Jason Joseph "J. J." Furmaniak (born July 31, 1979) is a former American 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 ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

, who played in the major leagues for 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 ...

and 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 ...

Early life and career

Furmaniak was born in

Bolingbrook, Illinois The village of Bolingbrook is a southwest suburb of Chicago in Will and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 73,922. As of 2010, it is the 17th largest incorporated place in Illinois and the sta ...

After graduating from

Bolingbrook High School Bolingbrook High School or The Brook is a public four-year high school located in Bolingbrook, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Bolingbrook High School is the second high school in the Valley View Community U ...

, Furmaniak attended college at

Lewis University Lewis University is a private Roman Catholic and Lasallian university in Romeoville, Illinois, United States. The enrollment is currently around 6,800 students. Lewis offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and programs of study, 22 graduate pro ...

in Romeoville, Illinois. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 22nd round of the

2000 Major League Baseball draft First round selections Compensation picks Background The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...

. He was a Minor League All-Star in 2000, 2003 and 2005. Furmaniak made his major league debut with the

on September 13, 2005, and played with the Pirates for the 2005 season. He played for the

during the 2007 Season. Furmaniak became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on October 7, , after refusing an outright assignment to the minors. He signed with the Yokohama BayStars of

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 ...

during the offseason, and played with the team for the 2008 season. On December 17, , Furmaniak signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He appeared in 118 games with the Phillies' AAA affiliate in 2009, hitting .230 with five home runs while driving in 48 runs. He later signed with the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

on February 4, 2010, as a free agent. Furmaniak played in the minors in 2010 and 2011.

Personal life

He is married to Jen Furmaniak and they have one son and one daughter together.

References

External links

*
J.J. Furmaniak hopes for a little more baseball heaven
1979 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baseball players from Illinois Fort Wayne Wizards players Idaho Falls Padres players Indianapolis Indians players Lake Elsinore Storm players Lewis Flyers baseball players Major League Baseball second basemen Mobile BayBears players Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen Nippon Professional Baseball second basemen Nippon Professional Baseball shortstops Oakland Athletics players People from Bolingbrook, Illinois Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Beavers players Sacramento River Cats players Sportspeople from Naperville, Illinois Yokohama BayStars players {{US-baseball-shortstop-stub

Early life and career

Personal life

References

Further reading

External links