Marvin Benard

Marvin Larry Benard [buh-NARD] (born January 20, 1970 in Bluefields, Nicaragua) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who batted and threw 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. He won the 1999 Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership. Despite a disappointing post season performance in 2000, Marvin had one of the most memorable hits of series, batting in Ellis Burks for an RBI single in Game 3 of the 2000 National League Division Series

Benard had above-average power for a leadoff hitter. A notorious first-pitch hitter prone to striking out, Benard had good bat speed and could steal bases. He played all three outfield positions, mostly as center fielder.

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. As a pinch hitter specialist, he had a career .267 batting average.

After becoming a free agent after the 2003 season, Benard agreed to a minor-league contract with the Chicago White Sox but was released before the season began and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was released after one season with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, hitting .211 with four homers and 18 RBI in 33 games.

On April 11, 2010, Benard admitted to using steroids during the 2002 season in which the Giants reached the World Series.^[1]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• ESPN