Lastings Milledge (Lastings Darnell Milledge) was born on April 5, 1985 in Bradenton, Florida. He made his Major League debut on May 30, 2006 for the New York Mets. In 2006, his rookie year, he hit .241 with 4 home runs and 22 RBI. Milledge played for the New York Mets for his entire 1 year career.
At the age of 12, he pitched and played third base and hit third for the Manatee East Little League team that was the national runner-up in the 1997 Little League World Series.
In 2001, he led Team USA to a Gold Medal game victory over Venezuela in the International Baseball Federation's AA World Youth Championships. Later that year, Baseball America named Milledge the best 16-year-old player in the United States.
In May 2007, it was reported that Milledge appeared in a rap song, "Bend Ya Knees," by Manny D, a childhood friend.
Biography and Career Highlights[]
Milledges's mother dubbed him Lastings, as she believed him to be her "last" child. His father Tony played one year of professional baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals Organization. Milledge first made a name for himself in the baseball scene during the 1997Little League World Series. Milledge played third base, and was the cleanup hitter for the Manatee East Little League team that finished runner up in the Series. In 2001, as the top rated 16 year old in the nation Milledge, competed internationally winning the gold medal against Venezuela in the field to nail Craig Counsell at third, and to preserve a 0-0 tie for Pedro Martinez. Lastings hit his first career home run against Armando Benitez in the bottom of the 10th inning, with two outs, the Mets trailing by one and a 1-2 count. Benitez left a fastball over th heart of the plate and Lastings unloaded. The one problem people seem to have with him is his supposive baggage. Lastings then gave fans high fives all the way to the outfield much to the dissproval of old school manager Willie Randolph. The last player to do that? Cal Ripken, Jr. when he broke Lou Gehrig's record, not a common feat. Milledge's persona has given him problems with opponents in the past but his teammates seem to be fine with it. This persona and raw ability have drawn many comparisons to a young Darryl Strawberry, not a bad comparison. Guess What? Strawberry and Milledge both made their Major League debuts at the age of 21 years and 55 days, hopefully Straw works with Lastings to avoid the same pit hole the New York spotlight brought to him.
Transactions[]
Selected by New York Mets in the 1st round (12th pick overall) of the free-agent draft (June 3, 2003 - signed August 19, 2003).