Jarrod Dyson
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Jarrod Martel Dyson (born August 15, 1984) is an 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 ...
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 is a free agent. He has 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
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
,
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) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
,
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
. Dyson was drafted by the Royals in the 50th round with the 1,475th pick of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft out of
Southwest Mississippi Community College Southwest Mississippi Community College is a public community college in Summit, Mississippi. History The college was officially started in 1908 as an agricultural high school. The Pike County Agricultural High School opened on September 3, 1918, ...
. He made his MLB debut on September 7, 2010.


Amateur career

Born and raised in
McComb, Mississippi McComb is a city in Pike County, Mississippi, United States. The city is approximately south of Jackson. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 12,790. It is the principal city of the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statist ...
, Dyson attended
McComb High School McComb High School is a public school in McComb, Mississippi, United States, serving 740 students in grades 912, as of 2017. Athletics McComb High School offers multiple sports, including baseball, football, and basketball. Notable alumni * Woo ...
, where he starred in baseball and
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
as a
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
. At McComb, Dyson earned All-Division honors but was passed over by most scouts due to his slight stature. Dyson later attended
Southwest Mississippi Community College Southwest Mississippi Community College is a public community college in Summit, Mississippi. History The college was officially started in 1908 as an agricultural high school. The Pike County Agricultural High School opened on September 3, 1918, ...
. At Southwest, Dyson tied the single-season record with seven triples and set a record with 47 runs.


Professional career


Minor League career

Dyson was drafted by the Royals in the 50th round, 1,475th overall, of the 2006 amateur draft. He signed with the team for $5,000. Dyson began his professional career that year, playing for the AZL Royals and hitting .273 with no home runs and 19 stolen bases in 51 games. He played in 10 games in 2007, all for the
Burlington Bees The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Basebal ...
, hitting .270. He spent 2008 with the
Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. ...
, hitting .260 with 39 stolen bases in 93 games. He split the 2009 season between the Bees (17 games) and
Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The ...
(63 games), hitting a combined .276 with 46 stolen bases. He began 2010 in the minor leagues, splitting the season between the AZL Royals, Blue Rocks, Naturals and
Omaha Royals Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...
. He hit .299 with 24 stolen bases in 71 games.


Kansas City Royals


2010

Dyson was first called up to the major leagues in September 2010, joining the Royals and getting some playing time in center field. He played in 18 games and hit .211/.286/.404 with nine stolen bases in 57 at-bats. He made the team out of spring training in 2011, and took on the role of a pinch running specialist. He was regarded as one of the faster outfielders in the game.


2011

With Melky Cabrera having a breakout season in center field, Dyson spent the majority of the season in Triple-A. When in the Major Leagues, he served as a late-inning pinch runner for Billy Butler and
Brayan Peña Brayan Eduardo Peña (born January 7, 1982) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball catcher. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis ...
. Dyson hit .205/.308/.227 in 44 at-bats, stealing 11 bases. In the minors, he hit .279 with 38 stolen bases in 83 minor league games that year.


2012

The Royals originally had
Lorenzo Cain Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
as their starting center fielder, however Dyson gained significant playing time as a result of injuries to Cain. In 102 games, Dyson finished the 2012 season with 76 hits in 292 at-bats leading to a .260 batting average. He also had nine RBI, eight doubles, five triples, 30 walks, 52 runs scored and 30 stolen bases, further highlighting his speed and baserunning talent. He spent 15 games with the minor league Omaha Storm Chasers that year as well, hitting .333 with seven stolen bases.


2013

In 2013, Dyson set a career best with 34 steals and had a
slash line S sabermetrics :Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. The term is derived from the SABR – the Society for American Baseball Research. The term was coined by Bill James, an e ...
of .258/.326/.366.


2014

In spring training in 2014, Dyson tied for the major league lead in stolen bases with 10, while not being caught once. He finished the regular season tied for third in the American League with 36 steals. He was often used as a late inning pinch runner and defensive substitute, taking over in center field while Lorenzo Cain would shift to right field taking the place of
Norichika Aoki is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Toro ...
. He played in a career high 120 games and had career highs in batting average (.269) and RBIs (24) at the time. His .269 batting average stands as his second-best total in a year.


2015

On January 28, 2015, the
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
and Dyson avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract for $1.225 million. Dyson, who was expected to be the Royals' fourth outfielder, could also make $25,000 for reaching 350 plate appearances and $50,000 if he was chosen for the All-Star Game. He batted a slash line of .250/.311/.380. In 2015, Dyson played an important role in the
2015 World Series The 2015 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 season. The 111th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion New York Mets and the American Leag ...
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 ...
. The Royals were up 3 games to 1 in the fifth game of the World Series. In the 12th Inning, the Royals and Mets were tied at two runs each. After a single to right field, Dyson, known for his speed, pinch ran for Salvador Perez. Dyson proceeded to steal 2nd base. When
Alex Gordon Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...
grounded out to first, Dyson got to third base. Then,
Christian Colón Christian Anthony Colón (born May 14, 1989) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, and Cincinnati Reds. Career Colón attended Midway Hi ...
singled to left allowing Dyson to reach home plate giving the Royals their first lead of the game. The Royals would finish the inning with a total of five runs, winning the game 7-2 and becoming the
2015 World Series The 2015 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 season. The 111th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion New York Mets and the American Leag ...
Champions.


2016

Prior to the start of the 2016 season, Dyson and
Paulo Orlando Paulo Roberto Orlando (; born November 1, 1985) is a Brazilian professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals. He represented Brazil at the 2013 World Basebal ...
were considered most likely to platoon in right field, though the Royals announced plans for an open competition in spring training. On July 18, Dyson hit a grand slam against the
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 ...
. It was the first of his career. That year, he played in 107 games with 83 hits across 299 at-bats. Of those, 14 were doubles and 8 were triples, each being the highest totals of his career in a year. He batted a slash line of .278/.340/.388 and stole 30 bases.


Seattle Mariners

On January 6, 2017, Dyson was traded 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) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
for
Nate Karns Nathan Alan Karns (born November 25, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and Baltimore Orioles. ...
. On September 11, 2017, it was announced that Dyson would undergo pelvic surgery, ending his season. In 111 games of 2017, Dyson finished with 28 stolen bases, a .251 batting average, 5 home runs, and 30 RBI.


Arizona Diamondbacks


2018

On February 19, 2018, the
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
signed Dyson for two years and $7.5 million. His first season with Arizona proved to be difficult, as he had multiple stints on the disabled list and hit a career-low .189 with a .282 OBP and a .257 slugging percentage in 67 games. He was ruled out for the season on September 6.


2019

In 2019 he batted .230/.313/.320 in 400 at-bats.


Pittsburgh Pirates

On February 13, 2020, Dyson signed a one-year, $2 million contract with 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 ...
.


Chicago White Sox

On August 28, 2020, Dyson was traded to 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 ...
in exchange for international signing bonus pool money. In the 2020 season, between the two teams Dyson batted .180/.231/.180 with no home runs and five RBIs in 61 at bats.


Kansas City Royals (Second Stint)

On March 2, 2021, Dyson signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
. Dyson played in 77 games for the Royals in 2021, hitting .221 with no home runs and 10 RBI's, along with 8 stolen bases.


Toronto Blue Jays

On August 27, 2021, Dyson was claimed off of waivers by the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
. He elected free agency on November 7, 2021.


Personal life

Dyson has three older brothers, one younger brother and a younger sister, and was raised by Cecilia, his mother. The family lived in
public housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...
until he was eight years old. In January 2016, the city of
McComb, Mississippi McComb is a city in Pike County, Mississippi, United States. The city is approximately south of Jackson. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 12,790. It is the principal city of the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statist ...
, announced it was renaming one of its streets Dyson Drive to honor him.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dyson, Jarrod 1984 births African-American baseball players Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Royals players Baseball players from Mississippi Burlington Bees players Chicago White Sox players Kansas City Royals players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Living people Major League Baseball outfielders Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Royals players Omaha Storm Chasers players People from McComb, Mississippi Pittsburgh Pirates players Seattle Mariners players Senadores de San Juan players Southwest Mississippi Community College alumni Surprise Rafters players Toronto Blue Jays players Wilmington Blue Rocks players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people