{{short description|Nicaraguan baseball player (born 1971)}} {{for|the rapper born Marvin Bernard|Tony Yayo}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Marvin Benard |image=Marvin Benard (40173740602) (cropped).jpg |image_size=266 |caption=Benard in 2018 |position=Outfielder |bats=Left |throws=Left |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1971|1|20}} |birth_place=Bluefields, Nicaragua |death_date= |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=September 5 |debutyear=1995 |debutteam=San Francisco Giants |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=September 27 |finalyear=2003 |finalteam=San Francisco Giants |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Batting average |stat1value=.271 |stat2label=Home runs |stat2value=54 |stat3label=Runs batted in |stat3value=260 |teams= *San Francisco Giants ({{mlby|1995}}–{{mlby|2003}}) |highlights= * San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame }} '''Marvin Larry Benard''' (born January 20, 1971) is a Nicaraguan professional baseball manager and former outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants. He has also managed the Nicaraguan national team as well as Gigantes de Rivas in the 2024 Caribbean Series.
==Personal life==
Benard moved to Los Angeles with his mother and father when he was 12.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dorhauer |first1=Adam |title=An All-World Baseball Team: Pitchers and Bench |url=https://tht.fangraphs.com/an-all-world-baseball-team-pitchers-and-bench/ |access-date=16 September 2021 |work=The Hardball Times |publisher=Fangraphs |date=March 1, 2017}}</ref> After a stellar prep career at Bell High School, he attended El Camino College (Torrance, CA) freshman year. After his Head Coach Tom Hicks stepped down, Benard transferred to L.A. Harbor Junior College in Wilmington, Calif., then Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.
His son, Isaac, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 23rd round of the 2016 Amateur Draft and was a member of the Princeton Rays in the Appalachian League, where he hit .255 with 3 home runs and 3 stolen bases in 110 at-bats.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=benard000isa|title = Isaac Benard Amateur, Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics & History}}</ref>
He is the cousin of actor, Maurice Benard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvovermind.com/fun-facts-about-general-hopsitals-emmy-winning-maurice-benard/|title=Fun Facts About General Hospital's Emmy Winning Maurice Benard|last=TiffanyR|date=May 12, 2019|website=TVOvermind|language=en-US|access-date=June 25, 2019}}</ref>
==Major League career==
Benard played with the San Francisco Giants from 1995 to 2003. He was a starter from 1999 to 2001, and played most of the 1996 season due to an injury to Glenallen Hill. He won the 1999 Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership. Despite a disappointing postseason performance in 2000, Marvin had one of the most memorable hits of series, driving in Ellis Burks with an RBI single in Game 3 of the 2000 National League Division Series.
Benard had above-average power for a leadoff hitter. A notorious first-pitch hitter prone to striking out, Benard had good bat speed and could steal bases, though he was caught stealing 29% of the time over the course of his career. He played all three outfield positions, mostly as a center fielder. As a pinch hitter, he had a career .267 batting average. Benard hit the final San Francisco Giants home run in the history of Candlestick Park, which came in the first inning of the Giants' eventual 9–4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN199909300.shtml|title=Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants Box Score, September 30, 1999}}</ref>
After becoming a free agent after the 2003 season, Benard agreed to a minor-league contract with the Chicago White Sox but was released before the season began and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was released after one season with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, hitting .211 with four homers and 18 RBI in 33 games.
== Post-retirement == On April 11, 2010, Benard admitted to using steroids during the 2002 season in which the Giants reached the World Series.<ref name="Schulman">{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Benard-says-he-took-steroids-after-knee-surgery-3192806.php|title=Benard says he took steroids after knee surgery|last=Schulman|first=Henry|date=12 April 2010|work=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=20 October 2010}}</ref>
=== Coaching career === Benard was employed as a hitting coach for the San Diego Padres' short-season Class A Northwest League affiliate, the Tri-City Dust Devils, for the 2015 season. In 2016 he managed the Nicaragua national baseball team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseballessential.com/news/2016/05/02/marvin-benard-bringing-opportunity-back-nicaragua/|title=Marvin Benard: Bringing Opportunity Back to Nicaragua|website=Baseball Essential|last=Venn|first=Daniel|date=May 2, 2016}}</ref> He is currently employed as a color commentator for the Giants' Spanish-language radio broadcasts, working road games alongside Erwin Higueros.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/giants/team/broadcasters|title = Giants Broadcasters| website=MLB.com }}</ref>
Benard managed Gigantes de Rivas, champions of the 2023–24 Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League, at the 2024 Caribbean Series (taking over from Germán Mesa). He drew criticism after making comments criticizing the heart of his team, saying "I'm going to get in trouble for saying this... the Nicaraguan baseball player is a conformist. I try to motivate them, but they can't get it out of their heads."<ref>{{cite news |title=Marvin Benard estalla tras la derrota ante Panamá: "El pelotero nicaragüense es conformista" |url=https://www.laprensani.com/2024/02/04/deportes/3274501-marvin-benard-estalla-tras-la-derrota-ante-panama-el-pelotero-nicaraguense-es-conformista |agency=La Prensa |date=February 4, 2024 |language=es}}</ref> The Nicaraguan team finished the tournament in last place with a 0–6 record, being eliminated in the first round.<ref>{{cite web|first=Reinaldo|last=Oliveros|title=Nicaragua eliminada de la Serie del Caribe: Las razones del fracaso de Gigantes de Rivas|url=https://meridiano.net/usa/beisbol/beisbol-grandes-ligas/nicaragua-eliminada-de-la-serie-del-caribe-las-razones-del-fracaso-de-gigantes-de-rivas-20242514100|website=Meridiano.net|date=5 February 2024|access-date=8 February 2024|language=es}}</ref>
==See also== *List of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats|mlb=|espn=3363|br=b/benarma01|fangraphs=|brm=benard001mar|retro=B/Pbenam001}}
{{San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame}} {{Nicaragua national baseball team managers}} {{Gigantes de Rivas managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benard, Marvin}} Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:Atlantic City Surf players Category:Clinton Giants players Category:Everett Giants players Category:Fresno Grizzlies players Category:Lewis–Clark State Warriors baseball players Category:Los Angeles Harbor Seahawks baseball players Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters Category:Major League Baseball outfielders Category:Major League Baseball players from Nicaragua Category:Minor league baseball coaches Category:Navegantes del Magallanes players Category:Nicaraguan expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Category:Nicaraguan emigrants to the United States Category:People from Bluefields Category:Phoenix Firebirds players Category:San Francisco Giants announcers Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:San Jose Giants players Category:Shreveport Captains players Category:Baseball players from Los Angeles Category:Syracuse SkyChiefs players Category:Tiburones de La Guaira players Category:Baseball coaches from California Category:Mat-Su Miners players Category:Bell High School (California) alumni Category:2005 Baseball World Cup players Category:Doping cases in baseball Category:Nicaraguan sportspeople in doping cases