Jay Payton #16

Jason Lee Payton...graduated in 1991 from Zanesville (OH) HS, where he played baseball, soccer and basketball...toured Japan in the fall of 1998 and 2000 with the Major League All-Stars...was originally signed by Mets scout Ron Hopkins...he is single and resides in Raleigh, North Carolina.

2009

Did not play professional baseball...finished 2008 with the Orioles and became a free agent on Oct. 30, 2008.

2008

Played in 127 games in his second year with the Orioles, logging starts in all three outfield positions...earned the majority of his playing time in left field...logged a 1.000 fielding pct...logged 12 hits against the Yankees (.400, 12-for-30)...had 2 home runs vs. the Cubs...batted .636 (7-for-11) with 2 doubles, a triple, a grand slam and 16 RBI with the bases loaded...hit 4th career grand slam with season- high 5 RBI on May 14 vs. BOS...was 3-for-5 with a double, run, 5 RBI on June 7 at TOR...went 4-for-10 with 2 HR, 7 RBI in 3 games at CHC, June 24-26, including his 5th career 2-HR game on June 25...started 25 games in August after Adam Jones broke his left foot on August 2 at SEA...had seasonhigh 7-game hit streak, August 6-13, during which he batted .333 (9-for-27)...collected 3 hits for second consecutive game on August 24 vs. NYY...hit first homer since June 25 at CHC (Ted Lilly) when he homered off Andy Sonnanstine in the first inning on August 30 at TB.

2007

Appeared in 131 games, including starts at all three OF positions, in his first year with the Orioles...Was 8th in the AL with a .356 average (21-59) with runners in scoring position and 2 outs...Began the year on the 15-day DL with a strained left hamstring suffered in a spring training game the day before the season opener...Was activated from the DL after a two-game rehab stint with AAA Norfolk on April 20...Made his Orioles debut on April 22 vs. Toronto, playing the final 2 innings in LF without an at-bat...Went 3-for-5 on April 22 vs. Toronto in his first start...Had 3 hits on May 5 vs. Cleveland and hit his first home run of the season on May 4 vs. Tribe...The second of his 2 doubles on May 19 at Washington drove in 2 runs in the 11th for an O's win...Batted .481 (13-27) with 5 multi-hit games in an 8-game stretch, May 19-28...Went 4-for-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI on June 13 vs. Washington, matching his career-high in hits for the 14th time...His 9th inning, game-tying single off Chad Cordero was the 1,000th hit of his major league career...Had an RBI single in his first at-bat on August 14 at New York to break an 0-for-17 skid...Was ejected from the game on September 17 at New York in the 8th inning for arguing called a 3rd strike with HP Umpire Jeff Kellogg...Also was ejected in the 8th inning on June 14 vs. Washington by 1B Umpire Ed Montague for arguing a bunt attempt...Served a 2-game suspension, September 20-21, following his ejection on September 19 at New York by HP Umpire Mike Reilly for arguing a 3rd strike call in the 5th inning and throwing equipment...Tied the game in the 9th inning on September 28 vs. New York with a 2-out, 3-run triple off Mariano Rivera.

2006

Led Oakland in batting (.296), at-bats (557), hits (165) and doubles (32)...Also stole a career-high 8 bases and matched his career best in doubles...Started a team-leading 136 games in the outfield, but did not lead the A's in starts at any position...Made 51 starts in left field, 44 in center field and 41 in right field...Since 1957, the earliest year data is available, is the only outfielder in the majors to start at least 40 games at all 3 outfield positions in one season, according to Elias Sports Bureau...Is one of just 3 players since 1957 to start 40 games at any 3 positions in one season, along with Joe Carter for Toronto in 1997 (64 at DH, 42 at 1B, 41 in LF) and Richie Zisk for Texas in 1978 (49 at DH, 47 in LF, 42 in RF)...Hit .296 against both left-handed (42-143) and right-handed (123-415) pitchers...Hit 6 HR vs. lefties and 4 off righties...Eight of his 10 home runs either tied the game or put Oakland ahead...A's went 8-2 in games he homered and were 19-4 (.826) in his home run games since he joined the club at the 2005 All-Star break...Went 3-for-12 with 12 RBI with the bases loaded...Now is a .204 (20-98) career hitter with the bases loaded but has 116 RBI with 3 grand slams...Averaged 11.3 plate appearances per strikeout, 4th best in the American League...Saw an average of 3.12 pitches per PA, the lowest mark in the majors (LAA's Vladimir Guerrero was 2nd, 3.16)...Committed a career-high 7 errors in 137 games in the outfield...Broke a career-high 132-game errorless streak, dating to 9/30/04, with his first error of the season on April 19 at Detroit...Batted just .215 (14-65) in April...Is a career .251 hitter in April, his lowest average in any month of the season...Hit .282 or better in every month after April...His .354 average in June was 10th best in the AL for the month...Was ejected from the game on April 16 vs. Texas by home plate umpire Ed Rapuano...Drove in 2 runs on April 26 at Texas after starting the season with 13 games without an RBI....Hit his first home run of the season on May 14 at New York, snapping a career-long 54-game, 213-at bat homerless streak...Had his first of 3 four-hit games on May 16 vs. Seattle, matching his career high...Also had 3 hits on June 25 at San Francisco and September 26 at Seattle, giving him 13 career 4-hit games...Was batting .247 (46-186) with 2 homers and 13 RBI in 47 games through June 9...Batted .321 (119- 371) with 8 HR and 46 RRBI over his final 95 games...Hit his 100th career homer on July 3 vs. Detroit off Nate Robertson...Had a game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning the next night to beat the Tigers, 2-1...Stole home in the 6th inning on July 17 at Camden Yards as part of a double steal against the Orioles...Had a season-high 12-game hitting streak, July 27-August 8, batting .404 (19-47)...Was the first of 3 hitting streaks of at least 10 games...Hit safely in 26 of 28 games, August 19-September 20, batting .357 (40-112)...Had a career-high 2 outfield assists on September 22 vs. Los Angeles...Batted .308 (8-26) while playing in all 7 of Oakland's post-season games vs. Minnesota in the AL Division Series and vs. Detroit in the AL Championship Series...His solo home run in ALCS Game 4 vs. Detroit gave the A's a 3-0 lead before the Tigers came back to complete their sweep.

2005

Was acquired by the A's from Boston at the All-Star Break and ended up hitting .269 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs in 69 games with Oakland after batting .263 with five home runs and 21 RBIs in 55 games with the Red Sox...his 13 home runs tied for second most in one season by an Athletic (1901-present) with 70 games or less (Canseco, 17 in 65 games in 1989) and the RBIs were fifth most...started just 30 of Boston's 87 games before the All-Star break, but started 68 (47 in left field, 21 in center field) of the A's 75 games after the break...started 12 of the A's 17 games in center field from July 25 to Aug. 12 while Mark Kotsay had back problems...made 14 straight starts in left from Aug. 13-28 and started another eight games in center through Sept. 5 when Kotsay's back acted up again... started 23 of the A's final 25 games in left field after Bobby Kielty strained his left oblique muscle...combined with the A's and Red Sox to hit .267 with 18 home runs and 63 RBI in 124 games...the home runs and RBIs were the second best totals of his career to his 28 home runs and 89 RBI in 157 games with Colorado in 2003...walked just 24 times for a .306 on-base percentage, the second lowest mark of his career...was just 2-for-14 (.143) with the bases loaded, but both of the hits were grand slams...hit one with Boston on April 24 at Tampa Bay and one with Oakland on July 30 against Detroit...tied for third in the American League in grand slams...is now a .198 (17-for-86) career hitter with the bases loaded with three grand slams...had 12 home runs and 41 RBIs in 38 games during the day, compared to six home runs and 21 RBIs in 77 games at night...batted .337 (28-for-83) when leading off an inning, which ranked ninth best in the AL...did not commit an error in 122 games in the outfield and his 240 total chances were second most among AL outfielders with no errors (Vernon Wells, TOR 363)...now has a 124-game errorless streak dating back to Sept. 30, 2004 against San Francisco...appeared in a total of 60 games in left field, 41 in center field and 31 in right field...was also 3-for-10 with a walk and two RBIs as a pinch-hitter, all with Boston...hit in every spot in the order and saw his most action hitting sixth, where he went 33-for-126 (.262) in 31 games...was Boston's Opening Day starter in right field and hit .194 (13-for-67) over his first 28 games...then hit .333 (22-for-66) over his final 27 games with the Red Sox...had his best batting average in June, when he batted .333 (14-for-42) in 17 games...was designated for assignment on July 7 and was traded to the A's on July 13 along with cash considerations in exchange for pitcher Chad Bradford...homered in his first at-bat as an Athletic on July 15 against Texas and added another home run the next day...snapped an 0-for-18 streak on July 27...hit .333 (18-for-54) with five home runs and 14 RBIs in 13 games in the month of July with the A's...had five RBIs on July 30 against Detroit, his fourth career game with five or more RBIs...hit .261 (29-for-111) with seven home runs and 21 RBIs in August...is a .300 (157-for-524) career hitter in the month of August with 29 home runs and 84 RBIs, all his bests for any month...matched his career high with four hits on Aug. 27 at Baltimore, his 10th career four-hit game, part of a season-best eight-game hitting streak from Aug. 21-29 (14-for-37, .378)...homered on Sept. 2 against New York, his 13th home run in his first 42 games with the A's...went homerless over his final 27 games and 103 at-bats and had just five RBIs over that span...seven of his 13 home runs with the A's came with runners on base (one grand slam, two three-run, four two-run) and Oakland was 11-2 in games in which he homered...finished the season by going 0 for his last 19.

2004

Hit .260 with eight home runs and 55 RBI in 143 games in his lone season with the Padres...made 115 starts, including 111 in center field and four in left field...the 111 starts were his most in center field since 2000, when he made 124 starts for the Mets...matched his career high with 43 walks for the second straight season...had a career high 11 outfield assists...began the season hitting just .244 (21 for 86) in 27 games through May 5 before batting .387 (29 for 75) with just four strikeouts in a 22-game stretch through June 2, lifting his average to a season best .311...hit just .167 (6 for 36) in 20 games in August to lower his average to .236 before batting .360 (32 for 89) in his final 29 games beginning September 1...hit .283 (43 for 152) against left-handers and .248 (76 for 306) against right-handers...all eight of his home runs came on the road, including three at Dodger Stadium...hit .313 with four of his eight home runs when putting the first pitch in play...hit .354 in May and .354 in September...combined to hit .207 in the remaining months...hit safely in 11 straight games from May 22 to June 2 (18 for 42, .429)...recorded a season-high 13-game hitting streak from September 14 to 28, batting .442 (23 for 52) with three homers and 10 RBI...had three hits in three straight games for the first time in his career, September 18-19 and 21...matched his career high with four hits, September 24 against Arizona...also had four hits May 25 at Colorado, when he collected a season high four RBI as part of a 4 for 5 effort with a homer and three runs scored.

2003

Enjoyed his finest season, setting personal highs in games (157), at bats (600), runs (93), hits (181), doubles (32), home runs (28), RBI (89), walks (43), on-base percentage (.354) and slugging percentage (.512) for Colorado...his .302 average was the highest qualifying mark of his career...recorded 53 multi-hit games, which tied for ninth most in the league...started out hitting in the two spot and batted .314 in April, .295 in May and .273 in June...was shifted to the six-hole in late June and flourished, batting .333 (75 for 225) with 13 homers and 44 RBI in 60 games, the third highest average in the league among number six batters (minimum 150 at bats)...his average did not fall below .300 after July 26...the club's everyday left fielder, he committed only four errors in 316 total chances, a .987 fielding percentage...started 143 games in left field, four in center and one in right...despite playing his home games at Coors Field, posted nearly equal power numbers at home and on the road, recording 16 doubles, 13 homers and 50 RBI in Denver and 16 doubles, 15 homers and 39 RBI on the road...batted .322 at home and .281 on the road, trailing only Todd Helton's .324 mark away from Coors among Rockies regulars...batted .288 (46 for 160) with 11 homers against lefthanders and .307 (135 for 440) with 17 homers against righthanders...hit .281 with two strikes, tied for fourth best in the majors...grounded into a league leading 27 double plays, matching Todd Zeile's 2002 Rockies record...hit .347 in July...posted a season high 23 RBI in August, tied for fifth most in the NL...went 3 for 6 with two home runs and a career high seven RBI on August 3 at Pittsburgh, one RBI shy of the club record...overall, recorded three games with two homers in 2003, all away from Coors Field: August 3, August 29 at Los Angeles and September 3 at San Francisco.

2002

Acquired by the Rockies from the Mets at the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline, he finished his campaign as one of the better second half hitters in all of baseball, posting a .338 average after the All-Star break, 10th best in the majors...between New York and Colorado, combined to hit .303 in 134 games...recorded a career high seven triples...recorded his first career multi-homer game May 3 at Houston...prior to heading to Colorado, hit .351 in 22 games for New York in July...in his first 24 games with the Rockies through August 27, he hit .409 with seven homers and 22 RBI...outdid his .351 average in July by hitting .374 in 28 games in August, the highest monthly average of his career...was named NL co-Player of the Week (with San Francisco's Jason Schmidt) for the first time in his career for the week of August 19-25...hit .375 (12 for 32) with three home runs and 12 RBI...drove in five August 22 against Montreal and recorded four RBI the next night against the Mets...scored a career high four runs and tied Colorado's franchise record with three doubles on September 22 vs. Arizona...homered in back-to-back games three times between August 17-27, connecting for seven homers in 11 games...left in the third inning on September 11 at Houston after straining his right oblique muscle and missed six games...overall, batted .339 in his home parks, including a .473 mark at Coors Field...hit .326 against righties and .252 against lefties...committed only one error in 974.2 innings in the outfield...all of his action with the Mets came in center field, where he posted a .994 fielding percentage...for Colorado, made starts in left (25), center (15) and right (one) without committing an error...combined for a .996 fielding percentage and nine assists.

2001

Saw action in 104 games, including 90 starts in center field, despite missing nearly two months with a right hamstring strain...hit .255 with 16 doubles, a triple, eight homers and 34 RBI for the Mets...hit just .221 (17 for 77) in his first 19 games through April 27...hit safely in his next nine in a row until suffering a right hamstring strain May 7 at Colorado...had raised his average to .315 prior to the injury...was placed on the 15-day D.L. the following day and was not activated until June 26...hit safely in his first two games upon his return to cap a season best 11-game hitting streak during which he hit .465 (20 for 43)...struggled in June and July, hitting just .167 in each month, and saw his season average dip to .232 through August 23...rebounded to hit .306 (34 for 111) with four home runs and 14 RBI in his final 30 games to raise his average 23 points to .255...was hit by a pitch on October 5 in the 8th inning by Montreal's Scott Strickland...suffered a non-displaced fracture of the 5th metacarpal on his left hand...wore a splint for 10 days, ending his season.

2000

Finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting (behind Atlanta's Rafael Furcal and St. Louis' Rick Ankiel) after batting .291 with 17 homers and 62 RBI in 149 games for the Mets...led NL rookies with 142 hits, 39 multi-hit games and a .447 slugging percentage while ranking second in homers, extra-base hits (41), average and on-base percentage (.331)...tied for third among league rookies in RBI and doubles (23) and was fourth in runs (63)...had seven assists from the outfield, second most among league rookies...his 17 homers were the most by a Mets rookie since Darryl Strawberry slugged 26 in 1983...hit safely in a career best 14 straight games June 20-July 5, batting .370 (20 for 54)...batted .407 in 24 games in June...belted his first career grand slam September 29 off Montreal's Mike Thurman in the first inning at Shea Stadium...played in all 14 post-season games for the National League pennant winners...recorded the game winning single in the top of the 10th inning in Game 2 of the NLDS at San Francisco, a 5-4 win...hit the game winning single in the top of the 9th inning in Game 2 of the NLCS at St. Louis, a 6-5 win...was 7 for 21 (.333) in the World Series against the Yankees...connected for a three-run homer off Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning of Game 2 at Yankee Stadium, pulling the Mets within a run in a 6-5 loss.

1999

Began the season on the D.L. recovering from left shoulder surgery in January...after a seven-game rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie, he was activated by the Mets and optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on June 8...hit .389 with eight homers and 35 RBI in 38 games with the Tides...was recalled by New York September 1 and hit .250 (2 for 8) in 13 games for the Mets...with Norfolk, fanned just 13 times in 158 plate appearances.

1998

Opened the season with Triple-A Norfolk and capped his campaign by making his Major League debut on September 1 and playing 15 games with the Mets...was first recalled by New York May 11, but was optioned back to Norfolk two days later without having seen any action...was recalled to New York September 1 and made his big league debut that night in San Diego, going 2 for 2 with a run scored...collected his first major league hit, a single to left, off Dan Miceli in the seventh inning...made his first start September 4 vs. Atlanta in left field...hit .318 with a double in 15 games for the Mets...with Norfolk, hit .261 with eight homers and 30 RBI in 82 games...was on the D.L. from May 26-June 13 with a right hamstring strain...re-injured the hamstring and returned to the D.L. from June 23-July 20...following the season, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on January 6, 1999...the procedure, performed by Dr. James Andrews, consisted of labral repair and a capsular stabilization.

1997

Sat out the entire season after undergoing a second surgery to repair the medial collateral ligament in his right elbow March 19 in Los Angeles...the procedure was performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum.

1996

Hit .307 with six homers and 26 RBI in 55 games at Triple-A Norfolk as he battled injuries for most of the season...began the season with Norfolk but was placed on the disabled list April 29 with a right elbow injury...had surgery performed by Dr. David Altchek to remove bone spurs from his right elbow May 20 at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan...made a rehab stop with the club's Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Mets and continued his comeback with Single-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton before returning to Norfolk.

1995

Named the Eastern League's Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year after winning the league's batting title with a .345 average for Double-A Binghamton...added 14 homers and 54 RBI in 85 games...finished second in the league with a .535 slugging percentage...was voted to the league's mid-season and post-season All-Star teams...was selected to the Topps/National Association of Professional Baseball League's Double-A post-season All-Star team...shared Binghamton's Doubleday Player of the Year Award with pitcher Eric Ludwick...posted a league-best and Binghamton club-record 25-game hitting streak June 4-29, batting .441 (45 for 102)...it was the third longest streak in the minors in 1995...was promoted to Norfolk July 13 and hit .240 (47 for 196) in 50 games in his Triple-A debut...underwent reconstructive surgery on his right elbow to repair the medial collateral ligament on September 22...the procedure was performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery by Dr. David Altchek and Dr. David Dines.

1994

Was named the New York-Penn League's Most Valuable Player in his professional debut...hit .365 in 58 games with short-season Single-A Pittsfield to win the league's batting title...ranked fourth in the league with a .439 on-base percentage...named the club's Doubleday Award winner as the team's Most Valuable Player...was promoted directly to Double-A Binghamton, where he hit .280 (7 for 25) in nine games.