Jermaine Dye

For a professional athlete, it takes perseverance and courage to come back from an injury and play again at an elite level. Jermaine Dye had to do this many times during his baseball career. Despite having to overcome injuries at almost every stop during his 14 years in the majors, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound right fielder with a powerful bat and a great arm succeeded when most others would have failed. Beginning with a home run in his first major-league at-bat, he was able to add a Silver Slugger Award, a Gold Glove Award, and a World Series MVP Award to his résumé before retiring.

Jermaine Trevell Dye was born on January 28, 1974, in Oakland, California, to Bill and Neda (Morgan) Dye. He grew up in San Pablo, 14 miles north of Oakland, where his father drove a bus for the city. On some summer mornings, Jermaine and his sister Angie would be dropped off by their father at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. They watched the Giants take batting practice from the bleacher seats, and would be joined later on by their father after he completed his route.

Dye’s father was also his coach in various youth leagues throughout his childhood. After he made it to the big leagues, Dye’s father was still there for him. “He calls when he sees something wrong, and I call him when I need to tell him what I think,” Jermaine told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s been my coach all my life.”1

Dye went to Will C. Wood High School in Vacaville, California. He was the quarterback for the football team and a small forward for the basketball team, and pitched for the baseball team. He received scholarship offers to play football (from Brigham Young) and basketball (from the University  of Nevada at Las Vegas)), but ultimately chose to pursue baseball. “He was a good all-around player, a good student, everything,” said Don Trolinger, Dye’s high-school batting coach. “We knew he had (talent). We just didn’t know where he would go with it.”2 

Dye was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 43rd round (1,210th overall) of the June 1992 amateur draft. Opting to not sign with the Rangers, he chose to go to Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, California, to play for coach Rod Beilby. Instead of pitching, Beilby recommended that Jermaine become a hitter. The coach’s suggestion turned out to be good advice. Dye finished his freshman year leading the team with a .397 batting average with a .480 on-base percentage and a .744 slugging percentage. He was second on the team in runs scored (29). He had nine assists as an outfielder. He was named Bay Valley Conference Most Valuable Player for the 1993 season.

Dye drafted again, this time by the Atlanta Braves in the 17th round (488th overall) of the June 1993 draft. Brave scout Dave Wilder signed him on June 6.

Dye, 19 years old, started the 1993 season playing for the Braves affiliate in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League (later known as the Florida Complex League). After batting .347 in 31 games, he was moved up to the Danville (Virginia) Braves of the Appalachian League. Dye hit his first professional home run at Danville. He finished the season batting .277 in 25 games.

After making a good impression playing rookie ball, Dye was promoted to the Macon (Georgia) Braves of the Class-A South Atlantic League for 1994 and continued to hit well, clocking 15 home runs with 98 RBIs while batting .298 in 135 games with a league record 41 doubles.

Another year brought another promotion, and Dye opened the ’95 season playing for the Double-A Greenville Braves (Southern League). He again proved he was capable of hitting professional pitching, turning in 15 home runs with 71 RBIs while batting .285 in 104 games. He had an impressive 22 assists playing the outfield.

Once the season ended in Greenville, Dye played in the Arizona Fall League for the Sun Cities Solar Sox. The Braves sent Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, a special assistant, to Arizona to work with Dye. He hit well again, leading the league with 41 RBIs. The Braves added Dye to their 40-man major-league roster to prevent their losing him in the Rule 5 draft. The move gave Dye an automatic invite to spring training for the 1996 season.

After batting .364 with 12 RBIs in 25 spring-training games, Dye started the 1996 season with Richmond Braves of the Triple-A International League. This was not a controversial move, as the Braves already had three very good outfielders in Ryan Klesko, Marquis Grissom, and David Justice. “This spring Dye showed the kind of all-around natural ability that he had shown in previous years in the minors,” Braves assistant general manager Dean Taylor said. “We feel he has a solid future as an everyday outfielder at the major-league level.”3

Justice dislocated his left shoulder on May 15. The Braves needed an outfielder to replace him on the roster, and Dye was called up. Dye made his major-league debut on May 17. On a 1-and-0 count, he homered in his first at-bat off Reds pitcher Marcus Moore. He was the first Atlanta player to accomplish the feat, and the first Brave to do so since Chuck Tanner did it for Milwaukee in 1955.

Dye went on to win the starting right fielder job for the rest of the season, hitting .281/.304/.459 with 12 home runs in 98 games. Justice continued to travel with the team as he recovered from his injury, and he formed a bond with Dye. Said Justice, “I didn’t have anybody to show me what I needed to do to be successful when I first came into the majors. That’s why I’m going to do my best to help Jermaine become the best player that he can be.”4

The Braves went 96-66 that season, finishing first in the NL East Division, and sweptthe Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-three Division Series. Dye only had two hits in 11 at-bats in the series, but one of the hits was a seventh-inning home run in Game Two that broke a 2-2 tie. After beating the St. Louis Cardinals in the Championship Series four games to three (Dye was 6-for-28), the Braves faced the New York Yankees in the World Series. After winning the first two games, the favored Braves lost the next four. Dye struggled in the series, going 2 for 17 (.118) with one RBI.

After losing the World Series, the Braves looked to revamp their outfield for the 1997 season. They traded Justice and Grissom to Cleveland for Kenny Lofton. They also traded Dye, along with pitcher Jamie Walker, to the Royals for outfielder Michael Tucker and infielder Keith Lockhart. The Royals were looking for a right-handed outfielder, and Dye fit the role perfectly. The trade was not received well in Kansas City, however, as Tucker was viewed as an up-and-coming prospect.

The 1997 season turned out to be a disaster for the Royals. Manager Bob Boone was fired in July and the club finished 67-94, in last place in the AL Central Division. Dye was plagued by injury. He ended up playing only 75 games, as he dealt with a severe bone bruise in his left foot. Later he suffered a strain in his right quadriceps. His offense declined, too, and at one point in the season, he was sent down to Triple-A Omaha to work on his hitting.

The Royals (72-89) moved up to third place in 1998. Dye played in only 60 games for the Royals. He had played poorly in spring training, largely because of his still sore right quadriceps, and he started the year at Omaha. He was recalled by the Royals in early May, but was again demoted to Omaha on June 29. He returned to the majors on August 11 when the Royals traded Jermaine Allensworth to the New York Mets. After seeming to get into a hitting groove, Dye tore cartilage in his right knee while getting into his car on September 1. The injury put an end to his season. In KC, he hit just .234, with 5 homers and 23 RBIs.

Because Dye was struggling at the plate and was injury-prone, expectations were probably low for his 1999 season. But he arrived fully healthy for spring training, although without a guarantee of making the big-league roster. He played well enough in spring training that when the Royals traded outfielder Jeff Conine to the Baltimore Orioles, Dye was named the starting right fielder to begin the season. He made the most of the opportunity. Finally playing fully healthy, he hit .294 with 27 home runs and 119 RBIs. The fans took to him, too, chanting “Dye-no-mite!” when he made a good play.

Dye continued his excellent hitting in 2000, establishing career highs in batting average (.321) and home runs (33), to go along with 118 RBIs. The numbers were good enough for him to be voted to start the All-Star Game. Dye’s fielding was outstanding too; he won the AL Gold Glove for right fielders. He was the first Royals outfielder to win the award since Willie Wilson in 1980. Alongside teammates Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltrán, the Royals outfield seemed destined for great things.

That outfield was soon broken up. Damon, in the last year of his contract, was traded to the Oakland A’s on January 8, 2001. Kansas City, a small-market team, had many players due for contract extensions, including Dye, whose contact was expiring at the end of 2002.

The 2001 season started out strong for Dye. He continued his solid hitting and great defense. Then, on July 25, he was traded to the Oakland A’s in a three-team trade that sent Neifi Pérez to the Royals. As part of the trade, the Colorado Rockies received José Ortiz, Mario Encarnación, and Todd Belitz. Joe Posnanski, a columnist for the Kansas City Star, wrote, “Dye is everything that we want Kansas City baseball to be about. He’s modest, works hard, keeps to himself, plays well, and now he’s gone because the Royals simply can’t afford him. Or won’t afford him. Only (Royals owner) David Glass knows for sure.”5

With the addition of Dye, the Athletics were sending a message that they were going all in on reaching the playoffs. With the help of Dye’s bat (.297 batting average, 13 home runs, and 59 RBIs in 61 games), the A’s finished the season with a record of 102-60, in second place in the AL West (the Seattle Mariners finished with a historic 116-46 record), and earned a wild-card spot in the postseason. In the AL Division Series. Dye fractured his tibia by fouling a ball off his left leg in Game Four. The A’s lost that game, and the series.

Dye signed a three-year, $32 million extension to stay with the A’s on January 16, 2002. The deal was the richest in team history at the time. The contract also included a $14 million team option for the 2005 season. Dye started the season on the injured list, still recovering from his broken leg. He made his  season debut on April 26. He ended up batting .252 with 24 home runs and 86 RBIs in 131 games. The A’s finished in first place in the AL West with a record of 103-59. But like the year before, they lost in the AL Division Series, this time to the Minnesota Twins, three games to two. Dye hit .400 for the series but had only one RBI.

Dye struggled with injuries for most of the 2003 season. He landed on the injured list twice. On April 24 he slipped and injured his knee while fielding a ball. On July 6 he separated his right shoulder in a home-plate collision with Anaheim catcher Bengie Molina. He played in only 65 games, hitting an abysmal .172 with 4 home runs and 20 RBIs. The A’s again finished in first place in the AL West with a record of 96-66, and again lost the Division Series in five games, this time to the Boston Red Sox. Dye was 3-for-13 in the series with a home run and 3 RBIs.

Coming into the 2004 season, Dye was in the last year of his three-year contract with the A’s. He was set to make over $11 million, and the A’s had a $14 million option for 2005. He needed a great season for the team to justify the team’s picking up that option. He started the year off strong. At the All-Star break, he was batting .285 with 16 home runs and 54 RBIs. In early August, Dye sprained his thumb while trying to make a sliding catch on the artificial turf in Minneapolis. Instead of taking time off, he insisted on playing through the pain. But the injury clearly affected his swing, and he cooled off in the second half of the season. He finished the year batting .265 with 23 home runs and 80 RBIs. The A’s declined to exercise Dye’s $14 million option. He became a free agent for the first time in his career.

Dye signed with the Chicago White Sox on December 9, 2004. The two-year deal was for $10.15 million, with a $6.75 million option for 2007. Dye turned down more lucrative offers to play for the White Sox, saying, “I felt Chicago was going in a good direction and with the pitching staff, I felt I had a better chance of helping the team out and getting into the playoffs. … I just wanted to be somewhere I could be happy.”6

Dye replaced Magglio Ordóñez for the 2005 season. Ordóñez had spent the first eight seasons of his career with the White Sox, making the All-Star team four times and putting up power numbers. Dye matched that performance, hitting .274 with 31 homers and 86 RBIs in the regular season. The postseason, though, was when Dye truly earned his contract.

The 2005 White Sox finished in first place in the AL Central Division with a record of 99-63. They bulldozed their way through the postseason, sweeping the Red Sox in the Division Series, ousting the Angels, four games to one in the Championship Series, then sweeping the Houston Astros in the World Series. Dye was named the World Series MVP after hitting .438 with a home run and 3 RBIs, including the game-winning RBI in the deciding Game Four.

The next year, 2006, proved to be the monster year for Dye. He hit .315 with 44 home runs (second only to David Ortiz in the AL) and 120 RBIs.  He made his second All-Star Game and won a Silver Slugger Award. He finished fifth in AL MVP voting. The White Sox, however, could not make it back to the World Series. They finished with a record of 90-72 and were third in the AL Central Division. On October 30 they exercised their $6.75 million option for Dye’s 2007 season.

The 33-year-old Dye struggled in the first half of the season. He came back stronger in the second half, finishing the year with a respectable 28 home runs and 78 RBIs. His name came up in trade rumors all season, but on August 18 he signed a two-year extension with the White Sox worth $22 million, with a mutual option for 2010. Chicago struggled as a team and finished the year in fourth place in the division with a 72-90 record.

Dye returned to form in 2008, hitting .292 with 34 home runs and 96 RBIs. He tied for second in the AL with 77 extra-base hits. He finished second in the All-Star final vote to Evan Longoria, who made the last spot on the team. The White Sox returned to their winning ways and finished in first place in the AL Central Division, but lost in the Division Series to the Tampa Bay Rays three games to one. Dye batted .375 in the series, including a home run in Game Four.

Dye hit his 300th career home run on April 13, 2009. Making it extra special, the next batter, Paul Konerko, also hit his 300th home run. Dye hit well in the first half of the season. At the All-Star break, he had a .302 average with 20 home runs and 55 RBIs. However, his output severely declined after the break: just .179 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs. According to Dye, the problem was that “he received less regular playing time after the White Sox’s outfield became more ‘crowded.’”7 Left fielder Carlos Quentin returned from plantar fasciitis on July 20 and center fielder Alex Ríos was claimed off waivers on August 10. From then on, Dye got fewer at-bats and his slump continued into September. “Having everyone rotate between the outfield and DH, doing all that, I think it made it that much tougher than being in the lineup every day, trying to work your way out of a slump,” he said. “It just kind of piled up and piled up.”8 On November 6 the White Sox bought out his $12 million mutual option for $950,000, making him a free agent again.

Dye entered the 2009-2010 offseason as a 35-year-old, two-time All-Star veteran with a World Series MVP to his name. Expectations were that he would have to take a pay cut from his previous year’s $11.5 million salary. However, the offers that came in were surprisingly low. The Chicago Cubs offered him a one-year, $3 million contract. “No doubt, I’ve probably slowed down a little bit (defensively), but not enough to not be getting (attractive) offers,” Dye said. “I just want to be treated fairly. I know the market is down, but there are still guys getting money that I feel I’m better than.”9 Dye decided to turn down all the low offers and wait until a good situation arose. He stayed in shape all season and set his sights on signing with a team for the 2011 season.

In 2010 Dye was inducted into the Cosumnes River College Hall of Fame. He said that being inducted was “one of the top three awards I have received. I played baseball in high school, but CRC is where I learned how and what it would take to play professional baseball.”10

As the 2011 major-league season approached, Dye still had not received an offer he liked, and he was not interested in signing a minor-league contract. On March 31, 2011, he announced his retirement from baseball.

Retiring from baseball allowed Dye to spend more time with his wife, Tricia, and take a more active role in raising his three children, Devin, Tiara, and Jalen. Because he no longer had to travel during the baseball season, he was able to watch his kids play youth sports. He became an avid golfer, appearing in many pro-am tournaments. He began hosting an annual golf tournament benefiting Fresh Start, which provides surgeries and medical care to children in need. “Every year we come together and see what we are able to provide for these children through this one event, which is happiness, it’s incredible,” said Dye. “I’m very grateful to be a part of Fresh Start for so many years, providing life-changing work to so many.”11

Sources

Unless otherwise indicated, all statistics and team records were taken from baseball-reference.com.

Photo credit: Jermaine Dye, Trading Card Database.

Notes

1 Michelle Smith, “Dad Still Coaching Dye/Muni Driver Helped Steer His Career,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 20, 2004: 31.

2 Tim Casey, “Everybody Loves Jermaine, a Nice Guy Who Finished First,” Sacramento Bee, October 28, 2005: 17.

3 Bill Zack, “Braves Happy to Leave Florida, Spring Training,” Anderson (South Carolina) Independent Mail, March 29, 1996: 27.

4 Terrence Moore, “Dye May Make Tutor Justice Expendable,” Atlanta Constitution, May 18, 1996: 49.

5 Joe Posnanski, “Reality Is, Royals Can’t Afford Anyone,” Kansas City Star, July 25, 2001: 34.

6 Dave Van Dyck, “Dye the Kind of Guy Sox GM Wants,” Chicago Tribune, December 10, 2004: 4-3.

7 Why Is Jermaine Dye Looking for Work?” FoxSports, published February 11, 2010, updated January 8, 2015. https://www.foxnews.com/sports/why-is-jermaine-dye-looking-for-work, accessed May 15, 2024.

8 Why Is Jermaine Dye Looking for Work?”

9 Why Is Jermaine Dye Looking for Work?”

10 Jermaine Dye bio, California Community College Athletic Association, CCCAA (cccaasports.org), accessed May 15, 2024.

11 “Fresh Start Swings into Action, Presenting 8th Annual Celebrity Gold Classic Hosted by Jermaine Dye in Chicago. https://www.freshstart.org/news/fresh-start-swings-into-action-presenting-8th-annual-celebrity-golf-classic-hosted-by-jermaine-dye-in-chicago/, accessed May 15, 2024.