Jason Michaels

Jason Michaels

Jason Drew Michaels (born May 4, 1976 in Tampa, Florida), nicknamed "J-Mike", is an American professional baseball outfielder. He is a 1994 graduate of Jesuit High School of Tampa and received an Associate of Arts (AA) degree from Okaloosa-Walton Community College in 1996. He went on to star in baseball at the University of Miami in 1997 and 1998 and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies after they selected him in the fourth round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.

After eight years in the Phillies organization, including five seasons in Philadelphia, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in January 2006. His tenure with the Phillies was marred by his July 2005 arrest for assaulting a Philadelphia police officer for which he was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and was placed on six months probation.

Michaels's grandfather, John Michaels, pitched for the 1932 Boston Red Sox and also played in the Cincinnati Reds organization. His father, Earl Michaels, played quarterback for the West Virginia Tech football team.