Freddie Lee Bynum Jr. (born March 15, 1980) 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 ...
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
and
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 cat ...
. 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 ...
,
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
, and
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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
. Bynum also played 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 ...
for
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 ...
.
Career
Oakland Athletics
Bynum was selected by the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
in the second round (60th overall) of the 2000 MLB draft. He made his major league debut with the A's on August 30, 2005, where he entered the game as a pinch runner in the tenth inning before moving to left field. Bynum played in seven games with Oakland in 2005, batting .286 with an RBI.
Chicago Cubs
On March 31, 2006, the Cubs acquired Bynum from the A's in a three-way deal. The Cubs traded pitcher
John Koronka
John Vincent Koronka (born July 3, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, and Florida Marlins. He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) ...
to the
Texas Rangers, while the Rangers sent pitcher
Juan Dominguez to the A's to complete the deal.
Baltimore Orioles
![AAAA4008 Freddie Bynum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/AAAA4008_Freddie_Bynum.jpg)
On December 6, 2006, Bynum was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later, who became
Kevin Hart
Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums.
After winning se ...
.
He was designated for assignment by the Orioles on June 22, 2008, and was sent outright to the minors a few days later. However, he was recalled by the Orioles on July 1. He was sent outright to the minors once again on July 19.
Washington Nationals
On December 13, 2008, Bynum signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
and received an invitation to spring training.
Chicago White Sox
Bynum signed a minor league contract 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 p ...
on December 13, 2009, but was released early on in Spring Training.
Orix Buffaloes
Upon his release from the White Sox, Bynum was signed by 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 ...
of the Japanese Baseball League in February 2010.
St. Louis Cardinals
On January 19, 2011, Bynum signed a minor league deal with the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
.
Somerset Patriots
On April 26, 2012, Bynum signed with the
Somerset Patriots
The Somerset Patriots are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, that is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League, known as the Double-A Northeast in 2021, and ...
of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...
. He became a free agent after the season.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bynum, Freddie
1980 births
Living people
Baseball players from North Carolina
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in Japan
Major League Baseball left fielders
Major League Baseball second basemen
Major League Baseball shortstops
Oakland Athletics players
Chicago Cubs players
Baltimore Orioles players
Chicago White Sox players
Orix Buffaloes players
African-American baseball players
People from Wilson, North Carolina
Vancouver Canadians players
Modesto A's players
Visalia Oaks players
Midland RockHounds players
Sacramento River Cats players
Iowa Cubs players
Frederick Keys players
Pitt Bulldogs baseball players
Delmarva Shorebirds players
Bowie Baysox players
Norfolk Tides players
Gulf Coast Nationals players
Harrisburg Senators players
Syracuse Chiefs players
Memphis Redbirds players
Somerset Patriots players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people