Steven Phillip Baron (born December 7, 1990) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round, 33rd pick overall, of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft and made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2015. He attended Ferguson High School and has also played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates.
| Steven Baron | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Baron (right) with the Memphis Redbirds in 2018 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: December 7, 1990 Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 9, 2015, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 2019, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .115 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 1 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Career
editAmateur career
editBaron attended John A. Ferguson Senior High School in Miami, Florida. He was considered the best defensive catcher in the '09 draft and was awarded the 2009 Rawlings Gold Glove award. Baseball America ranked him #77 amongst the top 100 prospects in the 2009 draft. He committed to play college baseball at Duke University, but was selected by the Seattle Mariners with the 33rd overall selection of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft.
Seattle Mariners
editIn his first professional season, 2009, Baron played for the Rookie-Level Pulaski Mariners of the Appalachian League. He batted .179 with 19 hits, six doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI in 30 games. In his first full season, he led all of minor league baseball in catcher caught stealing with 46%. [1] Baron made his MLB debut in 2015. He is one of three catchers in Major League history to catch a one-hit major league shutout in his first ever start. He was designated for assignment by the Mariners on November 2, 2016.[2] On November 10, he was released.[3]
On November 18, 2016, Baron re–signed with the Mariners on a new minor league contract.[4] He split the 2017 season between the Double–A Arkansas Travelers and Triple–A Tacoma Rainiers, hitting .242/.325/.316 with three home runs and 22 RBI across 70 RBI. Baron elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.[5]
St. Louis Cardinals
editOn December 22, 2017, Baron signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He played with the team's Triple–A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds in 2018, until being recalled on May 17 due to Carson Kelly being placed on the disabled list.[6] His first major league hit, a single, came on May 19, 2018, off of Luis García of the Philadelphia Phillies. Baron went 1–for–5 (.200) in two games for St. Louis. On June 5, he was designated for assignment by the Cardinals;[7] he was outrighted to Memphis after clearing waivers on June 7.[8] In 41 games for Memphis, Baron batted .213/.262/.250 with no home runs and 7 RBI. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.[9]
Pittsburgh Pirates
editOn December 18, 2018, Baron signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.[10] On September 3, 2019, the Pirates selected his contract. Baron was outrighted off the Pirates roster on October 25 and elected free agency on October 31.
Cleveland Indians
editOn July 3, 2020, Baron signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] Baron was released by the Indians organization on September 20.
References
edit- ^ Lisa Winston (December 5, 2009). "Draft paying early dividends for Mariners". Major League Baseball. seattle.mariners.mlb.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2009. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
- ^ Adams, Steve (November 2, 2016). "Mariners Announce Six Roster Moves". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ Adams, Steve (November 10, 2016). "Minor MLB Transactions: 11/10/16". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ Eddy, Matt (November 21, 2016). "Minor League Transactions: Nov 12-18". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- ^ "Minor League Free Agents 2017". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ "Carson Kelly goes to DL; Cards will call up catcher Steven Baron". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. May 17, 2018.
- ^ "Cardinals Activate Carlos Martinez, Yadier Molina". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ "Minor MLB Transactions: 6/7/18". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ "Minor League Free Agents 2018". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Adams, Steve (December 18, 2018). "Minor MLB Transactions: 12/18/18". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)