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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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Jason Conti, an outfielder whose major league career spanned five seasons with four teams, died Friday after suffering a severe brain injury. He was 50.
Kevin Kramer, Conti's teammate at the University of Pittsburgh, shared the news of Conti's injury Friday on his Instagram page.
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Conti played 11 seasons of professional baseball after being drafted out of Pitt by the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks in 1996. Only 25 players were drafted and signed by the Diamondbacks prior to Conti.
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In five seasons (2000-04) with the D-Backs, Devil Rays, Brewers and Rangers, the Pittsburgh native batted .238 with six home runs.
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Conti took the long road to the majors, starting out in Rookie-league Lethbridge (Alberta) in 1996, and repeating the Triple-A level prior to his 2000 debut.
By 2001, however, Conti had fallen far down an outfield depth chart led by veteran stars Steve Finley, Reggie Sanders and Luis Gonzalez. The trio combined for 104 home runs and 26 stolen bases in 2001, and led the Diamondbacks to their first and only World Series championship.
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Although Conti only saw action in five games with the D-Backs' championship team during the season, and was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in July 2001, he still received a championship ring after the season.
Conti would see his most extensive playing time in the majors with the Devil Rays in 2002. That season he slashed .257/.315/.383 (88 OPS+) and saw action at all three outfield positions.
More news: Three-Time American League All-Star, World Series Champion, Passes Away
Conti was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in March 2003 for Javier Valentin. He appeared in 30 games in his lone season in Milwaukee (2003), slashing .229/.255/.396.
A free agent after the season, Conti signed with the Texas Rangers for 2004. He saw action in 22 games that year, slashing .182/.250/.236 in what proved to be the final act of Conti's major league career.
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Conti would bounce around the minor leagues for another two seasons (2005-06) with the Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees organizations. He also played for the Independent Camden Riversharks in 2006.
Conti collected 461 plate appearances across 182 major league games in his career, hitting six home runs, driving in 47 runs, and hitting .238.
After retiring as a player, Conti continued to make his home in the Phoenix area, where he coached and mentored young athletes. Conti is survived by his wife, Cari Rockwell Conti.
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