Curtis_Pride

Curtis Pride

Curtis John Pride (born December 17, 1968 in Washington, D.C.) is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. Pride stands at 6'0" tall and weighs 210 pounds. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.

Youth

Deaf at birth from rubella, Pride developed oral skills early in his life and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. He excelled in baseball, basketball and soccer in high school. After high school, Pride attended the College of William and Mary. He did not play baseball in college, but was the starting point guard on the basketball team. He also was an excellent soccer player who played for the United States at the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship in China (1985), scored two goals in the tournament, including the match winner against Bolivia. He was named one of the top 15 youth prospects in the world for that year.

Because he is only 95% deaf, he has enough hearing to still be able to talk, albeit with a strained voice. He is fluent in lip-reading.

Baseball

Pride was originally signed by the New York Mets, but reached the major leagues with Montreal. A left-handed hitter, with good plate discipline, some power, and considerable speed, he never played regularly in the majors. Instead, he pinch hit or played in the outfield, usually left or right, as an injury replacement, and is regarded as an excellent fielder with a strong arm.

Pride became a free agent before the season and signed with Detroit, where he played well in a part-time outfield role. With fewer than 300 plate appearances in 95 games, he compiled career-high numbers in batting average (.300), home runs (10), RBI (31), runs (52), hits (80), doubles (17) triples (5) and stolen bases (11), and expected to gain more at bats in future seasons as a result. But found him on the disabled list, and he was released and signed by the Red Sox. After that, he played with the Braves, returned to Boston and Montreal, and saw a little action with the Yankees. He was signed by the Angels in the season and was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake. In , he was signed to a minor league contract with the Angels, and was called up after an injury to Vladimir Guerrero. He was returned to the minors after Guerrero recovered from the injury. After spending , spring training as a non-roster invitee for the Angels, he was assigned to start the 2007 season as a member of the Salt Lake Bees.

Pride signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League on April 15, . He was released by the Blue Crabs on August 23.

In an eleven-season major league career, Pride batted .250 (199-for-796) with 20 home runs and 82 RBI in 421 Major League games.

When he is not playing baseball, Pride and with his wife Lisa are actively involved in the Together With Pride foundation, which aids hearing impaired children through a hearing aid bank, according to the foundation's website. There are several activities the foundation supports or hopes to support, such as a scholarship program, literacy, and mentoring. He also enjoys listening to music.

In 1996, Pride received the Tony Conigliaro Award, given annually to an MLB player who best overcomes adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage.