Athletes - Marvin Benard

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	Athletes - Marvin Benard

Marvin Larry Benard (born January 20, 1970 in Bluefields, Nicaragua) is a Major League Baseball outfielder. Benard bats and throws left-handed.

Benard moved to Los Angeles with his mother and father when he was 12. After a stellar prep career at Bell High School, he went to L.A. Harbor Junior College in Wilmington, Calif., then Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. His cousin, Maurice Benard, is a soap opera actor.

Benard played with the San Francisco Giants from 1995 to 2003. He was a starter from 1999-2001, and played most of the season due to injuries in 1996. After becoming a free agent after the 2003 season, Benard agreed to a minor-league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, being assigned to Triple-A Syracuse SkyChiefs.

A notorious first-pitch hitter, Benard has good bat speed and can turn on a fastball. Though his speed is average, he is not to be ignored on the bases. Benard can steal in certain situations and reads balls well when he tries to take extra bases. Benard can play any of the three outfield positions, though his range is best suited for either left or right. He has an above average arm with a quick release to the bases.

Benard is a career .271 hitter with 54 home runs, 260 RBI, 441 runs, 138 doubles, 21 triples, and 105 stolen bases in 891 games. Used as a pinch hitter specialist, he has a career .267 batting average.

Benard had above-average power for a leadoff hitter, though his tendency to get caught stealing and his low on-base-percentage limited his value in a leadoff role.

After returning from a leg injury that had plaggued him since early 2004, Benard hit .211 with four homers and 18 RBI in 33 games with Syracuse.

There have been rumors linking him to steroid use starting in 1999. These rumors spurred from leaked testimony of the BALCO scandal.

See also

Players from Nicaragua in MLB

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Marvin Benard ]

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