Bobby Leon Scales (born October 4, 1977) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

second baseman. A

switch hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers. Characteristics Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...

who throws

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

, Scales played for the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

and was selected by the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

in the 14th round (442nd overall) of the

1999 Major League Baseball Draft The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999. A total of 1474 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections ...

on June 11, 1999. While at Michigan, he played for the

Corvallis Knights The Corvallis Knights, founded as the Aloha Knights, are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Corvallis, Oregon. Founded in 1990 in Beaverton by Dan and his brother Joe Segel, the Knights moved to Corvallis from Gresham in 2007. They p ...

in the

West Coast League The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCB ...

, an independent summer collegiate league. He 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

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 ...

and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

and the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

Playing career

Minor league career

Within three years of being drafted by the Padres organization, Scales was discouraged from lack of play and even planned to quit; but infield coach Tony Franklin talked him into staying. That same season when

Bernie Castro Bernabel "Bernie" Castro (born July 14, 1979) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He played two major league seasons, one each with the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles. Career The New York Yankees signed Castro as an in ...

, the top prospect starting ahead of Scales got injured, he finally got his chance to start. Signed by the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

to a minor league contract on January 11, 2006, Scales played the 2006 season with the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons 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 affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

. 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 ...

organization signed him to a minor league contract on December 20, 2006, and invited him to participate in the Red Sox' 2007

Spring Training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. In , Scales played for the Chicago Cubs organization and became a free agent at the end of the season. In January , he re-signed with the Cubs.

Major league career

He was called up to the Cubs major league team on May 4, 2009, after

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

Carlos Zambrano Carlos Alberto Zambrano Matos (born June 1, 1981), nicknamed "Big Z" or "El Toro", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2001 to 2012 for the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins. Zambrano ...

was put on the 15-Day

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 ...

. He made his Major League debut, starting at second base, at the age of 31 on May 5 against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

, a game in which he recorded his first Major League hit against

Tim Lincecum Timothy Leroy Lincecum ( ; born June 15, 1984), nicknamed "The Freak", "The Franchise", "The Freaky Franchise" and "Big Time Timmy Jim", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San ...

, winner of the 2008 National League

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall ...

. He scored his first Major League run later that inning when Sean Marshall singled. On May 8, 2009, Scales hit his first Major League triple off of

Dave Bush David Thomas Bush (born November 9, 1979) is an American professional baseball coach and former pitcher. He is currently the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). The right-hander played in MLB (–; ) for the Tor ...

. On May 12, 2009, Scales hit his first major league home run off of

Edwin Moreno Edwin A. Moreno (born July 30, 1980) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. He is currently the pitching coach for the Peoria Chiefs. Career Texas Rangers On Februa ...

of the

. On May 14, to further his case to stay in the bigs, Scales hit two doubles while driving in four runs in the Cubs' win over the Padres. He recorded a six-game hit streak immediately after being called up, but that streak was lost on May 16. However, that same game, he scored the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

. On May 27, Aaron Miles was placed on the DL, and the team needed someone who could play backup shortstop and Scales was sent down to AAA Iowa Cubs. The next day, May 28, Scales was recalled from AAA Iowa because

Ryan Freel Ryan Paul Freel (March 8, 1976 – December 22, 2012) was an American professional baseball player. A utility player, Freel played second base, third base, and all three outfield positions in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicag ...

was placed on the disabled list. Scales then went on to hit a pinch hit home run in the bottom of the 8th off Dodgers pitcher Randy Wolf.

Japan

Scales signed with the

in Japan on June 27, 2011.

Return to Cubs

On January 27, 2012, Scales signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.

New York Mets

After leaving the Cubs, Scales signed a minor league contract with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

on April 1. On May 12 he was released by the Mets.

Japan again

After his departure from the Mets organization he signed with the

Post-playing career

On November 9, 2012, Scales was hired to be 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 ...

' director of player development. Scales was hired 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 ...

to be the organization's assistant fielding coordinator in 2019. In 2023 Scales was hired as a part-time analyst for road games on the

Detroit Tigers Radio Network The Detroit Tigers Radio Network is an American radio network composed of 49 radio stations which carry English-language coverage of the Detroit Tigers, a professional baseball team in Major League Baseball (MLB). Detroit's WXYT-FM (97.1 FM ...

Personal life

Bobby's wife Monica has a doctorate in health communication. In 2005 Scales was named the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

Community Player of the Year which highlighted the time and effort he put into helping the greater Portland community. He also is a substitute teacher at Milton High School in

Alpharetta, Georgia Alpharetta is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 US Census, Alpharetta's population was 65,818 The population in 2010 was 57,551. History In the 1830s, the Ch ...

during the offseason.Batting Around with Bobby Scales
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Scales, Bobby 1977 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs players Detroit Tigers announcers Fort Wayne Wizards players Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters players Idaho Falls Braves players Iowa Cubs players Lake Elsinore Storm players Major League Baseball broadcasters Michigan Wolverines baseball players Mobile BayBears players Orix Buffaloes players Pawtucket Red Sox players Portland Beavers players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Sportspeople from Southfield, Michigan Baseball players from Oakland County, Michigan