Jerry Hairston Jr.

Jerry Wayne Hairston Jr. (born May 29, 1976) is an American former professional baseball infielder and outfielder.

He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

He played every position except pitcher and catcher during his baseball career.

He is the grandson of former major leaguer Sam Hairston, the son of former major leaguer Jerry Hairston Sr.., and the brother of Scott Hairston.

He was drafted in the 42nd round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft by the Baltimore Orioles but chose instead to go to college.

Hairston played college ball at Southern Illinois University in 1996 and 1997, where he batted .360 for his career and was the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 1996.

In both years he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League, playing for the Bourne Braves in 1996, and the Wareham Gatemen in 1997.

Hairston was drafted in the 11th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

He made his professional debut as a shortstop in 1997 with the rookie-league Bluefield Orioles, where he hit .330 in 59 games.

In 1998, he made a fast rise up the farm system and moved to second base.

Starting in High-A with the Frederick Keys, he hit .302 in 80 games.

He was promoted to the AA Bowie Baysox, where he hit .326 in 55 games.

He was promoted to the majors and made his major league debut with the Orioles on September 11, 1998, against the Anaheim Angels.

He appeared in seven games that year, serving primarily as a pinch runner or late-inning defensive replacement.

He began the 1999 season in Triple-A with the Rochester Red Wings, before being called up in June to replace the injured Delino DeShields at second base.

Hairston hit .277 with two home runs and seven RBI in 25 games before returning to the minors.

He got his first hit on June 27 off of New York Yankees pitcher Orlando Hernández and his first home run on July 1 off of Joey Hamilton of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Hairston was called up again in September, hitting .269 with four home runs, nine stolen bases, and 17 RBI in 50 games on the season.

The Orioles planned to make Hairston the everyday second baseman for the 2000 season, but a shoulder injury that required surgery in May changed their plans.

He was finally called up on August 12, hitting .250 with five home runs and 19 RBI in 49 games as an everyday player.

In 2001, Hairston was the Orioles starting second baseman.

He hit .233 with eight home runs, 29 stolen bases, and 47 RBI in 159 games that year.

His flashy style of play drew criticism from inside the organization and from rivals, including the Yankees.

The Orioles made Hairston the leadoff hitter heading into the 2002 season.

However, his patience at the plate did not improve as much as the organization had hoped and second base prospect Brian Roberts was promoted on May 22.

The two shared playing time until Roberts was sent back down in July.

In total, Hairston hit .268 with five home runs, 32 RBI, and 21 stolen bases in 122 games that year.

He began the 2003 season on a hot streak, hitting .287 with two home runs, 16 RBI, and a league-leading 14 stolen bases through 42 games.

Then, on May 20, he caught his foot on the edge of home plate while batting and broke his foot.

The injury required surgery to fix, and Hairston was out of action until September.

In his place, Robert hit .270 with five home runs, 41 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 112 games.

In 2004, Hairston broke his finger sliding into third base during the first inning of the Orioles' first spring training game, ending the competition for the second base job prematurely.

When Hairston returned in May, he was made the team's DH while Roberts remained at second.

He managed to hit .303 and also played all three outfield positions until a broken ankle ended his season in mid-August.

In January 2005 Hairston was traded (along with Oriole prospects Mike Fontenot and David Crouthers) to the Chicago Cubs for Sammy Sosa.

He played all three outfield positions and split time at second base with Todd Walker and Neifi Perez.

The Cubs attempted to use Hairston as a leadoff man, but he finished the 2005 season with an unremarkable .336 on-base percentage and stole only eight bases in 17 attempts.

He helped the Yankees win the 2009 World Series, beating the Philadelphia Phillies, giving him his only World Series title.

Hairston attended Naperville North High School in Illinois, and was a two-time All-State selection in baseball and an all-area selection in basketball.

In 2009, he was inducted as a member of the Saluki Hall of Fame.