Born on August 15, 1984, in Mississippi, Jarrod Dyson is one of the fastest recorded baseball players. In 2015, his speed was ranked in the top 2% of the majors. Dyson’s 250 career stolen-bases were 10th among active players. In the years 2010 through 2019, he was ranked top base runner in the majors.
He is known to have played well in defense, fielding, offense and base-running. Dyson’s sprint speed is an added advantage in different positions. His dynamic nature has helped him soar high in his baseball career.
Dyson at one point reached the top speed of 21.5 mph while rounding bases in 2015. The outfielder has played in various clubs including the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks. If you’re a Jarrod Dyson fan, stick around as we find out more about his professional career next.
Family Life
Dyson was born into a large family, he has one younger brother and sister and three older brothers. The family was raised by their mother Cecilia. He comes from a simple background, but this did not stop him from making his mark. In 2016, McComb renamed one of its streets after him in his honor.
He has one son named Jarrod Martel Dyson Junior. However, there is not much info about the mother of the child. He is rumored to have dated quite a number of women, but as at the time of the writing of this article, Dyson is not known to be in a relationship with any woman.
Some rumors claim that the son lives with his mother in Mississippi, but there is no evidence to that. Also, it is alleged that Dyson Junior is not Jarrod’s biological child.
The Start of His Career
Jarrod Dyson was born and raised in Mississippi. He attended McComb High School, Mississippi where he participated in football and baseball. It is at this school that his love for the sport was born. At this school, he earned All-Division Honors. However, his potential was despised by most scouts because of his slight nature.
He later moved to Southwest Mississippi Community College. He continued to participate in baseball actively. His small stature did not deter him from pursuing his passion- an important lesson we should learn from him. His resilience enabled him to tie the single-season record with 47 runs and seven triples.
Professional Life
In the 2006 amateur draft, Jarrod was picked up by the AZL Royals in the 50th round. He was, 475th overall in the 2006 amateur draft. In the same year, he signed for the AZL Royals team for $5000, and this marked the beginning of his professional career.
At AZL Royals, Dylon hit a .273 without home runs and made 19 stolen bases in a record of 51 games. In 2007, he played for Burlington Bees and hit .270 in 10 games.
In 2008, he played for Wilmington Blue Rocks. He hit .260 in 93 games with 39 stolen bases. In 2009, he split the season between Northwest Arkansas Naturals where he played 63 games and Bees where he played 17 games. Together he gathered 46 stolen bases hitting .276.
In 2010 Jason began to play in the minor leagues where he divided the season between Blue Rocks, AZL Royals, Naturals and Omaha Royals. After this, Dyson qualified to play for major teams.
Kansas City Royals
In September 2010, Dyson qualified for the major leagues and he joined the Kansas City Royals in center field. He hit .211/.286/.404 in 18 games and 57 at-bats with nine stolen bases.
From the 2011 spring training, he assumed the title of pinch-running specialist. He was one of the fastest outfielders in the baseball game. When Melky Cabrera had a center field breakout season in 2011, Dyson grabbed the opportunity and spent majority season in Triple-A.
In 2012, when Lorenzo Cain, the Royals’ starting center fielder got injuries, Dyson grew his playing time. He finished the season with 292 at-bats that led to a .260 hit in 102 games. He also got eight doubles, nine RBI, five triples, 52 runs scored, 30 walks and 30 stolen bases.
In 2015, Dyson signed a one-year contract worth $1,225,000 with Kansas City Royals. Since he was the Royals’ fourth outfielder, he was to be paid $25,000 if he reached 350 plate appearances. In case he was chosen for All-Star Game, then he would make $50,000.
In the same year, he led the Royals to their first win of the game after beating Christian Colon. Therefore, the Royals became 2015 World Series winners.
Seattle Mariners
He joined this team on January 6, 2017, after being traded for Nate Karns. At Seattle Mariners, Dyson’s season was short-lived because he had to undergo a pelvic surgery. He played a total of 111 games had 28 stolen bases, hit .251, five home runs and 30RBI.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Dyson was signed to Arizona Diamondbacks on February 19, 2018. He signed a 2-year contract worth $7.5 million. Given his multiple injuries, his career took a downward direction. In 67 games he hit .189 and .282 and .257 sluggish percentage. This prompted him to be ruled out of the season on September 6.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates signed Jarrod Dyson on February 13, 2020. It was a one year contract worth $2 million. As I write this article, this contract is still pending. As of 2019, his estimated net worth was about $10 million. He is even expected to earn much more in Pittsburgh Pirates.
Possessions
He is known to possess a number of expensive cars and earns handsomely from sponsorships. This is in addition to his big salary from the teams he has played for. The highest paid baseball player is Paul Goldschmidt, who earns approximately above $10 million. Jarrod Dylon is rumored to be next in line.
The Bottom Line
Jarrod Dyson personifies resilience. He was born to a humble family, was looked down upon due to his small stature, but he never gave up on his baseball dream. He rose very fast, thanks to his speed and made a record of leading the Royals to their World Series championships in 2015.
