Joseph Diego Gerut (born September 18, 1977) is a former Major League Baseball

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

who played for several teams between 2003 and 2010.

Amateur career

A native of Elmhurst, Illinois, Gerut attended Willowbrook High School, and later

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. In 1996 and 1997, 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 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 ...

and was named a league all-star in 1996.

Professional career

Drafted by the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

in the second round of the

1998 Major League Baseball Draft The 1998 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, 1998. A total of 1445 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections ...

, he was traded to the Indians with Josh Bard, for Jacob Cruz on June 2, . Gerut finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting and winning the

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

Rookie of the Year Award. In , Gerut's season ended when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Gerut was acquired by 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 ...

from the Indians on July 18, , in exchange for

Jason Dubois Jason Bradford Dubois (born March 26, 1979) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians. Dubois attended Virginia Commonwealth University, and in 1999 he played collegiate summer baseba ...

. On July 31, 2005, Gerut was acquired 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 ...

in exchange for fellow outfielder Matt Lawton. He played briefly for the Pirates in 2005, then did not play for them at all in 2006; on March 8, , the Pirates released Gerut and he did not play during that year. On January 21, , Gerut signed a minor league contract with an invitation to

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 ...

with the San Diego Padres. Gerut played very well in a starting role for the Padres during the 2008 season. He finished the year with a line of .296 batting average, .351 OBP, and .494 slugging percentage with 14 HR and 48 RBI mostly in center field. On April 13, 2009, he recorded the first hit and home run at Citi Field against the New York Mets on the third pitch off Mets starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey. Gerut became the first player in major league history to open a new ballpark with a leadoff homer. On May 21, 2009, Gerut was traded to the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

for outfielder

Tony Gwynn Jr. Anthony Keith Gwynn Jr. (born October 4, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Gwynn played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Philadelphia Phillies. T ...

On May 8, 2010, Gerut hit for the cycle, going 4 for 6 in the Brewers 17-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. On August 13, 2010, Gerut was unconditionally released by the

. On August 19, 2010, Gerut was signed to a minor league contract by the San Diego Padres. In 2010, he was chosen as the 12th-smartest athlete in sports by ''

''. On January 20, 2011, Gerut was signed to a minor league contract by the Seattle Mariners. On February 27, 2011, Gerut announced his retirement, citing his heart was no longer in the game, claiming he "didn't want to be a player that plays for only his paycheck."

Broadcasting career

On August 1, 2018, Gerut served as analyst for the Facebook Live broadcasting crew working the Indians-Twins game.

Notes

External links

Jody Gerut's Quick Look Baseball
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerut, Jody 1977 births Living people Cleveland Indians players Chicago Cubs players Pittsburgh Pirates players San Diego Padres players Milwaukee Brewers players African-American baseball players Baseball players from Chicago Major League Baseball outfielders People from Elmhurst, Illinois Stanford Cardinal baseball players Salem Avalanche players Carolina Mudcats players Akron Aeros players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Portland Beavers players Arizona League Brewers players Harwich Mariners players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Amateur career

Professional career

Broadcasting career

See also

Notes

External links