Brent Stuart Lillibridge (born September 18, 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 ...

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

. 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

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) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

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 p ...

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 ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

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

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 ...

. He was known for his versatile playing skills and defensive prowess in the outfield. As a

, he started at every position except pitcher and catcher in his career.

Amateur career

Lillibridge attended

Henry M. Jackson High School Henry M. Jackson High School is a public high school in Mill Creek, Washington, United States. Named after the late Henry M. Jackson, an Everett native and former U.S. Senator, the school opened on September 7, 1994, as the third high school in ...

Mill Creek, Washington Mill Creek is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located between the cities of Everett and Lynnwood, approximately northeast of Seattle. The city has a population of 20,926 as of the 2020 census. The city lies along ...

. Lillibridge played for the

Washington Huskies baseball The Washington Huskies baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of the University of Washington, located in Seattle, Washington, United States. The program has been a member of the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference since the star ...

program for three seasons, where he was named to the All-Pac-10 Conference Team for three straight seasons. In 2004, he 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

Harwich Mariners The Harwich Mariners are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Harwich, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Mariners play their home games at Whitehouse Fiel ...

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 ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

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 ...

selected Lillibridge in the fourth round, with the 121st overall selection, of the

2005 MLB draft The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best ...

Atlanta Braves

On January 17, 2007, the Pirates traded Lillibridge with

Mike Gonzalez Michael Vela Gonzalez (born May 23, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, and Mil ...

to the

for

Adam LaRoche David Adam LaRoche (born November 6, 1979) is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, ...

and

Jamie Romak James Robert Romak (born September 30, 1985) is a Canadian former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama D ...

. Lillibridge began the season in Triple-A for the

Richmond Braves The Richmond Braves were an American minor league baseball club based in Richmond, Virginia, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 2008. Owned by the parent Atlanta club and colloquially referred to as the ...

. He played 19 games and batted .195 with one

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

before his contract was purchased on April 26, 2008. He made his major league debut on that same day against 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 ...

and had four

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s and

struck out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denot ...

three times. He doubled for his first major league hit on June 25, 2008 at Toronto. On July 12, 2008 in a game against 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 ...

Petco Park Petco Park is a baseball stadium in Downtown San Diego, California. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres, and has also been used as a venue for concerts, soccer, golf, and rugby. The ballpark is located between Se ...

, Lillibridge hit his first major league home run against relief pitcher

Joe Thatcher Joseph Andrew Thatcher (born October 4, 1981) is an American college baseball coach and former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim an ...

Chicago White Sox

On December 4, 2008, the Braves traded Lillibridge,

Tyler Flowers Cole Tyler Flowers (born January 24, 1986) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Flowers was drafted by the Braves in the 33rd round of the 2005 MLB draft. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox from 20 ...

, Jon Gilmore, and Santos Rodriguez to the

for Javier Vázquez and

Boone Logan Boone Logan (born August 13, 1984) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, and Milwauke ...

. On April 11, 2011, Lillibridge hit a fifth-inning

off

Dallas Braden Dallas Lee Braden (born August 13, 1983) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from to as a member of the Oakland Athletics and, wher ...

. It was the 10,000th home run hit in the 112-year history of White Sox baseball. Lillibridge garnered media coverage after he made two back-to-back, game-saving and game-ending defensive catches while playing right field on April 26, 2011. The catches comprised the two final outs of a game played against the

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

and resulted in the White Sox getting the victory.

Boston Red Sox

On June 24, 2012, Lillibridge was traded to the

with

Zach Stewart Zachary Robert Stewart (born September 28, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Red Sox, and in the KBO League for the NC Dino ...

for

Kevin Youkilis Kevin Edmund Youkilis (; born March 15, 1979), nicknamed "Youk" , is an American former professional baseball first baseman and third baseman, who primarily played for the Boston Red Sox. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he was drafted by the Red S ...

and cash. The Red Sox designated him for assignment on July 16.

Cleveland Indians

Lillibridge was traded by Boston to the

on July 24, for minor league pitcher José De La Torre. On November 20, 2012, Lillibridge was assigned outright to the Indians Triple-A affiliate

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

. Lillibridge declined the assignment to Columbus and was granted free agency on November 26.

Chicago Cubs

On January 10, 2013, Lillibridge signed a minor league contract with the

. On March 31, the Cubs added Lillibridge to their major league active roster. He was designated for assignment on April 16, 2013. On April 19, Lillibridge cleared waivers, and was assigned to the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

of the

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 ...

New York Yankees

On June 21, 2013, Lillibridge was traded to the

for cash considerations. The Yankees promoted Lillibridge to the major leagues when they placed

Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees ...

on the disabled list on July 19. He was designated for assignment to make room for the activation of

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

on August 5. He was outrighted from the 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A on August 9. He declared free agency on October 1.

Texas Rangers

Lillibridge signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on December 12, 2013. He was assigned to the minor league camp on March 22, 2014 failing to make the Rangers' opening day roster. He became a free agent after the 2014 season and had chosen to retire by the start of the 2015 season.

Personal life

Lillibridge is married to Stephanie, with whom he has three children. Lillibridge is a Christian, and his invitation to baseball player

Steven Souza Steven Jeffrey Souza Jr. (born April 24, 1989) is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodg ...

to attend church with him led to Souza becoming baptized.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lillibridge, Brent 1983 births Living people Atlanta Braves players Baseball players at the 2003 Pan American Games Baseball players from Washington (state) Boston Red Sox players Charlotte Knights players Chicago Cubs players Chicago White Sox players Cleveland Indians players Harwich Mariners players Hickory Crawdads players Iowa Cubs players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball shortstops Mississippi Braves players New York Yankees players Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Richmond Braves players Round Rock Express players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Sportspeople from Everett, Washington United States national baseball team players Washington Huskies baseball players Williamsport Crosscutters players Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games