Terrmel Sledge

Terrmel Sledge (born March 18, 1977 in Fayetteville, North Carolina) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball. Sledge's career began in 2004 with the Montreal Expos. He moved with the team to Washington, D.C. the following season as the Expos relocated to the American capital, and hit the first-ever home run for the Washington Nationals. He was traded to the Texas Rangers along with fellow outfielder Brad Wilkerson for second baseman Alfonso Soriano on December 7, 2005. He was then traded to the San Diego Padres in a six-player deal on December 20.

His best season came in 2004, when he batted .269/.336/.462 with 15 home runs and 62 runs batted in.

Sledge prepped at John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, California and graduated from Cal State Long Beach in 1999.

Sledge is half Korean and half African American; his mother was Korean and his father was black. According to his father, his name is a combination of Terrence and Melvin, two names his parents had considered naming him when he was born.

In January 2003, Sledge was the first position player suspended for violating Major League Baseball's enhanced steroids policy, enacted after accusations that steroid use was rampant in baseball in the 90s and early 2000s. He tested positive for traces of 19-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone, chemical derivatives related to androstenedione.[1]

On November 29, 2007, Terrmel was granted permission from the Padres to sign with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Nippon Professional League.

On December 17, Terrmel signed a contract with Yokohama BayStars for the 2010 season.