Jackson Melián

Jackson Melián
Outfielder
Born: (1980-01-07) January 7, 1980
Barcelona, Venezuela
Bats: Right Throws: Right

Jackson Melián (born January 7, 1980) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder. Considered a top prospect, Melián received a large signing bonus from the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB) when he was 16 years old, but he never played in MLB.

Career

Melián, represented by Scott Boras,[1] signed as an international free agent with the New York Yankees in 1996, receiving a $1.6 million signing bonus.[2]

Melián was considered a top prospect. He was rated by Baseball America as a Top 100 prospect four times: in 1997 (#40), 1998 (#98), 1999 (#72) and 2000 (#72). Melián was selected to play in the 2000 All-Star Futures Game.[3]

In July 2000, the Yankees traded Melián, Drew Henson, Ed Yarnall, and Brian Reith to the Cincinnati Reds for Denny Neagle and Mike Frank.[4] Prior to the 2002 season, he was claimed on waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Reds.[5] On June 9, 2002, the Brewers traded Melián to the Chicago Cubs for Robert Machado.[6] He signed with the Yankees as a minor league free gent prior to the 2004 season, but was traded to the Atlanta Braves on June 24. He signed as a minor league free agent with the Detroit Tigers prior to the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

In 2014, Melián returned to Venezuela where played for Caribes de Anzoátegui winning 3-2 against Tiburones de La Guaira.[7]

Personal

Melián's father, Vincent Melián, was a long-time scout for the Atlanta Braves and lifelong fan of the Yankees.[2] He named Melián after Reggie Jackson.[2] In 1998, Melián's parents were killed in a car accident while following their son's team bus in Hickory, North Carolina.[8]

Melián considered pursuing an Olympic swimming career, instead opting to play baseball.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Curry, Jack (May 29, 1996). "Yankees Hotly Pursue A 16-Year-Old Phenom". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Curry, Jack (July 4, 1996). "Baseball - Yankees Give Bonus Baby 1.6 million". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ Mormile, Anthony (July 9, 2000). "Burroughs leads U.S. to victory in All-Star Futures Game". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  4. ↑ Olney, Buster (July 13, 2000). "BASEBALL; Yanks Skim The Cream To Acquire Neagle". The New York Times. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  5. ↑ Evearitt, Tim (March 23, 2002). "Reds Release 2001 Lookout Outfielder Jackson Melian: Milwaukee Brewers Claim Melian Off Waivers". The Chattanoogan]]. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  6. ↑ Greenstein, Teddy (June 10, 2002). "Cubs deal catcher Machado to Brewers". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Caribes venció a Tiburones en el inaugural" [Caribes beat Tiburones during the inaugural]. El Universal (in Spanish). October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  8. ↑ Charean Williams (April 21, 1999). "Battling More Than Fastballs". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
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