Roman Quinn

Roman Tredarian Quinn (born May 14, 1993) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent.

He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays.

Quinn grew up in an athletic family in Port St. Joe, Florida, and played basketball, gridiron football, and baseball at Port St. Joe High School.

Quinn was born on May 14, 1993, in Port St. Joe, Florida.

He came from an athletic family, with relatives who participated in track and field, baseball, and gridiron football.

He attended Port St. Joe High School, playing on the same football team as future National Football League (NFL) player Calvin Pryor.

He was a three-sport athlete, earning all-state honors and scoring an average of 20.6 points per game in basketball, serving as a return specialist and defensive back on the football team, and playing in center field for the baseball team.

Quinn was also a strong hitter, with a .458 batting average, two home runs, and 20 runs batted in (RBIs) as a junior in 2010.

His rapid sprint speed caught the attention of sports journalists while he was still in high school, and the Phillies drafted Quinn in the second round of the 2011 MLB Draft.

Quinn had previously committed to play college baseball for Florida State, but chose instead to sign with the Phillies.

In 2011, during Quinn's senior year of high school, Baseball America named him the fastest man in their Top 200 pre-draft report; he had a 6.35-second 60-yard dash speed, and took an average of 4.20 seconds to run from home plate to first base.

The Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected Quinn in the second round, 66th overall, of the 2011 MLB Draft.

Quinn had previously committed to play college baseball at Florida State University, but turned down the team's athletic scholarship to sign with the Phillies for a $775,000 signing bonus.

He began playing professional baseball within the Phillies' farm system in 2012, when he was assigned to the Class A Short-Season Williamsport Crosscutters.

There, his batting technique and running abilities caused local reporters to dub Quinn the "Human Highlight Reel".

Because he did not sign with the Phillies until the day before the MLB deadline for college-committed players, Quinn could not start playing professional baseball until the 2012 season.

Quinn began his professional career in 2012 with the Low–A Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York–Penn League.

Despite batting right-handed and playing in the outfield in high school, he became a switch hitter and a shortstop with the Crosscutters.

Sports journalists in Williamsport took notice of Quinn's "put the ball on the ground and run" batting style and declared him the "Human Highlight Reel".

He finished the season with a .281 average in 66 games and 267 at bats, with 75 hits, one home run, and 23 RBIs, as well as 30 stolen bases.

Additionally, Quinn's 11 triples were the most in the New York–Penn League and in the Phillies organization.

Beginning in 2013, injuries began to plague Quinn's career.

A hairline fracture in his right wrist, followed by a ruptured Achilles tendon during the offseason, kept him from the field from June 2013 to May 2014.

The following June, with the Reading Fightin Phils, Quinn suffered a torn hip flexor that kept him on the disabled list for the remainder of the season.

Going into the 2013 season, Baseball America named Quinn the second-best prospect in the Phillies' farm system, and the 100th-best prospect in baseball.

He was assigned to the Single–A Lakewood BlueClaws to start the season, and on April 9, Quinn hit an inside-the-park home run in a game against the Hagerstown Suns.

On June 24, 2013, Quinn suffered a hairline fracture in his right wrist, ending his season early.

In 67 games for Lakewood, he boasted a .238 average, with 62 hits, five home runs, and 21 RBIs in 260 at bats, as well as 32 stolen bases in 67 games.

During the offseason, Quinn ruptured his right Achilles tendon, putting him out of commission for the start of the following year.

Quinn returned to the field in May 2014, playing with the High–A Clearwater Threshers.

He began the season as a shortstop, but after J. P. Crawford was promoted to Clearwater that June, Quinn was moved back to center field.

He spent most of the season as the Threshers' leadoff hitter, batting .257 with seven home runs, 36 RBIs, 32 stolen bases, and a .343 on-base percentage in 88 games.

After the conclusion of the regular 2014 Minor League Baseball season, Quinn was sent to play in the Arizona Fall League for additional development.

While playing with the Scottsdale Scorpions, Quinn was first in the league with 14 stolen bases and second in runs scored with 19.

A premature return from an abdominal oblique strain in July, as well as a concussion, limited Quinn to 77 games in 2016, but he returned by September to make his major league debut.

Despite telling journalists that his main goal for the 2017 season was to remain healthy, Quinn suffered an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament that May, and missed the remainder of the season.

He played a handful of games with the Toros del Este of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, and was in contention for a major league role at spring training in 2018.

Quinn was instead assigned to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, where he suffered a torn ligament in his middle finger, before being called up to the Phillies at the end of July.

He played through the end of the season with a broken pinky toe, but missed Opening Day the following year due to a preseason oblique strain.

After a largely healthy 2019 and 2020, Quinn again ruptured his Achilles tendon while rounding the bases in May 2021, ending his season after only 28 games.