Joshua David Bard...resides in Denver, CO with wife, Lindsay, son Luke and daughter Hannah...played for Team USA in the 2001 Baseball World Cup in Chinese Taipei...played college ball at Texas Tech University...was a two-time All-American and All-Big 12 selection (1998 and 1999)...hit .366 with 43 home runs and 232 RBI in three seasons with the Red Raiders...earned MVP honors at the 1998 Big 12 Tournament ...was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 1997...represented Team USA in the prestigious Intercontinental Cup in 1997...is a 1996 graduate of Cherry Creek (CO) High...led Cherry Creek to consecutive state baseball championships (1995-96)...is a member of the International Baseball Athletic Federation's Athletes Commission, which deals with athlete concerns and acts as the voice of the athletes in Executive Committee decisions...originally selected by Colorado in the third round of the 1999 First-Year Player draft.
2011
Appeared in 26 games, making starts at catcher (23) and DH (1) with the Mariners in 2011 after his selection from Triple-A Tacoma on June 29 ... Threw out seven of 22 attempted base stealers (31.8%) ... Batted .333 (4-for-12) with runners in scoring position and hit .321 with runners on base (9-for-28) ... Began season with Tacoma and hit .301 (68-for-226) with 28 runs, 18 doubles, two home runs and 41 RBI in 58 games
... Opened season with 11-game hitting streak with Tacoma, batting .302 (13-for-43) during the run from April 7-20.
2010
Selected from Tacoma (AAA) on May 16 (Adam Moore DL)...appeared in 39 games (35 GS) behind the plate...made Mariners debut May 16 at TB, going 1-for-3 with BB...HR#1 May 21 vs. SD; finished season with 3 HR (also: 7/17 at LAA & 8/14 at CLE)...on disabled list with left calf strain May 28-June 28...singled with 2 outs in 8th inning July 22 vs. Boston to snap no-hit bid by J. Lackey...went 4-for-5 and hit first career grand slam Aug. 14 at Cleveland; first Mariners catcher with 4 hits and a grand slam in the same game...came to spring training as a non-roster invitee...began the season at AAA Tacoma.
2009
Platooned at catcher for the Washington Nationals with Wil Nieves following early-season injury to Jesus Flores...signed with Washington on March 21 after he was released by Boston on March 18...led the Nationals batting .383 (18x47) in June...hit .300 with 4 doubles and 7 RBI in 13 interleague contests...appeared in 13 games with Syracuse
(AAA) between April 22-May 13, batting .175 (7-for-40) with a double and one RBI.
2008
In 3rd and final season with San Diego, played in just 49 games due to a pair of DL stints...on the DL with a high (left) ankle sprain, May 22-July 24...also on the DL Aug. 7-22 with a strained right triceps.
2007
Established career highs in games played (118),
at-bats (389), runs (42), hits (111), doubles (27), triples (2), RBI (51) and walks (50)...hit .285 (111-for-389) on the year and ranked second in the NL with a .406 (41-for-101) batting average with runners in scoring position (minimum 100 plate
appearances)...also went 3-for-9 as a pinch-hitter...hit .329
(25-for-76) in September, including eight multi-hit games...
finished August with 16 RBI, his most in a single month during
the season...hit .300 (15-for-50) over 17 games in July
and posted a .302 average (19-for-63) in 18 June games...
was ejected from the game on 5/31 at PIT for arguing after
an overturned home run...his suspension of three games was
reduced to two following an appeal and he served it 7/20-21...
placed on the disabled list 4/12 due to a left groin strain and
missed 13 games; reinstated on 4/27.
STARTING BACKSTOP: Started 103 games behind the plate
in his first year as the team's primary catcher...the Friars were
62-41 (.602) in his starts...led the Majors with a 3.41 catcher's
ERA...started 16 of the final 19 games down the stretch,
including each of the final 11.
HITTING IN BUNCHES: Had four games with four or more
hits...established a then career-high with four hits on Opening Day (4/3) at SF...tied a franchise record for
hits in a season opener (fourth time)...also had four hits on 6/1 at WSH and 9/26 at SF...set a new career
high and tied a franchise record for hits in a nine-inning game (29th time), going 5-for-6 with a double and
three RBI, 8/24 at PHI.
MR. CLUTCH: His .406 average with runners in scoring position made him the third Padres player (fifth time)
to hit over .400 with RISP...previously accomplished by Tony Gwynn (1984, '97 and '99) and Wally Joyner
(1998) (minimum 100 plate appearances).
2006
He made 50 starts for the Padres as the primary backup catcher to Mike Piazza, recording a hit in 41 of those starts. He established a career high in homers on Sept. 24 vs. Pittsburgh, with his ninth homer of the season. The switch-hitter had the first multi-homer game of his career on May 28 vs. St. Louis. His .338 average (78-for-231) led all Padres hitters (minimum 250 plate appearances). He came to the Padres on May 1 in a trade with Boston for Doug Mirabelli.
2005
In his first full big league season, served as the Indians' back-up catcher to Victor Martinez...Cleveland went 15-8 (.652) in Bard's 23 starts, and Indians pitchers compiled a 3.20 ERA (78 ER/219.2 IP) in his 31 games behind the plate overall...threw
out 2 of 9 runners trying to steal (22 percent)...committed 3 errors in 177 chances for a
.983 fielding percentage.
HANDLING THE STICK: Hit .193 with 4 doubles, a homer, 9 RBI and 6 runs scored in 34
games...batted .214 (12-for-56) from the left side (vs. righthanders) and .148 (4-for-27) from the right side (vs. lefties)...went 5-for-15 (.333) with runners in scoring position, and had 2 hits in 6 at-bats with runners in scoring position and 2 outs...batted .308
(4-for-13) when leading off an inning...went 1-for-4 (.250) with an RBI in 5 appearances
as a pinch hitter...started the season 0-for-12 in his first 5 contests before going 5-for-11 (.455) with a homer and 3 RBI in his next 4 games...his lone homer came May 4, a solo shot off Minnesota's J.C. Romero in the top of the 9th, which snapped a 4-4 tie and gave
the Indians a 5-4 win...had 4 2-hit games, including at Cincinnati May 22, when he had
a season-high 2 RBI.
2004
Closed the year as Cleveland's back-up catcher despite missing the first half of the season due to injury...strained his lower left abdominal muscle while running the bases in a March 27 Spring Training game against the Reds in Sarasota...when rehab and other treatments did not improve the injury, had successful surgery to repair a "sports
hernia" in both his left and right sides, which showed chronic weakness in both abdominal
walls...the surgery was performed at Drexel University in Philadelphia on April 14 by Dr.
Bill Meyers...began a rehab assignment with Double-A Akron June 22 and, after 10
games, jumped to Triple-A Buffalo...hit .282 (33-for-117) in 29 games for the Bisons
from July 24-August 31 to earn a September 1 call-up to Cleveland...enjoyed success
with the Indians down the stretch, going 8-for-19 (.421) in 7 games...went 2-for-3 with
a double, a homer and a season-high 3 RBI September 23 vs. Minnesota...went 3-for-4
with a run scored in his final game of the season, October 3 at Minnesota.
2003
Had his most productive offensive season in the majors, establishing career bests with 13 doubles, 8 home runs, 36 RBI, 25 runs scored and 91 games played...batted .244 for the Indians, including a .289 (24-for-83) mark as a right-handed hitter...was Cleveland's Opening Day catcher and remained atop the team's depth chart until he was
optioned to Triple-A Buffalo June 27, the same day Victor Martinez was promoted...was
batting .228 through 60 games at the time of the option...hit .330 with 5 homers and 21
RBI in 35 games with Buffalo to earn an August 9 recall to Cleveland, where he stayed for
the remainder of the season...appeared in 31 games for the Indians down the stretch,
batting .278 with 5 homers and 20 RBI...during his 2nd big league stint, batted .393 (11-for-28) with runners in scoring position...committed only 5 errors in 546 chances at the major league level for a .991 fielding percentage, 9th-best among
regular American League catchers...went
11-for-19 (.579) with a homer and 7 RBI
in his final 6 games to lift his average to
.244 from .222...his home run September 20 vs. Boston off Derek Lowe was the
1,000th round tripper by an Indian at
Jacobs Field.
2002
Played the bulk of the season at Triple-A Buffalo, but was promoted to make his major league debut with the Indians in late August when Einar Diaz suffered a season-ending injury...with the Bisons, batted .297 with 26 doubles, 6 homers, 53 RBI and 36 runs in 94 games, while his 60 assists led all International
League catchers...earned an August 23
promotion to the big leagues by hitting
.389 (49-for-126) in 32 games in July
and August...made his major league debut August 23 vs. Seattle, collecting his
first hit in the 5th inning off Joel
Pineiro...his first homer was a walk-off
shot in the 9th inning off James Baldwin
to break a 2-2 tie, making Bard the first
major leaguer to hit a walk-off home run in his debut since the Angels' Bill Parker
September 9, 1971...homered the next day off the Mariners' Jamie Moyer to become only
the 2nd Indian in club history (Earl Averill, 1929) to homer in both of his first 2
games...overall, hit safely in each of his first 9 big league contests, batting .333 (11-for-33)...suffered a contusion of his left big toe September 21 at Kansas City, limiting him to
only 2 games the rest of the way.
2001
Was a major league Spring Training invitee with the Rockies for the 2nd straight season, but began the season at Double-A Carolina before his June 2 trade to Cleveland...reported to Double-A Akron following the trade, but was shelved with lower
back spasms from July 22-August 23...rehabilitated with short-season Single-A Mahoning
Valley before being activated by Akron August 24 and later promoted to Triple-A Buffalo
September 1...following the minor league season, participated in the Arizona Fall League,
then played for Silver Medal-winning Team USA at the Baseball World Cup in Taipei.
2000
Began his professional career as an invitee to Rockies major league Spring Training before spending most of the regular season with Single-A Salem...his .285 average would have tied for 5th-best in the Carolina League, but he fell 30 plate appearances short of qualifying...helped Salem pitchers post the 2nd-best ERA (3.82) in the league...was
promoted to Triple-A Colorado Springs on August 29 to close out the season in the
Pacific Coast League.
