In the 1995 season as a junior, Casey hit for a .461 batting average to lead all Division I players.[11] Casey was again named first team All-CAA and won the CAA Player of the Year.[8] He was also named a Second Team All-American and ECAC Player of the Year while becoming the first player to ever win the CAA Triple Crown.[12] He graduated from Richmond and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.[6]
Casey started 1997 with the Akron Aeros of the Class AAEastern League. On June 18, the Indians promoted Casey to the Buffalo Bisons of the Class AAAAmerican Association after batting .386 with 19 doubles, 10 home runs and 66 RBIs in 62 games with Akron. In 20 games with Buffalo, Casey hit five home runs and 18 RBIs. On September 12, Casey was promoted to the Cleveland Indians as a September call-up. He appeared in six games for the Indians, going 2-for-10 (.200) with two walks and one RBI. Casey won the Lou Boudreau Award as the Cleveland Indians' top minor-league position player, at the conclusion of the 1997 season.[14]Baseball America named him the No. 20 prospect in baseball before the 1998 season.[15]
On March 30, 1998, Casey was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Dave Burba.[16] On April 3, 1998, Casey was hit in the eye with a ball thrown by teammate Damian Jackson during batting practice, resulting in an orbital fracture, and subsequent surgery.[17] Casey's surgery took two surgeons, operating for four hours to fix his fracture.[18] Just three weeks after the surgery, Casey began his rehab assignment with the Indianapolis Indians, and just a week after joining the Indians, he was recalled to the Reds.[18] Casey struggled during his first season with the Reds, his average dipped to .133, and he was sent back to Indianapolis.[19] On June 18, Casey was recalled to the Reds.[20]
On May 19, 1999, the Reds defeated the Colorado Rockies in a 24−12 final, tied for the fourth-highest run-scoring output in MLB history. Casey hit two of the Reds' six home runs, and reached base seven times with four hits and three walks. He also scored five runs and drove in six.[21] He was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in 1999. Casey produced a breakout offensive season in 1999, batting .332 with 25 home runs, 99 RBIs, 42 doubles, and 103 runs scored in 151 games. He was fourth in the National League in batting and doubles, and sixth in singles. In 1999, he won the Hutch Award.[22]
During his tenure in Cincinnati, and later in Pittsburgh and Detroit, Casey was regarded as approachable and friendly, and his nickname, "the Mayor", comes from his reputation for chatting casually with every runner who makes it to first base, and from his very public charity work. It was frequently expanded to "the Mayor of Riverfront" when the Reds played at Riverfront Stadium. On May 16, 2007, Casey was voted in 2007 as "the friendliest player in baseball" by fellow players in a Sports Illustrated poll.[23] He garnered 46% of the vote with the second place vote being split between Jim Thome and Mike Sweeney with only 7% each. Casey was also regarded as among the slowest-running players in the game, grounding into 27 double plays in the 2005 season. This tied him with A. J. Pierzynski for the record of most grounding in double plays by a National League left-handed batter in a season.[24]
Pittsburgh Pirates
On December 8, 2005, Casey was traded to his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates for left-handed pitcher Dave Williams.[25] On April 14, 2006, Casey left a game against the Chicago Cubs after suffering two fractures of the transverse process in his lower left back. He was placed on the disabled list on April 15.[26] After a rehab assignment with the Altoona Curve,[27] Casey returned to the Pirates lineup. He played in 59 games for the Pirates during the 2006 season, batted .296 with three home runs and 29 RBIs.[citation needed]
On July 31, 2006, the Pirates traded Casey to the Detroit Tigers for minor league pitcher Brian Rogers.[28] During the 2006 American League Championship Series against the Oakland Athletics, he partially tore his left calf muscle in Game 1.[29] After coming back from his torn calf in Game 2 of the World Series, Casey became the hottest hitter for the Tigers, belting two home runs and batting .432 in five games. His .432 batting average was one of the best in Tigers' postseason history.[30]
Casey has been active in Big Brothers and Make-A-Wish Foundation, as well as the "Casey's Crew" program, where he provided free high-priced tickets to disadvantaged youth.[31] Casey credits his Christian upbringing in Pittsburgh's affluent Upper St. Clair suburb for his generosity.[32]
After being told by Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland that he would not be re-signed, Casey still praised Mike Ilitch, Dombrowski, and Jim Leyland for giving him the opportunity to come play for Detroit. Casey said "They let me know. I've had a great time with this team, the greatest year and a half of my career. It was great. But I understand the situation."[33]
Boston Red Sox
On February 5, 2008, the Boston Red Sox announced they had signed Casey to a one-year deal.[34] On April 9, 2008, Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell injured his thumb and was then placed on the DL, first baseman Kevin Youkilis was moved to third, and Casey stepped in as the starting first baseman[35] and exploded by making some good defensive plays and hitting .318 with five RBIs in his first seven games despite missing games in Japan due to a stiff neck he received during the 18-hour flight.[36] He was on the disabled list from April 26 through May 12, and returned as a significant part-time player, finishing the regular season with a .773 OPS on 199 at-bats in 69 games.
Casey announced his retirement on January 25, 2009, at the age of 34, having played 12 seasons of Major League Baseball. He accepted a position as a baseball analyst for MLB Network.[38] He appeared on MLB Tonight, the Spring Training series 30 Clubs in 30 Days, the children-focused weekly interview and demonstration show Play Ball and MLB Network's special event coverage throughout the year.[4]
On July 3, 2009, Casey sat in for Red Sox color commentatorJerry Remy, calling the first game for his old team. On January 14, 2011, the Reds announced that Casey would do color commentary for 15 telecasts on Fox Sports Ohio during the 2011 season.[39]
In a May 16, 2007, Sports Illustrated Player's Poll,[23] Casey won the distinction of being considered the "friendliest player in baseball", after winning 46% of the votes. 464 MLB players participated in the survey. Hal McCoy, a Cincinnati Reds beat writer for 35 years, has said, "There's no debate, and there never will be a debate. Sean Casey is the nicest guy in professional baseball. Ever."
On August 26, 2008, Casey was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame.[42]
On January 29, 2009, Casey was inducted into the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame.[43]
Casey resides in Upper St. Clair Township, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Sarah, and four children, Andrew, Jake, Carli, and Jillian.[6][45]
References
^Stringer, Matt (November 20, 2003). "Philadelphia: The cradle of baseball". The Temple News. Archived from the original on December 24, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2007. For example, Sean Casey, a lifetime .300 hitter, plays first base for the Cincinnati Reds and hails from Willingboro, NJ.
^"Biography". SeanCasey.co. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
