Mark Steven Kotsay was born on December 2, 1975 in Whittier, California. He plays right field for the Boston Red Sox.

He is 6'0", weighs 205 pounds, and bats and throws left.

College
In 1995, Kotsay won the Golden Spikes Award and was the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series, as CS-Fullerton won its third Series championship. In addition to being an outfielder, Kotsay was a closer in college; he pitched the final five outs to clinch his team's CWS title.

Minor Leagues
Mark was selected by the Florida Marlins as the 9th pick of the Amateur Draft in 1996.

Major Leagues

Florida Marlins
Mark appeared in 14 games for the Florida Marlins] in 1997. He took over as the team's starting center fielder in 1998. However, he was moved to right field after Gary Sheffield was traded, to better take advantage of his strong throwing arm.

As a rookie, Mark led all National League outfielders with 20 assists.

In 1999, he again led the league with 20 assists. In 2000, he led all right fielders with 13 assists.

SAn Diego Padres
In 2001, just before the season started, Mark was traded to the San Diego Padres as part of a deal for pitcher Matt Clement. In San Diego, he was moved back to center field.

In 2003, Mark was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Terrence Long and Ramernez.

Atlanta Braves
After 4 seasons, Mark was traded to the Atlanta Braves in January 2008, for Joey Devine and prospect Jamie Richmond.

During the 2008 season, he was on the DL with a sore back for the month month of June, but returned to the lineup on July 1.

On August 27, 2008, Mark was traded to the Boston Red Sox for a minor league outfielder, because Red Sox fielder J.D. Drew was placed on the DL.

Personal
Mark and his wife Jamie were married after the 2000 season. They have two daughters: Grace and Sienna, and a newborn son, Trey.