First installment in this series ...
The first sight of Damon Minor usually caused the same reaction, that guy is one big mother XXXXXX! At 6'7" and tipping the scales at 230 lbs, Damon was appropriately nicknamed, "Tiny" by Barry Bonds. Damon was a 12th round pick (342nd overall) for the Giants in the 1996 amateur draft. Usually guys drafted that late in the draft never get a taste of the Bigs, but Damon quickly established himself in the minors and earned a "September callup" in 2000, '01, and '04 campaigns. In fact, in 2003 when he started the season in Fresno, he got called up early and ended up playing in 83 games, hitting 10 HRs, 24 RBI, and batting a respectable .237. In the end, the Giants just couldn't get him swinging at bad pitches (inside breaking ball) and plus they had a guy by the name of JT Snow manning first base. Damon's last season with the Giants was in 2004, and by then he was 29 years old and the writing was on the wall for him - it would be last with the Giants organization. In 2005, Damon went to Japan to play for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles for just one season. Then one year later, Damon caught on with a Mexican league team called Campeche, but appeared in just 12 games before calling it quits. In 2007, Damon went back to his alma mater, University of Oklahoma to serve as an assistant coach for their baseball program. And in 2008, he co-created the Minor-Floral Baseball Academy based in Edmond, Oklahoma.
** On Jan. 14, 2011 it was announced that Damon will become the hitting instructor for the New Orleans Zephyers, the AAA team for the Florida Marlins. This is Damon's first professional coaching assignment.
Damon Minor: 2000-2004
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