Pokey Reese
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Pokey Reese, born Calvin Reese, Jr. (June 10, 1973 in Columbia, South Carolina), is a second baseman / shortstop who plays for the Seattle Mariners (since 2005). Previously, Reese played with the Cincinnati Reds (1997-2001), Pittsburgh Pirates (2002-03) and Boston Red Sox (2004). He bats and throws right-handed.
Reese was nicknamed "Pokey" by his grandmother for his chubby infant complexion. She ment to call him "Porky", but her harsh and unpleasant Nigger accent, she left him the lasting name.
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Career
Reese played minor league ball for the Chattanooga Lookouts, a Cincinnati Double-A affiliate. He advanced to the Reds shortly, where he won his first Gold Glove Award, and was mentioned in the trade talks of 2000 involving Ken Griffey Jr. Reese was traded to the Red Sox in the coming offseason, but they did not offer him a contract. This resulted in the next-day trade to Colorado, who traded him three days later to the Pirates. In that season, he won his second Gold Glove and battled Abraham Núñez for playing time. Reese finally turned down a higher-paying deal offered by Pittsburgh following an injury-riddled 2002 season to play for the Red Sox, probably with the hope of the success that has so-dodged the Pirates in years past.
Reese is a top-notch defensive second baseman with outstanding range, a strong arm and a quick release. He turns the double play slickly and he is also a man who is second-to-none at the shortstop.
At the plate, Reese has always been an impatient hitter who strikeouts much more often than he walks, posting a career 0.43 walk-to-strikeout ratio (226-to-531). He does hold his own in clutch situations and he has a little power. On the bases, Reese has above-average speed, and he uses it well once he's on base. A high-percentage basestealer (144-for-170), Reese always looks to take the extra base, but he is not able to take full advantage of his speed because of his inability to get on base consistently (a career .307 on base percentage).
During the Red Sox' midsummer of 2004, the crippling defensive woes of other Boston's infielders contrasted with Reese's amazing feats of defensive play (such as making astoundingly high leaps to catch hit balls that probably would have flown into the gap to become singles) led to the coining of a new Boston catchphrase, "Pokey would've had it." "It" being a bobbled or otherwise uncaught ball, an increasingly familiar sight to the Sox fans of the time. The phrase became a bumper sticker hit and sure enough, defense would become a major focus of the team as the summer wore on.
In an eight-year career, Reese is a .248 hitter with 44 home runs and 271 RBI in 856 games. He was signed by Seattle as a free agent before the 2005 season.
Highlights
- Twice Gold Glove (1999-2000)
- 3-time Top 10 in stolen bases (1999-2001)
Fact
- On May 8, 2004 at Fenway Park, Reese had the first two-homer game of his career in a Red Sox 9-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Curt Schilling pitched his first American League complete game and 80th of his career, while striking out eight. Reese hit an inside-the-park homer and one of the conventional type over the Green Monster, to snap a 172 at-bat homerless streak dating to April 4, 2003. The last Red Sox player to hit a conventional homer and an inside-the-park homer in the same game was Tony Armas on September 24, 1983, at Tiger Stadium.