Cleveland Indians The
Cleveland Indians chose Casey in the second round, with the 53rd overall selection, of the
1995 MLB draft. Casey began his professional career with the
Watertown Indians of the
Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League, where he batted .329 with two home runs. He was promoted to the
Kinston Indians of the
Class A-Advanced Carolina League to begin the 1996 season. He hit .331 with twelve home runs for Kinston. Casey started 1997 with the
Akron Aeros of the
Class AA Eastern League. On June 18, the Indians promoted Casey to the
Buffalo Bisons of the
Class AAA American Association after batting .386 with 19 doubles, 10 home runs and 66 RBIs in 62 games with Akron. In 20 games with Buffalo, Casey hit five home runs and 18 RBIs. On September 12, Casey was promoted to the Cleveland Indians as a
September call-up. He appeared in six games for the Indians, going 2-for-10 (.200) with two walks and one RBI. Casey won the Lou Boudreau Award as the Cleveland Indians' top minor-league position player, at the conclusion of the 1997 season.
Baseball America named him the No. 20 prospect in baseball before the 1998 season.
Cincinnati Reds in 2004 On March 30, 1998, Casey was traded to the
Cincinnati Reds for
Dave Burba. On April 3,
1998, Casey was hit in the eye with a ball thrown by teammate
Damian Jackson during batting practice, resulting in an orbital fracture, and subsequent surgery. Casey's surgery took two surgeons, operating for four hours to fix his fracture. Just three weeks after the surgery, Casey began his rehab assignment with the
Indianapolis Indians, and just a week after joining the Indians, he was recalled to the Reds. On June 18, Casey was recalled to the Reds. On May 19,
1999, the Reds defeated the
Colorado Rockies in a 24−12 final, tied for the fourth-highest run-scoring output in MLB history. Casey hit two of the Reds' six home runs, and reached base seven times with four hits and three walks. He also scored five runs and
drove in six. He was selected to the
All-Star Game for the first time in 1999. Casey produced a breakout offensive season in 1999, batting .332 with 25 home runs, 99 RBIs, 42
doubles, and 103 runs scored in 151 games. He was fourth in the National League in batting and doubles, and sixth in
singles. In 1999, he won the
Hutch Award. During his tenure in Cincinnati, and later in Pittsburgh and Detroit, Casey was regarded as approachable and friendly, and his nickname, "the Mayor", comes from his reputation for chatting casually with every runner who makes it to first base, and from his very public charity work. It was frequently expanded to "the Mayor of Riverfront" when the Reds played at
Riverfront Stadium. On May 16, 2007, Casey was voted in 2007 as "the friendliest player in baseball" by fellow players in a Sports Illustrated poll. He garnered 46% of the vote with the second place vote being split between
Jim Thome and
Mike Sweeney with only 7% each. Casey was also regarded as among the slowest-running players in the game, grounding into 27
double plays in the 2005 season. This tied him with
A. J. Pierzynski for the record of most grounding in double plays by a National League left-handed batter in a season.
Pittsburgh Pirates On December 8, 2005, Casey was traded to his hometown
Pittsburgh Pirates for
left-handed pitcher
Dave Williams. On April 14, 2006, Casey left a game against the
Chicago Cubs after suffering two fractures of the
transverse process in his lower left back. He was placed on the disabled list on April 15. After a rehab assignment with the
Altoona Curve, Casey returned to the Pirates lineup. He played in 59 games for the Pirates during the 2006 season, batted .296 with three home runs and 29 RBIs.
Detroit Tigers in 2007 On July 31, 2006, the Pirates traded Casey to the
Detroit Tigers for minor league pitcher
Brian Rogers. During the
2006 American League Championship Series against the
Oakland Athletics, he partially tore his left calf muscle in Game 1. After coming back from his torn calf in Game 2 of the World Series, Casey became the hottest hitter for the Tigers, belting two home runs and batting .432 in five games. His .432 batting average was one of the best in Tigers' postseason history. Casey has been active in
Big Brothers and
Make-A-Wish Foundation, as well as the "Casey's Crew" program, where he provided free high-priced tickets to disadvantaged youth. Casey credits his
Christian upbringing in Pittsburgh's affluent
Upper St. Clair suburb for his generosity. After being told by
Dave Dombrowski and
Jim Leyland that he would not be re-signed, Casey still praised
Mike Ilitch, Dombrowski, and Jim Leyland for giving him the opportunity to come play for Detroit. Casey said "They let me know. I've had a great time with this team, the greatest year and a half of my career. It was great. But I understand the situation."
Boston Red Sox On February 5, 2008, the
Boston Red Sox announced they had signed Casey to a one-year deal. On April 9, 2008, Red Sox third baseman
Mike Lowell injured his thumb and was then placed on the DL, first baseman
Kevin Youkilis was moved to third, and Casey stepped in as the starting first baseman and exploded by making some good defensive plays and hitting .318 with five RBIs in his first seven games despite missing games in
Japan due to a
stiff neck he received during the 18-hour flight. He was on the disabled list from April 26 through May 12, and returned as a significant part-time player, finishing the regular season with a .773 OPS on 199 at-bats in 69 games. Casey was suspended by the
MLB for three games after his actions in the
Coco Crisp–
James Shields brawl. ==Post-playing career==