Draft and minor leagues Though he had only played two years of college baseball, Fontenot's age made him eligible for the
2001 MLB draft. Fontenot began his minor league career with the
Frederick Keys of the
Single-A advanced Carolina League in 2002. In 122 games, he batted .264 with 127 hits, eight home runs, and 53 RBIs. In 2003, he played for the
Bowie Baysox of the
Double-A Eastern League. In 126 games, he batted .325 (second in the league to
Alex Ríos's .352) with 146 hits (ninth), 12 home runs, and 66 RBIs. He was named the Orioles' Minor League Player of the Year, in addition to being named an Eastern League postseason All-Star. Promoted to
Triple-A in 2004, Fontenot played for the
Ottawa Lynx of the
International League. In 136 games (tied with
Earl Snyder for fourth in the league behind
Bry Nelson's 142,
Víctor Díaz's 141, and
Jhonny Peralta's 138), he batted .279 with 146 hits, eight home runs, 49 RBIs, and 10
triples (tied for second in the league with
John Rodriguez and
Pete Orr behind
Mark Budzinski's 15). Entering the 2005 season,
Baseball America ranked Fontenot the seventh-best prospect in the Orioles' organization. However, Fontenot would never play a game for the Orioles. On February 3, 2005, he was traded to the
Chicago Cubs along with second baseman/
outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. and right-handed
pitcher Dave Crouthers for outfielder
Sammy Sosa. Fontenot started the 2005 season with the
Iowa Cubs of the Triple-A
Pacific Coast League, but he was called up to the major leagues on April 11 after
Todd Walker went on the
disabled list due to a sprained left knee.
Chicago Cubs (2005, 2007–2010) in 2008 He made his major league debut in the first game of a
doubleheader on April 13, 2005,
pinch-running for
Aramis Ramírez and scoring a run in the team's 8–3 loss to the
San Diego Padres. Fontenot played in four games with the club (
pinch-hitting in the other three) before getting sent back to Iowa on April 23 to make room for
Ben Grieve on the roster. He was also called up on May 13 and played three further games for Chicago, pinch-hitting in two and pinch-running in one, before getting sent back to Iowa on May 20 when pitcher
Joe Borowski came off the
disabled list. In seven games with Chicago in 2005, he had no hits in two
at bats (0-for-2) with two
walks and four runs scored. He did not return to the Cubs until May 15, 2007, when he was promoted from Iowa to replace relief pitcher
Rocky Cherry. Pinch-hitting against the
New York Mets on May 15, he got his first major league hit, a double against
Ambiorix Burgos in Chicago's 10–1 triumph. He also pinch-hit against the Mets on May 17 before getting sent back to Iowa the following day to make room for
Carlos Mármol on the roster. In 55 games for Iowa in 2007, he batted .336 with 46 runs scored, 71 hits, six home runs, and 34 RBIs. He hit his first major league home run against
Buddy Carlyle on June 10, in a 5–4 loss to the
Atlanta Braves. On June 24, Fontenot had five hits in five at bats in Chicago's 10–9 victory over the
Colorado Rockies. The next day, he had hits in his first two at bats, tying
Sammy Sosa's Chicago record of most consecutive at bats with a hit. Fontenot had hits in 19 of the 20 games he played in June, leading
National League (NL) players with a .397 average for the month and finishing second in the NL Rookie of the Month voting to
Ryan Braun. After the month of June, he only batted .214 for the rest of the season, losing the starting second base job to DeRosa in mid-August. Fontenot pinch-hit twice in the series, going hitless as the Diamondbacks swept the Cubs in three games. in 2010. Though used mostly as a bench player in 2008, Fontenot also started 49 games, many of which were in June and July while
Alfonso Soriano was on the disabled list. On May 3, he had three hits and set a career high with four RBIs, including a three-run home run against
Kyle Lohse in a 9–3 victory over the
St. Louis Cardinals. He made it to first base in 14 straight games from June 25 through July 18. In 119 games (243 at bats), he batted .305 with 42 runs scored, 74 hits, nine home runs, and 40 RBIs. This time, Fontenot played every game of the
NLDS against the
Los Angeles Dodgers, even starting at second base in Game 3. He had two hits in six at bats, but the Cubs were swept by the Dodgers. Though Fontenot began the year at second base, he also started several games at third base while Ramírez was recovering from various injuries. On April 8, he had four RBIs, including a three-run home run against
Russ Ortiz in an 11–6 victory over the
Houston Astros. He hit home runs in consecutive games against the Diamondbacks on April 27 and 28. After batting .230 through August 7, Fontenot lost his position as the Cubs everyday second baseman, splitting time with
Jeff Baker for the rest of the year. Though not a starter in September, he batted .317, his highest average of any month. The 2009 season was a year of career highs for Fontenot in games (135), at bats (377), hits (89), home runs (nine, same as in 2008), and RBIs (43). He also scored 38 runs. In addition serving as an infielder for the Cubs in 2009, Fontenot played himself in the
TBS comedy
My Boys. He appeared in the final episode of the show's third season, entitled "Spring Training." After the 2009 season, Fontenot barely became eligible for
salary arbitration. Under
MLB's collective bargaining agreement, the 17 percent of players with the most playing time in at least two MLB seasons but not three full seasons were eligible. Fontenot was in a tie for the last spot with
Adam Jones and
Micah Owings, but he won the tiebreaker because he played more games in 2008 than the other two. The Giants won the series in four games, advancing to the
NL Championship Series (NLCS) against the Phillies. Fontenot had the unusual distinction of being credited with a game played in the World Series without recording a plate appearance or a play in the field. In the eighth inning of Game 2, the left-handed-hitting Fontenot was announced as a pinch-hitter with the Giants leading the Rangers, 6–0. The Rangers replaced right-handed pitcher
Mark Lowe with the left-handed
Michael Kirkman, prompting the Giants to replace Fontenot with the right-handed
Aaron Rowand, who tripled. Fontenot went on to become a World Series champion as San Francisco won the series in five games, their first World Series victory since
1954. In 2011, Fontenot received a slight raise in salary, earning $1.05 million. He began the season as a backup player. He took over as the Giants' everyday shortstop on April 30 after
Pablo Sandoval was placed on the
disabled list with a broken
hamate bone and
Miguel Tejada was shifted over to play third base. On May 7, he made a difficult play to rob
Seth Smith of a hit in the top of the ninth inning against the Rockies, then ended the game in the bottom of the inning with a game-winning
sacrifice fly against
Franklin Morales. After suffering a left groin injury in late May, Fontenot was on the disabled list until July 8. He started several games at second base and shortstop for the rest of the season, with most of these starts coming in July and August.
Philadelphia Phillies (2012) On April 13, 2012, the
Philadelphia Phillies signed Fontenot to a minor league contract. He was assigned to the
Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the International League, batting .308 with one home run and seven RBIs in 16 games with the club. Against the Orioles the next day, he hit his only home run of the year, a two-run shot against
Jake Arrieta in a 9–6 victory over the Orioles. On August 1, Fontenot was
designated for assignment by the Phillies. Fontenot had recorded a .289 batting average, a.343
on-base percentage, and a .340
on-base plus slugging percentage in 47 games, but he had only recorded one hit in 15 at bats against left-handed pitchers.
Michael Martínez was recalled to take his place. Fontenot was released by the Phillies four days later. He spent the 2013 season playing for the
Durham Bulls of the International League. In 120 games (417 at bats), he batted .264 with 53 runs scored, 110 hits, four home runs, and 42 RBIs. Though he played 82 games at second base, Fontenot also made 15 appearances at shortstop and 13 appearances at third base, serving as a
designated hitter, pinch hitter, or pinch runner in his other appearances. He was again primarily used as a second baseman (82 games), also making seven appearances at third base and serving as a designated hitter, pinch hitter, or pinch runner in his other appearances. In 113 games (398 at bats), he batted .276 with 35 runs scored, 110 hits, three home runs, and 48 RBIs. ==Career statistics==