Benjamin Michael Paulsen (born October 27, 1987) is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman and left fielder who played for the Colorado Rockies from 2014 to 2016.
| Ben Paulsen | |
|---|---|
 Paulsen with the Colorado Rockies in 2015 | |
| First baseman / Left fielder | |
| Born: October 27, 1987 Plymouth, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 21, 2014, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 24, 2016, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .274 |
| Home runs | 16 |
| Runs batted in | 70 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Amateur career
editBorn in Plymouth, Wisconsin, but raised in Alabama and Georgia, Paulsen attended Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia. Paulsen attended Clemson University alongside future major league teammate Kyle Parker. In 2008, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.[1][2][3] Paulsen's performance and play improved dramatically during his time at Clemson. 6'3 and weighing only 180 lbs. during his freshman season, Paulsen batted .258 and hit five home runs. However, by the time he was a junior and in his final season, a bigger and stronger Paulsen hit .368 with 11 home runs.[4]
Professional career
editColorado Rockies
editPaulsen was drafted by the Colorado Rockies as a first baseman in the third round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.[5] Paulsen was an Arizona Fall League Rising Star in 2011.[6]
In 2014, while playing for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League (PCL), Paulsen was named to the PCL team for the Triple-A All-Star Game.[7] The Rockies promoted Paulsen to the majors for the first time on July 21, 2014, and he made his debut that day.[8] However, MLB recognizes Paulsen's official debut as May 22, 2014, as he entered a game against the San Francisco Giants that started that day but was suspended due to rain and resumed on September 1, collecting a single (which counts as his first big league hit) in his only at-bat. Paulsen finished the 2014 season with a slash line of .317/.348/.571 in 66 plate appearances, hitting 4 home runs and driving in 10.
Paulsen played in 39 games for Colorado in 2016, hitting .217/.258/.304 with one home run and 11 RBI. On September 6, 2016, Paulsen was designated for assignment by the Rockies.[9] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A Albuquerque Isotopes on September 8.[10] Paulsen elected free agency following the season on November 7.[11]
Minnesota Twins
editOn December 3, 2016, Paulsen signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. In 22 games for the Triple–A Rochester Red Wings, he hit .230/.279/.432 with three home runs and 12 RBI. On May 15, 2017, Paulsen was released by the Twins organization.[12]
Post-playing career
editIn July 2017, Paulsen returned to Clemson to finish his degree, also joining the baseball team as an assistant coach. Paulsen shared a house with former Rockies teammate Kyle Parker while finishing his degree.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ "2008 Hyannis Mets". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ "West All-Star Roster: All-Star Game 2008". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ "Baseball has brought Paulsen closer to his father - Post and Courier". www.postandcourier.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014.
- ^ "Tigers' Paulsen drafted by Rockies". Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- ^ "Ben Paulsen Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights | Tulsa Drillers Stats". Milb.com. October 27, 1987. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ^ "Ben Paulsen is hitting his stride with Colorado Springs Sky Sox". July 11, 2014.
- ^ Justin Morneau placed on DL by Rockies; Ben Paulsen to make MLB debut
- ^ "Rockies Designate Ben Paulsen, Rafael Ynoa For Assignment". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Rockies Outright Ben Paulsen, Rafael Ynoa". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Minor League Free Agents 2016". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
- ^ "Minor MLB Transactions: 5/16/17". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
- ^ "Parker excited to be coming home to Clemson". July 11, 2017.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Benjamin Paulsen on Twitter
