Seattle Mariners in LaHair was selected by the Mariners in the 39th round of the
2002 Major League Baseball draft out of
Saint Petersburg College. LaHair spent the season with the
Inland Empire 66ers, the Mariners' Single-A affiliate at the time, where he
hit .310 with 22
home runs and 113
RBI, earning a spot in the
California/
Carolina League All-Star Game. For , LaHair was promoted to the Double-A
San Antonio Missions and later to the Triple-A
Tacoma Rainiers. In November 2006, he was placed on the Mariners' 40-man roster. After playing the entire season in Triple-A, batting .275 with 12 home runs, LaHair started the season with the Rainiers. In July , he was called up to the Mariners shortly after the release of first baseman
Richie Sexson. The Mariners had called up infielder
Tug Hulett directly following Sexson's departure, but sent him back down to make room for LaHair a week later. He made his Major League debut on July 18, 2008, as a
pinch hitter, grounding into a
double play. His first Major League Baseball
hit was a line drive
single to
right field against the
Boston Red Sox.
Chicago Cubs On January 9, 2010, LaHair signed a minor league contract with the
Chicago Cubs with an invite to spring training. With the Triple-A
Iowa Cubs, LaHair won the
Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player Award and
Joe Bauman Home Run Award in 2011. He was named the designated hitter on
Baseball America's 2011 Minor League All Star team. He earned a promotion to the Cubs major-league roster in September 2011, and in his debut for the team on September 4, recorded his first Cubs hit, a single off the
Pittsburgh Pirates'
Charlie Morton. Prior to the 2012 season, Cubs manager
Dale Sveum released a statement saying that
Anthony Rizzo would start the season in Triple-A Iowa, making LaHair the everyday first baseman. Following Rizzo's callup to the majors, LaHair was moved to
right field. On July 1, 2012, Lahair, who then was hitting .284 with 13 home runs and 28 RBI, was named to the NL All-Star team as a reserve at first base. On Dec. 23, 2019, LaHair was named to The Athletic Chicago's all-decade second team by columnist Andy Dolan.
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks On November 22, 2012, the
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks said that they signed LaHair to a two-year, $4.5 million contract. LaHair can opt out of the deal after 2013, and the deal is worth $5.2 million when the signing bonus and buyout are added. The deal has $2 million in incentives each year, and the Cubs received $950,000 in the deal.
Cleveland Indians He signed a minor league contract with the
Cleveland Indians on February 5, 2014.
Boston Red Sox In 2015, LaHair signed a minor league contract with the
Boston Red Sox. He was released on April 4.
Somerset Patriots On February 16, 2016, LaHair signed with the
Somerset Patriots of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 123 games he hit .279/.350/.397 with 10 home runs, 86 RBIs and 1 stolen base. In 2017, Lahair re-signed with the Patriots for a second season. On November 1, 2017, he became a free agent. In 27 games he struggled hitting .228/.363/.261 with 0 home runs and 4 RBIs. ==Coaching career==