Cory Aldridge is a former professional baseball player who played as an outfielder. He was born on June 13, 1979, in Salem, Oregon, and attended North Salem High School. Aldridge was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 6th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball draft.
Aldridge began his professional career in 1997 with the Gulf Coast Braves, where he played in 47 games and hit .276 with 4 home runs and 23 RBIs. He spent the next few years playing in the Braves' minor league system, where he showed promise as a power hitter. In 2001, he was called up to the major leagues for the first time, but he only played in 3 games and did not record a hit.
Over the next few years, Aldridge bounced between the minor leagues and the major leagues, playing for several different teams. He played for the Braves, the Los Angeles Angels, the Oakland Athletics, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also played in the Mexican League and the Japanese Pacific League.
Aldridge's best season came in 2009, when he played for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, an affiliate of the Angels. He hit .299 with 27 home runs and 99 RBIs in 126 games. He was named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team and was also named the league's Player of the Month for July.
Despite his success in the minor leagues, Aldridge never established himself as a regular player in the major leagues. He played in a total of 45 major league games over the course of his career, hitting .188 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs.
After the 2010 season, Aldridge became a free agent and signed with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League. He played for the Golden Eagles in 2011 and 2012, hitting .238 with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs in 107 games.
Aldridge retired from professional baseball after the 2012 season. Over the course of his career, he played in 1,439 minor league games, hitting .277 with 246 home runs and 877 RBIs. He also played in 45 major league games, hitting .188 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs.
Despite never achieving sustained success in the major leagues, Aldridge had a long and productive career in professional baseball. He was known for his power hitting and his ability to play all three outfield positions.
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