Desmond Lamont "Desi" Relaford (born September 16, 1973) 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 t ...
infielder and current manager of the
Danville Otterbots
The Danville Otterbots are a summer collegiate baseball team of the Appalachian League. They are located in Danville, Virginia, and play their home games at American Legion Field.
History Previous Danville teams
From 1993 to 2020, Danville, ...
. 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), ...
for the
Texas Rangers,
Colorado Rockies,
Kansas City Royals,
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) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
,
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 ...
,
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 penn ...
and
Philadelphia Phillies.
Career
Known more for his defense than his bat, his versatility was his trademark. Over the course of an 11-year major league career, he played every position in the field except first base and catcher; he pitched in one game for 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 ...
in which he recorded a perfect inning with a
strikeout and threw over 90 mph.
Relaford was traded twice during the 2001-2002 offseason, once with
Tsuyoshi Shinjo
, also known as , is a former Japanese professional baseball outfielder and current manager for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Born on January 28, 1972, Shinjo is the second Japanese-born position player ...
to 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 Y ...
for
Shawn Estes
Aaron Shawn Estes (born February 18, 1973) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.
High school
Estes attended Douglas High School in Minden, Nevada. As a senior in 1991, he was named Gatorade's Nevada State Baseball Player of the Year and fi ...
and again to the
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) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
for
David Bell.
Relaford signed a minor league deal with the Rangers on February 14, 2007. He competed with
Jerry Hairston Jr.
Jerry Wayne Hairston Jr. (born May 29, 1976) is an American former professional baseball infielder and outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers ...
,
Drew Meyer, and
Joaquin Arias for a spot as utility infielder during
spring training, but wound up starting the season in the minors. In early July, Relaford was called up to the Rangers after regular second baseman
Ian Kinsler
Ian Michael Kinsler ( he, איאן קינסלר; born June 22, 1982) is an American-Israeli former professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for ...
was placed on the
disabled list after suffering a stress fracture. Relaford was released after the season, and never played professionally after that.
On March 23, 2021, Relaford was named the manager for the
Danville Otterbots
The Danville Otterbots are a summer collegiate baseball team of the Appalachian League. They are located in Danville, Virginia, and play their home games at American Legion Field.
History Previous Danville teams
From 1993 to 2020, Danville, ...
of the new
Appalachian League.
Life beyond baseball
Relaford currently has a home in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
with his wife, Cassandra Sapphire Daley, whom he married in 2002. They have two children. Relaford is the founder of 6 Hole Records, a hip-hop record label based in Jacksonville.
Relaford is a graduate of Sandalwood High School.
Notes
Further reading
* Boite, Peter (April 18, 2001)
"Relaford Relishes Rare Start for Mets" ''New York Daily News''. p. 56
* Boite, Peter (May 18, 2001)
"Desi a Relief in Closing Nightmare" ''New York Daily News''. p. 80
* Everson, Darren (June 24, 2001)
"Bobbleheads! Mets Fall in 11; Collapse Wastes Desi's HR" ''New York Daily News''. p. 50
"New York Traffic is the Worst" ''Asheville Citizen-Times''. June 24, 2001. p. 31
* Quinn, T.J. (July 30, 2001). "Mets, Piazza Do as Desi Does; Little Things Set Up Big Blast". ''New York Daily News''. p.&nbs
4647* Caldera, Pete (August 23, 2001)
"Relaford delivers victory for the Mets" ''The Bergen Record''. p. S-5
* Gross, Andrew (August 23, 2001)
"Relaford Gives Mets Big Boost" ''The Journal News''. p. 46
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Relaford, Desi
1973 births
Living people
Philadelphia Phillies players
San Diego Padres players
New York Mets players
Seattle Mariners players
Kansas City Royals players
Colorado Rockies players
Texas Rangers players
African-American baseball players
Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state)
Major League Baseball infielders
Major League Baseball outfielders
Arizona League Mariners players
Peninsula Pilots players
Jacksonville Suns players
Riverside Pilots players
Port City Roosters players
Tacoma Rainiers players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players
Clearwater Phillies players
Omaha Royals players
Syracuse SkyChiefs players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Memphis Redbirds players
Oklahoma RedHawks players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople
Sandalwood High School alumni