, and optioned back to Buffalo on May 13. On September 23, 2019, in bottom of the 15th inning, Alford hit his first major league home run to give Toronto an 11–10 victory over the Orioles. On August 20, 2020, Alford was designated for assignment.


Pittsburgh Pirates

On August 27, 2020, Alford was claimed off waivers by the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
. He homered in his first start as a Pirate. On September 5, 2020, Alford suffered a fractured right elbow after crashing into the outfield wall attempting to catch a
Tucker Barnhart Tucker Jackson Barnhart (born January 7, 1991) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He made his MLB debut in ...
home run in a game against the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
. The next day Alford was placed on the injured list and missed the remainder of the season. On April 21, 2021, Alford was designated for assignment following the waiver claim of Ka'ai Tom after getting off to a .083/.241/.083 start to the season with no home runs or RBI. On April 25, Alford was outrighted to the alternate training site. On August 7, 2021, Alford's contract was selected by the Pirates. He was designated for assignment on April 24, 2022. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A
Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...
on April 29. Alford elected free agency on May 1.


Cleveland Guardians

On May 3, 2022, Alford signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Guardians.


KT Wiz

On May 25, 2022, Alford signed a one-year, $577,000 contract with the KT Wiz of the KBO League. On December 8, 2022, Alford re-signed a one-year contract for the 2023 season worth $1.1 million.


References


External links

*
Southern Miss Golden Eagles profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alford, Anthony 1994 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American football quarterbacks Baseball players from Mississippi Bluefield Blue Jays players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Canberra Cavalry players Charros de Jalisco players Dunedin Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Lansing Lugnuts players Major League Baseball outfielders New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Ole Miss Rebels football players People from Columbia, Mississippi Pittsburgh Pirates players Southern Miss Golden Eagles football players Toronto Blue Jays players Indianapolis Indians players American expatriate baseball players in Australia 21st-century African-American sportspeople Bradenton Marauders players