Alexander Crawford Presley (born July 25, 1985) 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) ...

(MLB)

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who played 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) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

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) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

, and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

from 2010 to 2017.

Early and personal life

Presley was born on July 25, 1985, in

Monroe, Louisiana Monroe (historically french: Poste-du-Ouachita) is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropol ...

. He graduated from

Neville High School Neville High School is a high school in Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is administered by the Monroe City Schools Board. It is located 1/2 mile from the Ouachita River. Its mascot is the Tiger. Academics Neville offers a wide variety of ac ...

and attended the

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. ...

. In 2005, 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 operate ...

for the

Chatham A's The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...

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 thous ...

and was named a league all-star.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Presley was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 8th round (230th overall) of the 2006 MLB Draft. Presley started his professional career with the

Williamsport Crosscutters The Williamsport Crosscutters are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. From 1994 to 2020, they were ...

in 2006. He played for the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

in 2007. Presley spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons with the Lynchburg Hillcats. Presley was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on September 8, 2010, and made his MLB debut the same day, getting his first major league hit off

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...

pitcher

Cristhian Martínez Cristhian A. Martínez Mercedes (born March 6, 1982) is a Dominican former professional Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Florida Marlins and the Atlanta Braves in his five season career. Career Detroit Tigers Martínez signed a ...

. He started the 2011 season with the Pirates' AAA team, the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opene ...

. Presley was leading the Indians with a .336 batting average with eight home runs and 36 RBI when he was called up to MLB Pittsburgh on June 27, 2011. His .336 batting average was also the third-best in the International League at the time of his call up. Presley hit his first home run on June 27, 2010, against Billy Buckner of the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played ...

, and also posted the Indians first-ever cycle on the same day. On April 7, 2012, Presley hit his first walk-off hit—an infield single off of Joe Blanton in the 10th inning, scoring Michael McKenry to give the Pirates a 2-1 win over the Phillies. Presley went 2-for-5 in the game. Alex Presley on June 12, 2012 (2)

Presley was recalled by the Pirates from Indianapolis on May 31, 2013. He had a game-winning, walk-off single against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 30, 2013, giving the Pirates the division lead.

Minnesota Twins

On August 31, 2013, Presley was traded to the

in exchange for Justin Morneau.

Houston Astros

On March 27, 2014, Presley was claimed off waivers by the

. In 89 appearances for the Astros, Presley batted .244 to go along with 6 home runs and 19 RBIs. On November 18, 2014, the Astros resigned Presley on a 1-year contract. He was designated for assignment on April 1, 2015, but had his contract purchased on July 2, 2015. He was designated for assignment again on July 18.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 14, 2015, Presley signed a minor league deal with the

. Presley was one of nine players competing to be the Brewers center fielder for the 2016 season. On April 2, 2016, Presley was informed he would not make the Brewers

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

roster and was subsequently optioned to the minors. On April 21, 2016, Presley had his contract purchased by the Brewers. Presley was released after he rejected an outright assignment.

Detroit Tigers

On August 18, 2016, the Tigers purchased Presley's contract from the Triple-A

. On December 19, 2016, Presley signed a minor league contract with the Tigers that included 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 roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

. On May 28, 2017, the Tigers again purchased Presley's contract from Toledo and added him to the starting lineup that day. Presley enjoyed a strong season with the 2017 Tigers, hitting .314 in 71 games while playing all three outfield positions. He was outrighted to Triple-A on November 2, 2017, and elected free agency on November 7.

Baltimore Orioles

On February 19, 2018, Presley signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. He was released on May 18, 2018.

Chicago White Sox

On May 23, 2018, Presley signed a minor league deal with 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 ...

. He was assigned to the Class AAA

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

. He was released by the White Sox on June 29, 2018

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Presley, Alex 1985 births Living people Altoona Curve players Baseball players from Louisiana Bradenton Marauders players Charlotte Knights players Chatham Anglers players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Detroit Tigers players Fresno Grizzlies players Hickory Crawdads players Houston Astros players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Lynchburg Hillcats players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball outfielders Milwaukee Brewers players Minnesota Twins players North Shore Honu players Ole Miss Rebels baseball players Pittsburgh Pirates players Sportspeople from Monroe, Louisiana Toledo Mud Hens players Tri-City ValleyCats players Williamsport Crosscutters players