Quinton McCracken
Encyclopedia
Quinton Antoine McCracken (born August 16, 1970) is a former professional baseball
outfielder
. He played all or part of twelve seasons in Major League Baseball
, and was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
franchise's first center fielder
and batter on March 31, 1998.
and was the starting running back
and the free safety in football
, the starting point guard
in basketball
, in addition to being a baseball
star and a track
standout. In baseball, as a senior, he led his team to a 29-0 record and the state Championship. South Brunswick finished the baseball season that year ranked #5 among national high school baseball teams in 1988.
. McCracken was selected by the Colorado Rockies
in their inaugural draft in 1992
in the 25th round. He made his major league debut as a September call up on September 17, 1995; in three games, he struck out
in his only at bat
. In 1996, he played mostly center field, batting
.290 in 283 at bats. In 1997, he stole
a career-high 28 bases and increased his batting average to .292.
McCracken was drafted by the expansion
Tampa Bay Devil Rays on November 18, 1997, as their 4th pick in the 1997 Major League Baseball expansion draft, to be their starting center fielder for 1998. Playing in a career-high 155 games, McCracken had his best-ever season, batting .292 with 7 home run
s, 59 RBI
, and was named the Devil Rays first-ever most valuable player. After playing only 40 games in 1999, because of a torn ACL
, he spent most of 2000 in the minors with Triple-A Durham
. The Devil Rays released him on November 27, 2000, and he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals
on December 22, he was released in spring training
. On April 13, 2001, McCracken signed with the Minnesota Twins
. He again spent most of the year in Triple-A, where he batted .338 for Edmonton
.
He became a free agent
after the season and on January 9, 2002, signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks
. He spent the entire season with the major league club, hitting .309 as the Diamondbacks won the NL West
. McCracken batted .364 in 11 at bats against the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS
, but the D-Backs were swept out off the playoffs by the Cardinals. His batting average dropped nearly 100 points in 2003 to .227. On December 15, 2003, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners
for first baseman
Greg Colbrunn
. McCracken did not get much playing time with Seattle, however, and on June 9 he was released. Two days later, he re-signed with the D-Backs and batted .288 in 55 games. He became a free agent after the season and re-signed with Arizona. McCracken struggled with a .237 batting average in 2005, becoming a free agent after the season.
On February 14, 2006, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds
, but was released on July 6. The Minnesota Twins, after signing him to a minor league contract on July 21, announced at the end of the 2006 season that they would not re-sign McCracken after he had played for their Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings
. He was not picked up by another team, and signed on to play with the independent Bridgeport Bluefish
of the Atlantic League
. After one season in independent ball, McCracken played for the Dominican Winter Baseball League in late 2007 and retired.
in October 2010. McCracken will work under former big leaguer Rico Brogna
.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. He played all or part of twelve seasons in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, and was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
franchise's first center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
and batter on March 31, 1998.
High school years
McCracken attended South Brunswick High SchoolSouth Brunswick High School (North Carolina)
South Brunswick High School is in Southport, North Carolina, the United States. The principal is Vann Pennell. The School Motto is "Cougar Pride - Press On".-External links:http://www.bcswan.net/education/school/school.php?sectionid=12...
and was the starting running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
and the free safety in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, the starting point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, in addition to being a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
star and a track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
standout. In baseball, as a senior, he led his team to a 29-0 record and the state Championship. South Brunswick finished the baseball season that year ranked #5 among national high school baseball teams in 1988.
Professional career
After graduating from Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. McCracken was selected by the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
in their inaugural draft in 1992
1992 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1992 Major League Baseball draft.-Other notable players:*Raúl Ibáñez, 36th round, Seattle Mariners...
in the 25th round. He made his major league debut as a September call up on September 17, 1995; in three games, he struck out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
in his only at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
. In 1996, he played mostly center field, batting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.290 in 283 at bats. In 1997, he stole
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
a career-high 28 bases and increased his batting average to .292.
McCracken was drafted by the expansion
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
Tampa Bay Devil Rays on November 18, 1997, as their 4th pick in the 1997 Major League Baseball expansion draft, to be their starting center fielder for 1998. Playing in a career-high 155 games, McCracken had his best-ever season, batting .292 with 7 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, 59 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, and was named the Devil Rays first-ever most valuable player. After playing only 40 games in 1999, because of a torn ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
, he spent most of 2000 in the minors with Triple-A Durham
Durham Bulls
The Durham Bulls are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the International League. The Bulls play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park located in the downtown area of Durham, North Carolina. Durham Bulls Athletic Park is often called the "DBAP" or "D-Bap". The Bulls are...
. The Devil Rays released him on November 27, 2000, and he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
on December 22, he was released in spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is 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 existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
. On April 13, 2001, McCracken signed with the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. He again spent most of the year in Triple-A, where he batted .338 for Edmonton
Edmonton Trappers
The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada....
.
He became a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
after the season and on January 9, 2002, signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
. He spent the entire season with the major league club, hitting .309 as the Diamondbacks won the NL West
National League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
. McCracken batted .364 in 11 at bats against the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS
National League Division Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series determine which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series...
, but the D-Backs were swept out off the playoffs by the Cardinals. His batting average dropped nearly 100 points in 2003 to .227. On December 15, 2003, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
for first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
Greg Colbrunn
Greg Colbrunn
Gregory Joseph Colbrunn was a Major League Baseball player for 13 seasons.Colbrunn was part of the victorious Arizona Diamondbacks 2001 World Series winning team....
. McCracken did not get much playing time with Seattle, however, and on June 9 he was released. Two days later, he re-signed with the D-Backs and batted .288 in 55 games. He became a free agent after the season and re-signed with Arizona. McCracken struggled with a .237 batting average in 2005, becoming a free agent after the season.
On February 14, 2006, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, but was released on July 6. The Minnesota Twins, after signing him to a minor league contract on July 21, announced at the end of the 2006 season that they would not re-sign McCracken after he had played for their Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
. He was not picked up by another team, and signed on to play with the independent Bridgeport Bluefish
Bridgeport Bluefish
The Bridgeport Bluefish is an American professional baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
of the Atlantic League
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
. After one season in independent ball, McCracken played for the Dominican Winter Baseball League in late 2007 and retired.
Post-playing career
McCracken was named Assistant Director of Player Development for the Arizona DiamondbacksArizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
in October 2010. McCracken will work under former big leaguer Rico Brogna
Rico Brogna
Rico Joseph Brogna is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves in his career starting in 1992, and from 1994 to 2001...
.