Reginald "Reg" Jirod Jefferson (born September 25, 1968) is a former

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

who played for from 1991 to 1999 the Cincinnati Reds,

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 Fi ...

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) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

and the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

Playing career

Reggie attended Lincoln High School in Tallahassee; he was a three-sport star, lettering in baseball, basketball and football. He was traded in the winter of 1993 by Cleveland to Seattle for speedy

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 ...

Omar Vizquel Omar Enrique Vizquel González (; born April 24, 1967), nicknamed "Little O", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop. During his 24-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Vizquel played for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indi ...

. He also played one season in Japan for the

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, w ...

in 2000. For the Red Sox in 1996, he hit for a batting average of .347 which would have been third highest in the league if not for falling short in at-bats needed and was given the nickname 'The Miracle' by faithful Red Sox fans. Unable to hit left-handed pitchers, he was left off the 1999 playoff roster as a result. Jefferson would never play major league baseball again. In 680 games over nine seasons, Jefferson posted a .300

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(637-for-2123) with 285 runs, 131 doubles, 11 triples, 72 home runs, 300 RBI, 146 bases on balls, .349 on-base percentage and .474 slugging percentage.

Post-playing career

Jefferson has also served as a player agent. He was the hitting coach of the

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...

in 2005 and the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...

in 2006.

References

External links

1968 births Living people Baseball players from Tallahassee, Florida Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball first basemen Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Indians players Seattle Mariners players Boston Red Sox players Seibu Lions players American expatriate baseball players in Japan African-American baseball players Nashville Sounds players Pawtucket Red Sox players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Canton-Akron Indians players American sports agents 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople Lincoln High School (Tallahassee, Florida) alumni {{US-baseball-first-baseman-stub