Ryan Minor
From BR Bullpen
Ryan Minor
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 7", Weight 240 lb.
- School University of Oklahoma
- Debut September 13, 1998
- Final Game October 7, 2001
- Born January 5, 1974 in Canton, OH USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Ryan Minor was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as the second pick in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft. However, he never appeared in a game with the 76ers. He decided instead to take up baseball and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 33rd round of the 1996 amateur draft. Minor quickly soared through the Orioles' minor league system, debuting with the Orioles in 1998 where he batted .429/.429/.500 with 0 HR's and 1 RBI. That September, Minor was best known for replacing Cal Ripken Jr. in the Orioles lineup when Ripken stepped down from his 2,632 straight consecutive games. When placed in the lineup, Minor asked: "Does he know?". He struggled in 1999, batting .194/.241/.323 with 3 HR's and 10 RBI. Minor's struggles continued into the 2000 season, when he only batted .131/.170/.143 with no home runs and only 3 RBI.
The Orioles traded Minor to the Montreal Expos for pitcher Jorge Julio in December 2000. He again struggled in 2001 with his new team, only batting .158/.234/.242 with 2 HR's and 13 RBI. He was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners in November, then struggled with the Mariners and was released in May. The next spring, Minor signed another minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers but found himself released in July. Following his release, he signed with the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League where he batted .253/.320/.429 with 4 HR's and 11 RBI. In 2004, Minor joined the Atlantic City Surf where he batted .326/.369/.576 with 16 HR's and 45 RBI, which earned him another shot with a major league organization when the Florida Marlins purchased his contract; he was assigned to the AA Carolina Mudcats where he batted .250/.304/.477 with 8 HR's and 33 RBI. In 2005, Minor found himself back in the Atlantic League when he signed with the expansion Lancaster Barnstormers where he batted .268/.347/.491 with 26 HR's and 99 RBI.
As of the beginning of the 2006 season, Minor has retired and become a coach with the league's traveling team, the Road Warriors. In 2008 Minor is slated to be the coach of the Delmarva Shorebirds.
Ryan is the twin brother of Damon Minor.
