What Happened to Terrence Long? (MLB Player)

Terrence Long is a former MLB outfielder who played eight seasons in the MLB from 1999-2006. Long played for five MLB teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics.

Aside from occasional DH or pinch-hitting appearances, Long was exclusively an outfielder throughout his MLB career, spending time at all three outfield positions.

For his career, T-Long slashed 269/.318/.404 resulting in an OPS of .722

Long appeared in just three games with the Mets, all as a pinch hitter before he was traded to Oakland (with Leo Vasquez) for Kenny Rogers on July 23. Long spent the rest of the 1999 season in AAA, hitting .299 overall.

The Mets manager at the time, Bobby Valentine, valued veteran players over up-and-coming talents prompting the front office to give away elite prospects like Long in 1999 and Melvin Mora in 2000.

These supposed win-now decisions failed to result in a World Series championship for the Mets and shortened their window of contention. Kenny Rogers, acquired for Long, walked in the Braves game-winning run in the 1999 ALCS, sending Atlanta to the World Series.

Long’s career took shape starting in 2000 as a member of the young and talented Oakland A’s roster. Long played in 138 games while batting .288 to go along with 18 HRs, 80 RBIs, and 5 SBs. 

Long appeared exclusively in CF as the Athletics reached the postseason after winning the AL West. After pushing the defending World Series Champion Yankees to a deciding 5th game in the ALDS, they lost the game and the series.

Because Long only appeared in three games during the previous season, he was rookie eligible in 2000, finishing 2nd in AL Rooke of The Year voting behind Kazuhiro Sasaki.

Long continued his emergence in the 2001 season, batting .283 with 12 HRs and 85 RBIs while swiping 9 SBs. Long also earned the honor of appearing in all 162 games for the Oakland Athletics.

After spending last season exclusively in CF, Long split time between CF, LF, and RF to make room for offseason acquisition Johnny Damon who was acquired from the Royals in a 3-team trade.

The A’s team success also continued as they won 102 games. However, it was only good enough for a wild card spot (thanks to the 116-win Mariners), setting up a rematch with the Yankees in the ALDS.

Although the Yankees prevailed once again, winning the series 3-2, Long was arguably the A’s best player. T-Long posted an OPS of 1.310 and hit 3 HRs in the series, including two in Game 1.

T-Long regressed in 2002 as his average dropped to .240, and his RBIs dropped to 67. Still, Long contributed serviceable power with 16 HRs, two shy of his career high.

Despite a relative down year, Long achieved one of his career highlights by robbing Manny Rameriez of a home run on August 7th. In addition, Long again appeared in all 162 games, and The A’s reached the postseason. 

Like Groundhog’s Day, The A’s again lost the ALDS 3-2, though this time to the Minnesota Twins. Long contributed a HR in the series but only hit .167.

Long returned for his final A’s season in 2003 when he hit .245 with 14 HRs and 61 RBIs. Although Long’s prime years were now in the rearview, he still provided solid production and the ability to play all three outfield positions.

However, things turned for the worst when Long struck out looking with the bases loaded to end the ALDS in a 3-2 series loss to the Boston Red Sox. It would serve as The A’s fourth consecutive ALDS defeat.

Rumored tension with manager Ken Macha seemed to escalate when the manager allegedly refused to shake his hand after the playoffs, resulting in Long’s desire to move on.

Long was traded to the San Diego Padres before the season along with Ramon Hernandez in exchange for Mark Kotsay. Long’s change of scenery resulted in less playing time but a solid slashline of .295/.335/.420. 

The Padres used Long at all three outfield positions, including 25 starts in CF. Although the team was competitive, finishing 87-75, it was not enough to secure a playoff birth.

Long was once again traded before the 2005 season. In this case, Long was dealt to the Kansas City Royals with Dennis Tankersley in exchange for Darrell May and Ryan Bukvich. 

The outfielder went on to hit .279 with 6 HRs and 53 RBIs while splitting time between LF, CF, and RF. As a team, the Royals were the worst in the entire MLB, finishing with a putrid 56-106 record.

Long signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds before the 2006 campaign. However, Long failed to make the opening day roster and was reassigned to the AAA affiliate Louisville Bats.

Long struggled in AAA, prompting his release on May 5, 2006. He quickly signed another minor league deal with the New York Yankees, resulting in a Major League call-up after Hideki Matsui’s season-ending wrist surgery.

Long’s Yankees tenure would last only 12 games and serve as his final stretch of Major League baseball. Though only 30 years old, Long regressed to a .167 average with zero HRs and 2 RBIs.

• New York Mets
• Oakland Athletics
• San Diego Padres
• Kansas City Royals
• New York Yankees

Note: Long also played in the minor leagues for the Cincinnati Reds organization.

Terrence Long reportedly resides in Alabama. His son Kyrin was a pitcher for Autauga Academy as of 2019. According to Kyrin, Terrence purchased the Movie Moneyball on DVD, a film in which Terrence is portrayed by Marvin Horn.