Bean attended
Vestavia Hills High School in
Birmingham before attending
Auburn University. Bean played in the
College World Series and was named All-
SEC second team in 2000. Bean still holds the Auburn team record with 108
games pitched and 106 games relieved in his
NCAA career. Following his college graduation, the Yankees signed Bean as an undrafted
free agent on May 31, 2000. The
Boston Red Sox selected Bean in the
Rule 5 draft on December 13, 2003, before returning his rights to the Yankees in the off-season on March 17, 2004. Bean made his major league debut with the Yankees April 26, 2005, his only appearance with the Yankees that season. In 2006, Bean started the season on the
Columbus Clippers but was called up on May 20. On August 15, 2006, Bean apparently tied the Clippers' team record for career games pitched, when he made his 212th career appearance for Columbus as the starter in a 2–1 win. The previous record had been credited to
Bumpus Jones, a 19th-century player. However, modern research indicates that Jones's actual games pitched total may have been closer to 150, in which case Bean would have already held the record for some time. The next-highest total behind Bean and Jones is
George McQuillan, currently credited with 204. Bean elected to become a six-year minor league free agent after the 2007 season. He signed a minor league contract with the
Atlanta Braves organization on February 8, 2008, but after being released by the Braves, signed with Olmecas de Tabasco. On May 8, he signed a minor league deal with the
Tampa Bay Rays and became a free agent at the end of the season. ==See also==