John Raynor

John Patrick Raynor

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.
• School UNC-Wilmington
• High School South Johnston High School
• Debut April 8, 2010
• Final Game April 25, 2010
• Born January 4, 1984 in Memphis, TN USA

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Biographical Information

John Raynor was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 12th round of the 2005 amateur draft, but returned to school to finish his biology degree. As a senior he hit .370 for UNC-Wilmington in 2006 and stole 42 bases (while only being caught twice), leading the Colonial Athletic Association. His 69 RBI were second to Kellen Kulbacki. Raynor made All-Conference. He tied Emmanuel Burriss for 4th in NCAA Division I in swipes. The Florida Marlins chose the Memphis native in the 9th round of the 2006 amateur draft and he signed with scout Joel Matthews for a $17,500 bonus with no bargaining power as a senior.

Assigned to the Jamestown Jammers, Raynor batted .286/.356/.427 and was 21-for-23 in steal attempts. He was 3 steals shy of leading the New York-Penn League.

Raynor had a fine campaign for the Greensboro Grasshoppers of 2007, hitting .333/.429/.519 with 110 runs, 8 triples, 13 home runs and 54 steals (in 62 tries). He batted .410 against left-handed hurlers. He led all Marlins farmhands in average, OBP, steals and runs. He also had 15 outfield assists. Raynor led the South Atlantic League in runs, was second to Andrew Lefave in average, was .003 behind OBP co-leaders Lefave ad Jon Still and was one steal behind leader Quintin Berry. Raynor was named an All-Star outfielder alongside Desmond Jennings and Ryan Royster and also took home the SAL MVP award. He was rated the league's #12 prospect by Baseball America, between Chris Coghlan and Adrian Cardenas. The publication also ranked him as the best baserunner, fastest baserunner and Most Exciting Player in the SAL. He was 5th in the affiliated minors in runs, trailing only Zach Daeges, Matt Antonelli, Bubba Bell and Eric Young Jr., all of whom played in the high-flying California League. He also tied for 7th in the affiliated minors in average, even with Steve Pearce, Jordan Brown and Nate Schierholtz.

Moving up to the Carolina Mudcats in 2008, John batted .312/.402/.489, .356 against left-handers. He had 13 home runs, 104 runs and 48 steals in 59 tries while striking out 122 times. He had 11 assists. He led all Florida minor leaguers in runs and stolen bases once again. He also paced the Southern League in the same two departments. He made the SL All-Star outfield alongside Michael Brantley and Doug Deeds. He was second in the US minors in runs behind only Carlos Santana. Baseball America named him the fastest baserunner in the Southern League.

In 2009, Raynor was with the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs but faded to .257/.327/.360 with 19 steals in 27 tries; he had 11 assists. That winter, the Pittsburgh Pirates chose him with the #2 overall pick of the 2009 Rule V Draft, following Jamie Hoffmann. Pittsburgh announced that their plan was for him to battle Brandon Moss, another former SAL MVP, for a backup role in the outfield behind Andrew McCutchen, Lastings Milledge and Garrett Jones in 2010. He beat out Moss and made his MLB debut on April 8. Pinch-hitting for McCutchen in the 9th inning of a 10-2 loss to the Dodgers, he drew a four-pitch walk from Jonathan Broxton.

After going 2 for 10 for the 2010 Pirates and not getting a start, Raynor was returned to Florida.

In 2012, Raynor was at his alma mater as an assistant coach [1].

Notable Achievements

• 2007 MVP South Atlantic League Greensboro Grasshoppers

Related Sites

• John Raynor on mlb.com