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FIGGINS, CHONE


Nickname:	CHONE	Position:	2B, 3B
Home:	Brandon, Florida	Team:	MARINERS
Height:	5' 7"	Bats:	S
Weight:	180	Throws:	R
DOB:	1/22/1978	Agent:	Seth Levinson
Birth City:	Leary, Georgia	Draft:	Rockies #4 - 1997 - Out of Brandon H.S. (Fla.)
Uniform #:	9		Rockies #4 - 1997 - Out of Brandon H.S. (Fla.)

YR	LEA	TEAM	SAL(K)	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	OBP	SLG	AVG
1997	AZL	Rockies		54	214	41	60	5	6	1	23	30		35	51			.280
1998	NWL	PORTLAND			269	41	76	9	3	1	26	25		26	54			.283
1999	CAR	SALEM			444	65	106	12	3	0	22	27		41	86			.239
2000	CAR	SALEM			522	92	145	26	14	3	48	37		67	107			.278
2001	SL	CAROLINA		86	332	41	73	14	5	2	25	27		40	73			.220
2001	TL	ARKANSAS		39	138	21	37	12	2	0	12	7		14	26			.268
2002	PCL	SALT LAKE		125	511	100	156	25	18	7	62	39		53	83			.305
2002	AL	ANGELS	$200.00	15	12	6	2	1	0	0	1	2		0	5			.167
2003	PCL	SALT LAKE		68	285	55	89	14	15	4	30	16		29	36			.312
2003	AL	ANGELS		71	240	34	71	9	4	0	27	13		20	38			.296
2004	AL	ANGELS	$320.00	148	577	83	171	22	17	5	60	34		49	94			.296
2005	AL	ANGELS	$390.00	158	642	113	186	25	10	8	57	62		64	101			.290
2006	AL	ANGELS	$2,250.00	155	604	93	161	23	8	9	62	52	16	65	100	.336	.376	.267
2007	PCL	SALT LAKE BEES		4	14	3	5	1	0	0	1	0	1	1	0		.429	.357
2007	AL	ANGELS	$3,500.00	115	442	81	146	24	6	3	58	41	12	51	81	.393	.432	.330
2008	PCL	SALT LAKE		3	10	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3		.200	.200
2008	AL	ANGELS	$4,750.00	116	453	72	125	14	1	1	22	34	13	62	80	.367	.318	.276
2009	AL	ANGELS	$5,775.00	158	615	114	183	30	7	5	54	42	17	101	114	.395	.393	.298
2010	AL	MARINERS	$8,500.00	135	502	52	123	16	1	1	32	34	10	66	104	.332	.287	.245

PERSONAL:
His name is Desmond DeChone Figgins. But when he was a kid in Georgia, his pals couldn't pronounce Desmond, so he went by DeChone, which is pronounced "DeShawn." That became Chone, pronounced "Shawn." Figgins grew up in Georgia cheering for St. Louis during the heyday of Vince Coleman, Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee and Company. Figgins got used to stadium announcers, fans, and reporters botching his name early in his career. He can still hear one atrociously mispronounced version of his name reverberate over the stadium speakers of the Class-A Potomac Cannons. "You hear it every once in a while," he said, "but it's not as bad as it was. It's not a well-known, out-there name, so it doesn't bother me when it happens. It's just good to have somebody call your name. Especially in the Major Leagues."	"I was a huge Ozzie Smith fan, and I used to do the back-flip all the time�Little League all-star games on up," Figgins said. "I did it in '98 and '99 at the start of the game on Opening Day [in the minor leagues]. "I've always thought about coming here (to St. Louis) and playing, and maybe having Ozzie watch me. I grew up in Georgia watching the Braves on TV, and I loved the Cardinals because they played my game. I see guys like Jose Oquendo and Andy Van Slyke now, and they're shocked to hear things I remember." Chone, with the Angels, played in St. Louis in June 2007 interleague play. CHONE'S FAMILY

Chone comes from a church-going Baptist family that observed baseball seven days a week. His parents, Charles Figgins and Eva Callins, were born on the same day to families who lived in adjacent houses in rural Leary, Georgia. Charles breathed baseball and taught his sons all about the game: how to play it right, and the history of it. (Daniel G. Habib-Sports Illustrated-9/12/05) Chone's older brother, Demetrius, played third base for two seasons in the independent Northeast and North Atlantic Leagues. In 2005, he shared a Newport Beach, California condo with his brother and worked as an instructor at a local batting cage. In October 2006, the Angels sent Demetrius to Major League Baseball's scout development program, then hired him as an area scout in South Florida. Demetrius remembers the baseball history lessons of his Dad: "He told us about how Hank Aaron worked for an ice company in the off-season, and that's why his forearms and wrists and hands were so strong�from carrying blocks of ice." (Daniel G. Habib-Sports Illustrated-9/12/05)	Demetrius admires Chone's athletic ability. "He's a better basketball player than baseball player," his brother said, laughing. "He's all of 5-7, he can dunk, and he's got Allen Iverson speed up and down the court. He's always said if he were 6-2, he would be playing basketball." Mr. Figgins moved his family to Brandon, Florida, when Chone was one year old. Now, Charles drives a truck for a carpet company in Orlando. Chone says the gift he remembers most from a Christmas was, "when I was seven or eight and Demetrius was about 10 or 11. We got a Nintendo game. We had been messing around with the gift, and we peeked at it and pulled at the tape, but we never quite saw the game.

"That Christmas Eve, we opened it and saw that it was Nintendo. We played that game until the wee hours when we were kicked off and sent to bed. Then we got up in the morning and started playing it again. It was a baseball game, and the people really didn't move, but it was fun." And his first Christmas memory? "My Dad bought me my first fishing pole. It was a bass fishing pole, and we went outside and we set up a bucket. We spent a long time just casting into that bucket. I was about five or six. I don't have that pole anymore, but that memory stands out. I love to fish, and I really wanted that fishing pole." (Mike Scarr-MLB.com-12/23/06)	In 2002, Chone set a new single-season stolen base franchise record for the Salt Lake City Stingers (PCL-Angels). On September 15, 2002, on a nationally televised game on ESPN2, Figgins got his first Major League hit, a single that knocked in a run and helpd the Angels beat the Texas Rangers. Chone and Marlins' OF Juan Pierre are good friends. They have been since their first year of professional baseball, when they were teammates and roommates in Portland, Oregon with the Rockies' Northwest League team.

The Angels wanted Figgins to play winter ball in Puerto Rico after the 2003 season, but Chone talked it over with the team and turned down the opportunity, choosing instead to spend time fishing with his grandfather, who was in the late stages of terminal cancer. "I got my speed growing up on a farm, running away from dogs and my brother," Figgins said. "Everyone in my family can run, including my mother." His parents played for a highly competitive coed softball team in Tampa. "Dad pitched and Mom played third. She says I got my ability from her." The slow-pitch softball team was composed mostly of five of (mother) Eva's seven brothers and their extended family and friends. The team barnstormed Florida, playing weekend games. Chone would play in the kids' pickup games, played with wadded up paper cups. But when he was old enough, he played in the big games. (Tim Kurkjian-ESPN The Magazine-June 7, 2004)	Figgins is not a big guy. But he is a strong little guy. And his body holds up well to the rigors of a Major League season. In 2007, Chone had a lake built on his property in the Tampa, Florida area, so he could fish close to home. "It's just something I grew up doing," Figgins said. "It's peaceful. It's fun. Plus, I can eat some of it." Figgins isn't about to give up his day job, but the best anglers these days need not choose between fishing and making a healthy living. He pointed to Mike Iaconelli, a champion bass fisherman with more than $1 million in career earnings and additional income from corporate sponsors such as Toyota and Yamaha. "It's like car racing," Figgins said. "They make a good living." (Bill Shaikin-LA Times-3/16/07)

Chone had one of the best games any player has ever had. On June 18, 2007, Figgins engineered a six-hit night, highlighted by a walk-off triple smoked down the rightfield line, to anchor his team in an improbable Angels' 10-9 come-from-behind win against the Houston Astros. Jim Northrup, an outfielder for Detroit from 1964-1974, was the last player since Figgins to accomplish the six-hit, walk-off feat, going a perfect 6-for-6 with a marathon-ending, two-run blast during a 13-inning contest on Aug. 18, 1969. Asked why he always wears a butterfly bandage on his left forearm, Chone said, "That's for my family, for my mom, dad and brother in Florida," Figgins, the Angels' leadoff catalyst, said. "I've been doing it since 2003 to let them know how much I appreciate all their support and what they did to get me where I am now."	Eva, his mother, lives in Tampa. Charles, his father, calls Orlando home. Brother Demetrius, an Angels scout, is Miami-based. "We've got Florida covered," Figgins said, grinning. "We went through all of this together, and I'm representing them. I always said if I made it, I would do something to let them know I'm thinking of them. I didn't want to do anything that was overexaggerated. This is pretty simple." (Lyle Spencer-MLB.com-9/16/07) Chone Figgins was placed on the bereavement list so he could spend time with his ailing father, who suffered a stroke. Figgins flew to Florida to be with his family and will miss the remainder of the three-game series against the A's. He's expected to return to the club next Friday�a player can't be on the bereavement list for more than 10 days.

"Our thoughts and prayers are obviously with his family," manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's very close to his family and this is a shock. Hopefully, you know, he'll get back there and see where things are." Figgins' father, Charles, is suffering from the effects of a second stroke in two years. (7/12/2008 David Biderman MLB.com) Very early in 2010 spring training, Figgins awoke one morning to disturbing news. An earthquake of an 8.8 magnitude had rocked central Chile, a South American country where his girlfriend of eight years, Claudia, was visiting with relatives. Figgins was able to get in contact with her by phone and determine she was OK, though the family was struggling to get her wheelchair-bound grandmother down the stairs in a building where the elevators were knocked out. It could have been far worse, since the quake left more than 400 people dead, 800,000 homeless and caused an estimated $30 billion in damage. Figgins realized there wasn't much he could do from here, but he did reach out with a $5,000 donation to the International Red Cross, one of his first forays into charitable giving that he plans for his new "Get Figgy With It" foundation. TRANSACTION REPORT	June 1997: The Rockies chose Figgins in the 4th round, out of Brandon High School in Florida. July 13, 2001: The Angels sent OF Kimera Bartee to the Rockies to acquire Figgins. January 14, 2006: Figgins signed a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the Angels. It called for $2.25 million in 2006, $3.5 million in 2007, and $4.75 million in 2008. February 6, 2009: Chone filed for free agency. December 5, 2009: Figgins signed a 4-year, $36 million contract with the Mariners. He got a $2 million signing bonus and be was to be paid $8 million for 2010, $9 million for each of 2011 and 2012 and $9 million in 2013 according to contract figures obtained by The Associated Press. There's also a $9 million vesting option for 2014 if he reaches 600 plate appearances in 2013.

BATTING:
Figgins has developed a very good knowledge of the strike zone. But he still strikes out too much for someone who can't hit home runs. He has to put the ball in play and beat it out to help his team. This said, Chone is one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball, with the on-base-percentage to prove it. Chone has shortened his swing and become a solid switch-hitter. He hits seemingly unhittable pitches because of his surprisingly quick bat speed. "Figgy plays big in a little body," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's fearless. He'll drive the ball to the gap like Jose Guillen and Vladi. He'll get in front of a ball at third base like a bigger guy. He's a little guy who plays big." TRIES FOR TRIPLES	Chone prefers hitting a triple to hitting a home run. He thinks it is better for his team. "I think a triple changes an inning more than a home run," Figgins said. "You've got a lot more opportunity for the guy hitting behind you to keep the inning going. Pitchers can't throw the ball in the dirt when there's a man on third, so a lot of pitchers can't throw their out pitch." Figgins knows the hard part isn't scoring from third, but getting there. So, every time he hits a ball out of the infield, Figgins thinks as hard as he runs. "It's mostly a speed thing, but I'm watching the ball the whole time while I round first base, to see if it's gonna kick [off the wall]," Figgins explained.

While many players just try to reach second base before contemplating whether they can take third, Figgins often commits to the triple a second or two after hitting the ball. Consequently, Chone cuts some of the tightest turns in the Major Leagues when he's legging out a three-base hit. "A lot of times you get that rounded angle that takes away a couple steps," he said. "It's just a matter of cutting down the angle of the bases you need to run through." (Mark Thoma-MLB.com-5/28/05) The little switch-hitter makes good contact and uses his speed to get on base. He doesn't have a whole lot of homerun power. But his speed and ability to hit the ball to the wall enables him to nab more doubles and triples than most players. "He's got power; that's why he gets triples. It's not just his speed," hitting coach Mickey Hatcher said. "He has a short, strong swing both right-handed and left-handed. He has good hands and if you make a mistake he will drive it. He will still take the pitch the other way because that has to be part of his game but he has the power to get the ball past the outfielders."	Figgins uses a 32-ounce bat for hitting righthanded and a 31-ouncer for hitting lefthanded. "Every at-bat, I'm trying to get hits, walks, have good at-bats," Figgins said. "Guys who get 200 hits a year�Ichiro, Michael Young, Juan Pierre�they get two hits every game; I want three or four. "And if it's a blowout, instead of giving away an at-bat, I'll try to get a walk or a hit, because that carries over to your next game. Now, every time I step to the plate, it's time to hit." Chone can really lay down a good bunt. But he doesn't attempt a bunt very often because the conditions, he says, are rarely right. "It's so tough, because pitchers don't come right at me, they throw me the kitchen sink. It's hard to bunt curves and sliders and split-fingered fastballs. And the third basemen are so good now, it's tough to do. So I pick my spots. It depends on who is pitching, how they're throwing to me. I'm not going to drop a bunt just to drop a bunt because then you're going to make an out," Figgins said. (April 25, 2009)

In 2009, Figgins finished second in the AL with 114 runs, one behind Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia. BREAKDOWN VS. RIGHTIES AND LEFTIES In 2003, the switch-hitting Figgins hit both lefthanders (.284) and righthanded pitchers (.303) well. In 2005, Figgins only hit .244 with 2 home runs in 217 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitchers. But he hit .313 with 6 homers in 425 at-bats against righthanders. In 2006, Chone hit just .233 with 3 homers in 172 at-bats off lefthanders. But he hit .280 with 6 home runs in 432 at-bats vs. righthanded pitching. In 2007, Figgins hit .326 in 92 at-bats vs. lefthanders, and .331 with all three of his home runs in 350 at-bats vs. righthanders. In June 2007, Chone went on a tear, hitting .461 with 53 hits�etting the Angels franchise record for hits in a month.	In 2008, Chone hit .272 in 125 at-bats vs. lefties. And .277 in 328 at-bats vs. righthanders. In 2009, Chone only hit .246 with no homers in 203 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitchers. But nailed righthanders for a .323 average with 5 homers in 412 at-bats. Chone entered the 2010 season with a .291 lifetime batting average and 31 home runs in 3,585 at-bats. His career on-base percentage is .363.

FIELDING:
Figgins is the game's most versatile everyday player. In 2005, he played every position except catcher, first base, and pitcher. In 2006, he started at no fewer than five different positions plus designated hitter. At shortstop, Chone has excellent range, agility, and a strong arm. But he makes too many errors as a middle infielder to play every day in the Majors. In 2003, Figgins proved to be a good outfielder when put in centerfield with the Angels. He has excellent range and gets a real good jump on fly balls. "What I think has been a pleasant surprise is how well his arm plays out there," Angel manager Mike Scioscia said. "His arm plays better in the outfield than it does at second base, and you don't see that very often. We noticed in the spring in workouts how well he threw out in the outfield."	Asked where he likes to play, Figgins said, "It doesn't matter. Shortstop, second, outfield�just one of them. They're all fun and you always have to be in the game when you're playing them." Chone does not like to think of himself as a utility player. "To be considered a utility player is an insult. I've been through every step in the minor leagues. If you can consider me a utility player who plays every day, you can write that word down. But if I'm only playing a few times a week, I'm not going to be satisfied." Angels manager Mike Scioscia likes to put Figgins' name in the lineup somewhere every day, saying, "It's not utility, it's versatility. He's a guy you want in the lineup as much as you can for what he's done offensively."

Chone likes having the room to roam in center field. "It's been fun," Figgins said in 2006. "In the infield, there is a lot of footwork, but in the outfield I get to run and that is what I like to do." In 2006, Figgins worked with left fielder Garret Anderson on taking the best route to the ball, judging fly balls and low line drives. In 2007, Chone used a larger glove while playing third base than he had before.

RUNNING:
Figgins is very speedy on the bases. His job is to get on and disrupt the opposition, steal a base if it is there, or go from first to third, take the extra base�keep pressure on the opposition. In 2005, when he stole 62 bases, Chone passed Gary Pettis for second place on the Angels all-time list of stolen bases in a season. (In 1985, Pettis stole 56. In 1975, Mickey Rivers stole 70.)

CAREER INJURY REPORT:
March 21-April 30, 2007: Figgins suffered a broken middle finger on his right (throwing) hand when he misplayed a ground ball. The fracture was just above the first knuckle. And he also broke a bone in the adjoining finger. He began the season on the D.L. November 2007: Chone submitted to surgery on his left wrist. He had the hook of the hamate bone removed. He had first suffered a bone bruise outside his wrist swinging the bat against the Yankees at Angel Stadium in August, costing him 14 games. It bothered him when he returned in September, primarily from the right side. So he had the hamate bone removed. May 4-June 13, 2008: A strained right hamstring put Figgins on the D.L. Chone injured it sliding home against the Orioles. Figgins returned to action on May 21, but injured himself in his first game back and went back on the D.L.	June 28, 2008: Figgins was a late scratch from the Angels' lineup prior to an interleague showdown with the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Figgins showed up with an infection in his left knee, the result of a sliding mishap in Washington during the East Coast portion of the road trip. "It's right in the knee," Figgins said. "I want to be careful with it so it doesn't go up my leg. This is my second sliding injury this year."