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PERSONAL:
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- Growing up in Atlanta, Marlon was a Braves fan. Hank Aaron was a family friend. And Byrd idolized two-time National League MVP Dale Murphy. He always wanted to wear Murphy's No. 3.
"But because I was a big kid, I always got the higher numbers," Byrd said. - Byrd originally attended Georgia Tech out of high school on a football scholarship, but left for junior college after a calf injury during his sophomore year. When doctors operated, they discovered an infection and swlling of the anterior tibialis muscle so severe that it had cut off the circulation. The surgeons considered immediate amputation, but decided to hold off. They cleaned out the infection and hoped to eventually operate again to reconnect the tendons.
Marlon wore a hard cast for six weeks, then began a slow and arduous rehabilitation process that took almost two more years. His focus became baseball. But while he was rehabbing, his weight ballooned to 315 pounds! He worked to get his knee in shape, but between studying for his degree in business management and working at the local Planet Smoothie, he blossomed, to say the least.
"I didn't realize how big I had gotten," he said. "I thought maybe 250, 260. But that really made me mad. It ticked me off and became a driving force. I went on a diet. I worked my butt off and lost 90 pounds in five months. I'd get up at 1 o'clock in the morning and get on the StairMaster. It became a fetish. And I believe that's what turned it around for me. I don't take it well when people tell me what I can't do."
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Marlon is tremendously strong, especially in the lower body. Before games he lifts weights. Then, after games, he lifts more weights. Physically, Byrd resembles Dee Brown of the Royals' organization.He works harder than most players. And he plays harder, too. He has a lot of heart and passion for the game. He is hungry, not complacent. He has great makeup, great character and great intensity.In 2000, Marlon received the Paul Owens Award as Phillies Minor League Player of the Year. In the South Atlantic League, he was tops in triples and sixth in batting average.
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He has a sense of humor, but is all work on the field. He has a strong desire to learn more and improve his game. He is a manager's dream.In 2001, Byrd was the Eastern League MVP."His focal point is not just to be a Major League player. It's to be a front-line player," said Gary Varsho, his manager at Reading in 2001, and now a Phillies' coach. "He's quiet but he's extremely driven. I've never come across somebody so focused on what he wants to accomplish."
Added general manager Ed Wade: "He doesn't just want to make the club. He wants to be Rookie of the Year. And that's great. I think it comes from within. He's just wired a certain way."
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Byrd seems to have inherited that inner drive from his parents. His father, Charles, was one of 10 children and now works in marketing for American Express Financial. His mother, Emma, has 11 brothers and sisters and was the first of the family to go to college. She's a project manager for IBM.
"My parents instilled that in me," he said. "If I was cutting the lawn and the lines weren't straight, my Dad would get on me. He always told me that if I was going to be a janitor, be the best janitor I could be." When he was in seventh grade, the family moved into a neighborhood where many of the kids played tennis. He had never played, so not surprisingly he got beat almost every game. He threw himself into the sport until he could win consistently.
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In the offseason, he becomes a bit of a recluse. He works out intensely. He rarely goes to a restaurant, preferring to cook healthy meals for himself. He has a personal trainer and a physical therapist. He eats organic vegetables, and that is really his favorite food. His goal is to arrive at spring training with five percent body fat.
However, Marlon had ballooned to about 250 pounds by the end of the 2002 season. He started adding weight after being hospitalized in July with what Byrd described as "a full body cramp." "I like to visualize, and what I'm visualizing is winning the Rookie of the Year Award," Byrd said. "That's my goal. It's also my goal to be a 30-30 player, a 40-40 player, to be the new breed of centerfielder, along with guys like Ken Griffey, Jr. and Andruw Jones. I want to be linked with those names. I want to see people walking around in the stands wearing my jersey. I want to be a guy that carries the team. I don't want to just go out and be happy to be in the big leagues. I want to be an All-Star. I want to be the three-hole hitter or the four-hole hitter. I want to be the kind of guy that's exciting to watch and puts people in the stands. I don't see anything less for myself."
(Editor's note: Byrd is a nice player, but nobody has ever compared him to Ken Griffey, Jr.)
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On August 30, 2002, Byrd was charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct, reckless endangering of another person, and harassment. The charges stem from an incident involving the 25-year-old outfielder and his girlfriend, Nikki Giavasis, that occurred in the parking lot of Lackawanna County Stadium, when Byrd was playing for the triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. According to an affidavit, Byrd grabbed Giavasis by the hair and dragged her out of a car after they had been arguing.
They were soon reconciled, but had to stand trial on the charges, even though Giavasis didn't want charges filed. She had injuries and went to the hospital, so police would not drop the matter. According to an affidavit, Byrd and Giavasis had argued in the parking lot of the stadium. When she got into a car to leave, Byrd grabbed her out of it and dragged her on the ground. She told police Byrd was "twisting her arm, trying to break it," and that Byrd punched her in the head and chest. Police stated they saw red marks on her chest, swelling and bruising to her left elbow, broken fingernails, and a bleeding finger.
Byrd acknowledged the incident when he joined the Phillies a week later, saying: "I made a mistake. It was a personal and private matter. People make mistakes, and that's exactly what I did."
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During the off-season before 2003 Spring Training, Marlon worked out five days a week with eight-time National League batting champ and future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. They also worked with Phillies teammate Jimmy Rollins. Byrd said Gwynn emphasized getting in a proper position to hit the ball where it's pitched. "He's a master," Byrd said. "When you work with him, you don't leave until you get it right."In 2004, Marlon showed up for spring training having shaved his head. Before that, he had hair that ranged from an Afro to cornrows. "I did it for my Mom," Byrd said. "She likes the bald look."
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Byrd lives and breathes baseball. He can recite the out pitches for his boyhood heroes: the Atlanta Braves, the Glenn Hubbards, Dale Murphys, et al. In June 2005, while the Nationals were on a road trip, Marlon's 2002 black Cadillac Escalade was stolen.
According to Byrd, the police found the car on June 23, but they didn't tell him until a week later and didn't disclose the location of where they found it. Byrd said the perpetrators took his stereo equipment from inside the car. In June 2005, Byrd was ejected from a game after arguing with first base umpire Bill Miller, who called Byrd out on a swinging strike. Byrd ran from shallow left field to argue with Miller. But Joe Brinkman, who was the crew chief, tried to grab Byrd and was knocked to the ground. Nationals trainer Tim Abraham and Marlins trainer Sean Cunningham tended to Brinkman, who suffered a scrape on his right forehead, but remained in the game.
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During the offseason before 2007 spring training, Marlon got married. The bacelor party in Las Vegas included a lot of his Phillies teammates, like Ryan Howard, Geoff Geary, and Shane Victorino.In November 2006, Marlon got married to a Philadelphia girl.In November 2007, Byrd received the Texas Rangers' Harold McKinney Good Guy Award for 2007.June 25, 2009: Byrd understands that fans, the media and even some of his peers in baseball might question his decision to use supplements from Victor Conte, the brains behind the BALCO steroid scandal. But Byrd stands by his decision, first reported by Yahoo Sports, saying it's the right thing for him and his career. While others might think Byrd is subjecting himself to the risk of testing positive for a banned substance, he said Conte's help reduces that chance.
"People are going to question it. Of course, they are," Byrd said. "His supplements work for me. The things that I'm taking are subtle supplements to play the game. It's weird to say, but it's safer, in my opinion.
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"I've never been labeled a cheater. I know Victor has. If I was doing something wrong, do you think I would have come out with it? I'm being honest." Former Cubs manager Lou Piniella said Byrd is an impressive player .
"I like the way he plays," Piniella said in 2010. "He's a kid who has fun. He plays hard, he hustles. He's a throwback. We've enjoyed having him. He does a nice job in center field. If you had 13 like him, you wouldn't have many problems."Marlon provides unselfish leadership . He is always happy and doesn't worry about anything except the team. He has a great personality. And, scouts call him a gamer.
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Byrd has a knack of pitcking up on ways that pitchers might be giving something up and tipping what pitch they are going to throw by holding their glove a certain way or some other clue.
"When I came to the big leagues, Bobby Abreu and Ricky Ledee taught me about pitchers tipping pitches," Marlon said.
TRANSACTION REPORT June 2, 1999: Drafted by the Phillies in the 10th round. May 14, 2005: The Nationals sent OF Endy Chavez to the Phillies, acquiring Byrd.July 14, 2006: The Nationals designated Byrd for assignment.December 8, 2006: Marlon signed a one-year contract with the Rangers.January 16, 2008: Byrd and the Rangers avoided salary arbitration when they agreed to a $1.8 million contract.
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January 30, 2009: The Rangers and Marlon again avoided salary arbitration, agreeing to a one-year, $3.06 million contract. He was asking for $3.6 million in arbitration and the Rangers were offering $2.7 million.November 5, 2009: Byrd filed for free agency.December 31, 2009: Marlon signed a 3-year, $15 million contract with the Cubs. It calls for $3 million in 2010, $5.5 million in 2011, and $6.5 million in 2012.
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BATTING:
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- Marlon has great bat speed. And when the ball hits the bat, it just sounds different than from most hitters. Very few hitters have that.
- His tremendous power comes from his compact swing and muscular physique.
- Byrd has an improving knowledge of the strike zone, but still needs to walk more often.
- Marlon has a quiet, compact stroke. He stays back on offspeed pitches. And he hits to all fields.
- During 2002 spring training, Byrd picked up a valuable lesson from Phillie teammate Bobby Abreu. Byrd noticed that Abreu, a lefthanded hitter, begins every round of batting practice by hitting balls to the opposite field. Gradually, Abreu works into pull mode, letting his hands and eyes concentrate on preparing for pitches in every part of the zone.
The righthanded Byrd emulated that approach throughout the 2002 season, and it still helps him hit for average when he goes into a power drought.
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"He still has trouble with good fastballs," said Phillies manager Larry Bowa in 2003. "He's so strong that sometimes he waits too long before he triggers. He's getting a lot of hits to right field. The one thing that's hard to teach in my opinion is how to hit a good fastball. You can teach a player how to hit a good breaking ball because it's a matter of waiting. Byrd's not starting soon enough at the plate," Bowa said. "Everything's late. If he triggers right, he'll hit a good fastball."
BREAKDOWN vs. LEFTIES and RIGHTIESByrd started the 2003 season slowly. He was hitting just .167 on May 13, but finished hitting .303 with seven homers and 45 RBIs. He also became the Phillies' leadoff hitter, and showed he can handle pennant-race baseball. He hit .330 and stole six of his 11 bases in September.
For the 2003 season, righthanded hitting Marlon batted .315 against lefthanded pitchers and .299 with six of his seven home runs against righthanders.
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In 2004, Phillies hitting guru Charlie Manuel helped Byrd develop a trigger in his swing. And, Manuel had Marlon move his hands slightly to get an earlier start to his swing, which he hopes will aid bat control and reduce strikeouts.In 2004, Byrd hit only .213 with one home runs in 75 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitchers, and .232 with 4 home runs in 271 at-bats against righthanded batters.During the 2005 season, Byrd had serious problems hitting inside pitches.
For the 2005 season, Marlon nailed lefthanded pitchers for a .323 average with one home run in 93 at-bats, but only .228 with one home run in 136 at-bats vs. righthanders.In 2007, Byrd hit .327 with one home runs in 104 at-bats vs. lefties. And .300 with 9 home runs in 310 at-bats against righthanded pitching.
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In 2008, Marlon hit .277 with 6 home runs in 137 at-bats against lefthanders, and .308 with 4 home runs in 266 at-bats vs. righthanded pitchers.In 2009, Byrd held lefthanded hitters to a .244 average with 7 home runs in 164 at-bats, while righthanded batters had a .300 average with 13 homers in 383 at-bats.
Marlon entered the 2010 season with a career batting average of .279 with 60 home runs and 335 RBI in 2,666 at-bats.
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