Michael Brent Abernathy (born September 23, 1977) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2001 to 2003 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Kansas City Royals, and again in 2005 for the Minnesota Twins.

Brent Abernathy
Second baseman
Born: (1977-09-23) September 23, 1977 (age 47)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 25, 2001, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Last MLB appearance
September 29, 2005, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
Batting average.244
Home runs8
Runs batted in79
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Team
World Junior Baseball Championship
Gold medal – first place 1995 Massachusetts Team

Career

edit

He attended high school at The Lovett School, where he played on the school's baseball team. He was awarded the Dial Award for the national high-school scholar-athlete of the year in 1995.[1] Abernathy was named to the All-America First Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings.[2]

Abernathy was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. In 2000, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for pitchers Steve Trachsel and Mark Guthrie. He played for the gold medal-winning United States team in the 2000 Olympics, and went on to make his debut in the majors with Tampa Bay and later played with the Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins. He has not been in the majors since 2005.

Abernathy was one of two Tampa Bay Devil Rays players to reach base against the Boston Red Sox on April 27, 2002, on a walk, but then was thrown out at second after Russ Johnson hit into a fielder's choice. Abernathy's plate appearance broke up Derek Lowe's bid for a perfect game. Lowe did finish the game, however, with a no-hitter.

On April 7, 2008, Abernathy signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. His last season in professional baseball was 2009, when he played with the Camden Riversharks.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Panel names Ralph, Abernathy winners of Dial award". Daily Herald. December 7, 1995. p. 9.
  2. ^ "1996 ABCA/Rawlings High School All-America Teams". abca.prestosports.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
edit