View source for Damion Easley

{{InfoboxPlayer
| name       = Damion Easley
| image      = 
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| caption    = 
| team       = Tampa Bay Devil Rays
| number     = 25
| position   = Third base
| birthdate  = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1969|11|11}}
| birthplace = [[New York, NY]]
| bats       = Right
| throws     = Right
| debutdate  = [[April 3]]
| debutyear  = 2003
| debutteam  = Tampa Bay Devil Rays
| finaldate  = [[June 3]]
| finalyear  = 2003
| finalteam  = Tampa Bay Devil Rays
| teams      = <nowiki></nowiki>
*[[Tampa Bay Devil Rays]] ([[Tampa Bay Devil Rays/2003|2003]])
| statyear   = 2003
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}}

'''Jacinto Damion Easley''' (born [[November 11]], 1969, in [[New York, NY]]) was a [[third baseman]] for the [[Tampa Bay Devil Rays]].

== Before the Devil Rays ==
Easley was drafted by the [[California Angels]] in the 30th round of the 1988 amateur draft, signing the following May.<ref name="bbref">{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/easleda01.shtml#trans |title=Damion Easley Statistics and History |publisher=Sports Reference |work=Baseball-Reference.com |date= |accessdate=July 18, 2011}}</ref> Playing [[shortstop]] almost exclusively, he moved up to Triple-A [[Edmonton Trappers|Edmonton]] of the [[Pacific Coast League]] by the 1992 season and made his Major League debut for the Angels on [[August 13]] of that year, playing third base.<ref name="bbref" /> He assumed a utility role, seeing time mostly at second and third base until he was moved at the trade deadline in 1996 to the [[Detroit Tigers]] in exchange for [[Greg Gohr]].

He saw limited playing time for Detroit immediately following the trade, but earned the starting role at second base for the Tigers beginning in the 1997 season.  He was the Tigers' lone representative in the 1998 [[MLB All-Star Game]], and before the 1999 season they signed him to a four-year, $26.3 million extension.<ref name="nyt20070318">{{cite web |last=Shpigel |first=Ben |title=Easley Takes a Roundabout Route to the Mets |site=nytimes.com |publisher=The New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/sports/baseball/18mets.html |date=March 18, 2007 |accessdate=July 18, 2011}}</ref>  Easley also served as the Tigers' [[Major League Baseball Players Association|union representative]] during at least the 2002 season.<ref name="AP20020715">{{cite web |title=Tigers make payroll, give Easley power to vote on strike |publisher=Associated Press |work=SI.com |date=July 15, 2002 |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2002/07/15/tigers_payroll_ap/ |accessdate=July 18, 2011}}</ref>. He was released on [[March 28]], 2003.

== With the Devil Rays ==
Easley was signed by the Devil Rays as a free agent on [[April 2]], {{by|2003}} following his release by the [[Detroit Tigers]] during Spring Training.<ref name="SHTAP0303">{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=Chris |title=Devil Rays Add Easley |newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |date=April 3, 2003 |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4PIeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JYQEAAAAIBAJ&dq=damion-easley%20devil-rays&pg=2360%2C2559505 |accessdate=July 18, 2011 |ref=SHTAP0303}}</ref> He had set a record for having the most money owed by a releasing team{{emdash}}$14.3 million for the 2003 and 2004 seasons (which was later broken when [[Anaheim Angels|Anaheim]] released [[Kevin Appier]] with approximately $16 million left on his contract<ref name="appier">{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Doug |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20030731&content_id=453149&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title=Angels release Appier: Anaheim to eat roughly $16 million of contract |publisher=MLB Advanced Media |work=MLB.com |date=July 31, 2003 |accessdate=July 18, 2011}}</ref>).  To make room on the 25-man roster for Easley, the Devil Rays optioned [[Brent Abernathy]] to [[Durham Bulls|Durham]] (the two games Abernathy played in before then were his last with the Devil Rays). Easley wound up starting 22 games at third base before his release in early June.

== Departure and afterward ==
Easley sat out the remainder of the 2003 season. Later, he signed a minor league deal during the winter with the [[Florida Marlins|Marlins]], including an invitation to Spring Training, and spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons with Florida. Later, he played with [[Arizona Diamondbacks|Arizona]] and the [[New York Mets]].<ref name="bbref" />

As of 2010, Easley was serving as an Executive Director and coach for [http://www.warriorsbba.com Warrior's Baseball Academy].<ref name="warrior">{{cite web |last=Moser |first=Greg |title=Warrior Baseball Academy to Hold Baseball Camp for Youths 5-14 |url=http://www.pr.com/press-release/246581 |date=July 6, 2010 |accessdate=July 11, 2011}}</ref> 

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
{{Baseballstats |mlb=113702 |espn=2755 |br=e/easleda01 |fangraphs=464 |cube=Damion-Easley |brm=easley001jac |bbam=}}
*[[Wikipedia:Damion Easley|Damion Easley]] on Wikipedia
*[http://sabrpedia.org/wiki/Damion_Easley_(4491) Damion Easley] on SABR Encyclopedia

{{DEFAULTSORT:Easley, Damion}}
[[Category:Players from New York]]
[[Category:Third Basemen]]
[[Category:Tampa Bay Devil Rays players]]