Shea Hillenbrand

Shea Hillenbrand is a professional baseball player whose career includes stints with the Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Los Angeles Dodgers. Born in Mesa, Arizona, Shea attended Mountain View High School, where he excelled in baseball and soccer. After high school, he attended Mesa Community College from 1994-1996 before being drafted in the 10th round of the 1996 amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox.

After spending a few seasons in the minor leagues, Shea earned a spot on the Red Sox opening day lineup in 2001, where he went on to play in 139 games his rookie season. He retained his spot the following season, one in which he slugged 20 homeruns and earned the honor of being selected as the starting third baseman in the 2002 All-Star Game.

In 2003, Hillenbrand was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Byung-Hyun Kim, where he went on to hit 20 homeruns and a career-high 97 RBIs. In 2004, Shea hit a career-best .310 with 15 homeruns and 80 RBIS. At the end of the season, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Shea continued his successful career in Toronto, where he earned his second All-Star Game selection in 2005, a year where he blasted 18 more home runs and 82 RBIS. After a year and half with the Blue Jays, Shea was traded to San Francisco for Jeremy Accardo. Shea also played briefly with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as the York Revolution of the Independent League.

In addition to his successful professional baseball career, Shea and his wife Jessica Hillenbrand founded Marley Farms in May, 2007. Marley Farms provides a therapeutic learning experience for children by allowing them to interact with rescued and neglected animals that have been adopted and given a second chance at a normal life on the farm. Marley Farms is home to more than 100 animals, many of them rescued from all across the country. In addition, it is one of the most respected equine boarding facilities in the region.

Shea, Jessica and their three children, Austin, Noah and Dakota, reside in Gilbert, Arizona.