Jason Lee "Jay" Payton (born November 22, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the New York Mets (1998-2002), Colorado Rockies (2002-2003, 2010), San Diego Padres (2004), Boston Red Sox (2005), Oakland Athletics (2005-2006) and Baltimore Orioles (2007-2008).

Defensively, he was a solid outfielder with an above-average arm, and his quickness getting rid of the ball helped him hold baserunners on the base paths.

After his senior year, he helped lead the Midland Redskins of Cincinnati to the Connie Mack World Series Title, where he was named MVP of the tournament.

That exposure helped lead to a full ride scholarship to Georgia Tech, where he would team up with future Major League All Stars Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek to help lead Georgia Tech to their first ever College World Series appearance in school history.

[1] Selected by the Mets in the first round (29th overall) of the 1994 MLB draft, Payton hadn't fulfilled the great expectations he projected at Georgia Tech when he was drafted in the first round with fellow All Americans and Teammates Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek, due in large part to four surgeries while in the minor leagues.

[4] On January 13, 2004, Payton signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract with the San Diego Padres, becoming the team's starting center fielder.

[4] On December 20, 2004, Payton was traded to the Boston Red Sox along with infielder Ramón Vázquez, minor league pitcher David Pauley and cash considerations in exchange for Dave Roberts.

[8] On July 15, Payton hit a home run in his first at bat with the A's,[9] and earned a cult status for a brief period after winning many games for the A's with an otherwise struggling offense.