Christopher Matthew Tolbert (born May 4, 1982) is an American former

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), ...

infielder who played for the Minnesota Twins from 2008 to 2011. After graduating from Centreville Academy in 2000, Tolbert attended

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

for four years; he was later drafted by the

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) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

in 2003 and the Twins in 2004.

Early life

Christopher Matthew Tolbert was born on May 4, 1982, in McComb, Mississippi, and grew up in Woodville, Mississippi, about 1 hour north of Baton Rouge. Tolbert attended high school at Centreville Academy, where he played football and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

in addition to baseball. In 1998 and 1999, Tolbert's football team won back-to-back state football championships. During his senior season, Tolbert played

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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

and rushed for 2,561 yards on 326 carries. (Note: click "bio" for more information) After graduation in 2000, Tolbert played

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 ...

at the University of Mississippi in

Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is a city and college town in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Oxford lies 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, and is the county seat of Lafayette County. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British city of Ox ...

, for the Ole Miss Rebels. Tolbert spent his collegiate career playing

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 wh ...

and second base. He was named a Freshman

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n in 2002. The following season, Tolbert was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles, but did not sign with the team. In 2003 and 2004, 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

Bourne Braves The Bourne Braves are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Bourne, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Braves play their home games at Doran Park on the c ...

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 ...

. In the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, Tolbert was selected in the 16th round by the Minnesota Twins; he signed with the team on June 16, 2004.

Professional career

Minnesota Twins

Tolbert was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 16th Round (481st overall) of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. Tolbert got his first major league

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

on April 2, , in the 3rd inning off

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Joe Saunders Joseph Francis Saunders (born June 16, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Saunders pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and ...

. On April 11, 2008, Tolbert had his first career major league RBI against

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 ...

pitcher

Gil Meche Gilbert Allen Meche (; born September 8, 1978) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher. Meche pitched for the Seattle Mariners for six seasons. With the Kansas City Royals, Meche made three straight Opening Day starts an ...

. Following the Twins' 2009

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 ...

camp, Tolbert was optioned to the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

. On May 6, 2009, Tolbert was called up from Rochester and became the starting second basema

Tolbert hit his first major league home run on May 21, 2009, against 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 ...

Jimmy Gobble Billy James Gobble (born July 19, 1981) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who last played in the Colorado Rockies organization. High school career Gobble attended John S. Battle High School in Bristol, Virginia and started four years on t ...

. In the game, Tolbert went 3 for 6, scoring two runs and collecting 4 RBIs. Tolbert hit his second home run on September 22, 2009 against the Chicago White Sox's John Danks. On October 20, 2011, he became a free agent.

Chicago Cubs

On January 20, 2012, Tolbert signed with 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 ...

to a minor league deal.

Philadelphia Phillies

On February 6, 2013, Tolbert signed with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

to a minor league deal.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolbert, Matt 1982 births Living people Major League Baseball second basemen Baseball players from Mississippi Minnesota Twins players Elizabethton Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players New Britain Rock Cats players Rochester Red Wings players Gulf Coast Twins players Iowa Cubs players Ole Miss Rebels baseball players Bourne Braves players Clearwater Threshers players Florida Complex League Phillies players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Reading Fightin Phils players