Chris Stynes

From SoSH

Christopher Desmond Stynes (born January 19, 1973 in Queens, New York) appeared in 96 games for the 2001 Red Sox after being acquired from Cincinnati in a trade in November 2000. During the 2001 season, Stynes played second base, third base, and even left field for the Sox, batting .280 with 8 home runs and 33 RBI in 361 at-bats.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Stynes's Moments in the Sun 3 Awards 4 Trivia 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Overall Career

Chris Stynes was selected in the third round of the 1991 amateur draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, and signed a contract with the Jays the very next day. In his first few seasons in professional baseball, Stynes quickly worked his way through the Rookie League, Single-A, and Double-A, batting around .300 each season with a handful of home runs and about 25 stolen bases. In April 1995, the Blue Jays traded Stynes (along with Tony Medrano and David Sinnes) to Kansas City for David Cone. Stynes began the 1995 season in Triple-A Omaha, but was soon called up to Kansas City as a second baseman. After making his debut on May 19, 1995, he appeared in 22 games for the Royals that season, struggling to collect 6 hits in 35 at-bats. The 1996 season also saw him splitting time between Omaha and Kansas City, but his statistics were much more impressive: Stynes hit .356/.397/.553 in Omaha and .293/.309/.359 for the Royals.

Chris Stynes was sent back to Triple-A Omaha to start the 1997 season, and he struggled through half a season there, hitting .265/.310/.398. On July 15, however, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, and the new start seemed to invigorate him. After the trade, he hit .360/.379/.488 for Triple-A Indianapolis (in 21 games) and .348/.394/.485 for Cincinnati (in 49 games). Finally, Stynes had made it to the big leagues to stay.

Chris would spend three more seasons with Cincinnati, having below-average seasons in 1998 and 1999 but a career year in 2000 (.334/.386/.497). Overall, he had fairly productive numbers with the Reds, batting .300 with 26 homers, 109 RBI, and 36 stolen bases in 364 games. The Red Sox apparently noticed, and they traded Michael Coleman and Donnie Sadler for Chris Stynes in November 2000.

Stynes would spend just one year with the Red Sox, playing both second and third base and batting .280/.322/.410 in 96 games. Immediately after the 2001 season, Chris was granted free agency. He would spend the next season playing for the Chicago Cubs, but his production was disappointing (.241/.314/.374 in 98 games). The following season, Stynes tried to revive his career in Colorado, with limited success, batting .255/.335/.413 in 138 games. Finally, in 2004, Stynes moved to Pittsburgh, where he had his worst season to date, batting .216 in 74 games.

The last Chris Stynes sighting had him battling for a job with the Baltimore Orioles in spring training of 2005, but he did not make the team. Although technically still an active player, Stynes has probably seen the last of his major league at-bats.

Stynes's Moments in the Sun

• May 12, 1996: Rookie Chris Stynes stole 2nd, 3rd, and home in the first inning against Randy Johnson for the first three stolen bases of his career, and he added a fourth stolen base later in the game. The Royals lost to the Seattle Mariners 8-5, however.
• July 8, 2000: Stynes had 5 hits, including a double and a home run, as the Reds defeated the Cleveland Indians 14-5.
• July 15, 2001: Chris Stynes hit two home runs and had 4 hits in 5 at-bats as the Red Sox defeated the Montreal Expos 8-5.

Awards

• 1994 Southern League All-Star.

Trivia

• In his career, Chris Stynes has played every position except pitcher, first base, and catcher: he has appeared at second base (167 games), third base (388 games), shortstop (2 games), left field (134 games), center field (2 games), right field (22 games), and been a designated hitter (5 games).

Transactions

• June 3, 1991: Selected by Toronto Blue Jays in the 3rd round of the free-agent draft (signed June 4, 1991).
• April 6, 1995: Traded by Toronto Blue Jays with Tony Medrano and David Sinnes to Kansas City Royals in exchange for David Cone.
• July 15, 1997: Traded by Kansas City Royals with Jon Nunnally to Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Hector Carrasco and Scott Service.
• November 16, 2000: Traded by Cincinnati Reds to Boston Red Sox in exchange for Michael Coleman and Donnie Sadler.
• December 21, 2001: Granted free agency.
• January 2, 2002: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago Cubs.
• December 3, 2002: Released by the Chicago Cubs.
• January 8, 2003: Signed as a Free Agent with the Colorado Rockies.
• October 28, 2003: Granted free agency
• January 6, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• August 4, 2004: Released by the Pittsburgh Pirates
• January 8, 2005: Signed as a Free Agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
• October 15, 2005: Granted free agency.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis