Ty Wigginton

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Ty Wigginton bigraphy, stories - American baseball player

Ty Wigginton : biography

October 11, 1977 –

Ty Allen Wigginton (born October 11, 1977) is an American professional baseball infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. He is a 1st and 3rd Baseman, having platooned as an infielder and an outfielder during his career. He bats and throws right-handed. Wigginton resides in Chula Vista, California.

High school years

Wigginton attended Chula Vista High School in Chula Vista, California, and was a letterman in football and baseball. Wigginton graduated from Chula Vista High School in 1995.

Baseball career

Wigginton attended UNC Asheville and played for three years from to . Wigginton still holds the school’s records for most home runs in a game, most runs in a season, and most doubles in a season. Wigginton is the only UNC Asheville baseball player to have played in the major leagues.

New York Mets

The 200-pound Wigginton was selected by the New York Mets in the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.

Wigginton was brought up to the major league Mets for the first time in as a third baseman and had a promising partial rookie season with the Mets, batting .302 with a .354 on base percentage (OBP) and .526 slugging percentage (SLG) in 116 at-bats. He slumped somewhat in his first full season in with a batting line of .255/.318/.396 in 573 at-bats but started the season hot. In his first 312 at-bats, Wigginton hit .285/.334/.487, hitting 12 home runs and 23 doubles with 42 runs batted in.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On July 30, 2004, the Mets traded Wigginton to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a six-player deal for pitcher Kris Benson. Wigginton slumped badly after he was traded before recovering somewhat in September. In 2004, for the second straight year he had the lowest zone rating of any NL third baseman (.731).

He started at third base for the Pirates in but again struggled and was demoted to the minor leagues on June 4, putting his future with Pittsburgh in doubt. After winning the International League Batter of the Week for the week of August 15–21, "Wiggy" was called up to the Pirates on August 22, 2005. The utility infielder caught fire, hitting .365 over his last 22 games for Pittsburgh, but the Pirates still released him after the season.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Wigginton signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on January 10, . He split his time between first base and second base in 2006 with a few starts at third base and in the outfield. He signed a three-year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays after the 2006 season.

Houston Astros

On July 28, , Wigginton was traded to the Houston Astros for pitcher Dan Wheeler. After his acquisition, Morgan Ensberg was designated for assignment, and Wigginton was announced to be the Astros’ starting third baseman. When Astros outfielder Carlos Lee had his finger broken by a pitch on August 9, 2008, Wigginton made the majority of the starts in left field in Lee’s place. Wigginton ended up having a monster month of August, hitting .379 and posting a staggering 1.200 OPS. On December 12, 2008, the Astros failed to tender Wigginton a contract and he became a free agent, a controversial move that upset many Astros fans.

Baltimore Orioles

On February 10, , Wigginton signed a two-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

He hit very well during the early stages of the 2010 season, batting .272 through his first 60 games and ranking eighth in the American League with 13 home runs.

Wigginton was elected to his 1st All Star Game in 2010, being the lone O’s representative. Wigginton had started the season without a starting position in Baltimore. However, hot streaks at the plate eventually prompted the saying "gettin’ Wiggy with it," a spoof of the song "Gettin Jiggy with it."

He split games between third base and first base following the trade of Miguel Tejada.

Colorado Rockies

On December 7, 2010, Wigginton signed a two-year deal with the Colorado Rockies with an option for a third year.