Stephen Head

Stephen A. Head

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.
• School University of Mississippi
• High School Hillcrest Christian High School (Jackson)

• Born January 13, 1984 in Raymond, MS USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Stephen Head was a Cleveland Indians and Colorado Rockies farmhand.

Head had an excellent freshman season in college. He hit .337/.385/.490 as the University of Mississippi first baseman - and went 4-1 with 13 saves and a 1.40 ERA as their closer, allowing 40 hits in 57 2/3 IP. He was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and also was a Baseball America first-team Freshman All-American at 1B. He tied for 9th in NCAA Division I in saves.

Head played for Team USA that summer, hitting a meek .211 (only Paul Janish and Micah Owings had lower averages on the team). Head was 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA for Team USA, with 2 walks to 17 strikeouts in 18 innings. The US won Silver in the 2003 Pan American Games, their main event of the season.

Head hit .346/.419/.583 with 13 homers and 53 RBI in 60 games as a sophomore. On the mound, he was 6-3 with 5 saves and a 2.82 ERA. He was named All-SEC at DH. He and Jon Zeringue were Co-SEC Players of the Year. He was a Baseball America All-American as a utility player. In 2005, Stephen batted .333/.407/.603 with 64 runs, 68 RBI and 18 homers in 67 games. On the mound, he went 7-3 with 8 saves and a 2.52 ERA and fanned 75 in 82 innings. He again was the All-SEC DH. He was again named as the All-American utility man by one of the three main sources - this time, he was a ABCA pick.

The Cleveland Indians took the talented Mr. Head in the 2nd round of the 2005 amateur draft, the 62nd overall pick (between Nolan Reimold and J. Brent Cox). He was signed by scout Scott Barnsby for a $605,000 bonus. Head debuted as a pro with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and dominated New York-Penn League pitching, hitting .432/.533/1.027 in 10 games, with 6 homers, 8 walks and 14 RBI. He was quickly promoted to the Kinston Indians, where he batted .286/.310/.419 in 47 games. Baseball America rated him as Cleveland's #9 prospect.

Head ran headlong into some trouble in 2006, hitting .235/.319/.377 for Kinston, including a .217 mark against right-handers. He had 26 doubles, 14 home runs and 73 RBI. He led Carolina League first basemen in putouts (907) and double plays (86).

In 2007, Stephen improved to .251/.378/.417 for Kinston with 73 runs and 29 doubles in 102 games. Promoted to the Akron Aeros and hit .276/.330/.459 in 26 games. Head led Indians farmhands with 38 doubles and was 4th in runs (86) and RBI (79).

Sources

• 2004-2008 Baseball Almanacs
• The Baseball Cube
• 2008 Indians Media Guide