Desi Relaford Explained

Desi Relaford
Position:	Infielder
Bats:	Switch
Throws:	Right
Birth Date:	16 September 1973
Birth Place:	Valdosta, Georgia, U.S.
Debutleague:	MLB
Debutdate:	August 1
Debutyear:	1996
Debutteam:	Philadelphia Phillies
Finalleague:	MLB
Finaldate:	July 28
Finalyear:	2007
Finalteam:	Texas Rangers
Statleague:	MLB
Stat1label:	Batting average
Stat1value:	.243
Stat2label:	Home runs
Stat2value:	40
Stat3label:	Runs batted in
Stat3value:	308
Teams:	Philadelphia Phillies (–) San Diego Padres New York Mets Seattle Mariners Kansas City Royals (–) Colorado Rockies Texas Rangers

Desmond Lamont "Desi" Relaford (born September 16, 1973) is an American former professional baseball infielder and current manager of the Danville Otterbots. He played in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies.

Career

Known more for his defense than his bat, his versatility was his trademark. Over the course of an 11-year major league career, he played every position in the field except first base and catcher;^[1] he pitched in one game for the New York Mets in which he recorded a perfect inning with a strikeout and threw over 90 mph.

Relaford was traded twice during the 2001-2002 offseason, once with Tsuyoshi Shinjo to the San Francisco Giants for Shawn Estes and again to the Seattle Mariners for David Bell.^[2]

Relaford signed a minor league deal with the Rangers on February 14, 2007. He competed with Jerry Hairston Jr., Drew Meyer, and Joaquin Arias for a spot as utility infielder during spring training,^[3] but wound up starting the season in the minors. In early July, Relaford was called up to the Rangers after regular second baseman Ian Kinsler was placed on the disabled list after suffering a stress fracture.^[4] Relaford was released after the season, and never played professionally after that.

On March 23, 2021, Relaford was named the manager for the Danville Otterbots of the new Appalachian League.^[5]

Life beyond baseball

Relaford currently has a home in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife, Cassandra Sapphire Daley, whom he married in 2002. They have two children.^[6] Relaford is the founder of 6 Hole Records, a hip-hop record label based in Jacksonville.^[7]

Relaford is a graduate of Sandalwood High School.

Further reading

• Boite, Peter (April 18, 2001). "Relaford Relishes Rare Start for Mets". New York Daily News. p. 56
• Boite, Peter (May 18, 2001). "Desi a Relief in Closing Nightmare". New York Daily News. p. 80
• Everson, Darren (June 24, 2001). "Bobbleheads! Mets Fall in 11; Collapse Wastes Desi's HR". New York Daily News. p. 50
• "New York Traffic is the Worst". Asheville Citizen-Times. June 24, 2001. p. 31
• Quinn, T.J. (July 30, 2001). "Mets, Piazza Do as Desi Does; Little Things Set Up Big Blast". New York Daily News. p. 46, 47
• Caldera, Pete (August 23, 2001). "Relaford delivers victory for the Mets". The Bergen Record. p. S-5
• Gross, Andrew (August 23, 2001). "Relaford Gives Mets Big Boost". The Journal News. p. 46

Notes and References

1. Web site: Desi Relaford Stats. Baseball-Reference.com.
2. Web site: M's trade David Bell for Giants' Relaford . January 25, 2002 . The Seattle Times . www.community.seattletimes.nwsource.com . January 15, 2019.
3. Web site: Rangers sign Relaford to Minors deal | texasrangers.com: News . 2007-02-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110605135127/http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070214&content_id=1801741&vkey=news_tex&fext=.jsp&c_id=tex . 2011-06-05 . dead .
4. Web site: Injured Kinsler out 2-6 weeks | texasrangers.com: News . 2007-07-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110605141656/http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070702&content_id=2062301&vkey=news_tex&fext=.jsp&c_id=tex . 2011-06-05 . dead .
5. Web site: Crews. Daniel. 2021-03-23. Desi Relaford named team manager for the Danville Otterbots. 2021-06-01. WSET.
6. Web site: Sandalwood High School . 2010-12-16 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111006065831/http://www.duvalschools.org/sandalwood/desi_relaford.html . 2011-10-06 .
7. Web site: 6 Hole Records | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos. Myspace.