Nationals agree to terms with Jerry Hairston Jr. on one-year contract

By Lindsay Rykiel

Nationals

January 28, 2011, 10:33am

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The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms with super utility player Jerry Hairston Jr. on a one-year contract. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Hairston Jr. is a career .257 (927-for-3608) hitter with 192 doubles, 59 home runs and 341 RBI in 1148 games with San Diego, New York (AL), Cincinnati, Texas, Chicago (NL) and Baltimore spanning 13 big league seasons. The 34 year-old Hairston Jr. has hit a career-best 10 home runs in back-to-back seasons, including 2010, when he received 430 at-bats from the Padres and responded by batting .244 with 13 doubles and a career-high 50 RBI. Hairston Jr. earned a World Series ring with the Yankees in 2009. During his career, he has played every defensive position except pitcher and catcher, with the bulk of his innings coming at second base, shortstop and center field. Part of the three-generation Hairston family, Jerry sports big league lineage that includes his grandfather (Sam, 1951), father (Jerry Sr., 1973-89), uncle (John, 1969) and brother (Scott, 2004-present).