Daniel Nava
Boston Red Sox – No. 66
Outfielder
Born: (1983-02-22) February 22, 1983 (age 29) Redwood City, California
Bats: Switch	Throws: Left
MLB debut
June 12, 2010 for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics (through May 26, 2012)
Batting average	.257
Home runs	3
Runs batted in	37
Teams
Boston Red Sox (2010, 2012-present)
Career highlights and awards
Hit grand slam on first pitch of MLB career

Daniel James Nava (born February 22, 1983) is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.

Nava is only the second player in Major League Baseball history to hit a grand slam on the very first pitch he saw in the majors.

High school and college baseball[link]

Nava was born in Redwood City, California. He played baseball at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, California and received his Psychology degree from Santa Clara University. He was 4 ft 8 in (1.42 m) and 70 pounds (32 kg) in his freshman year in high school and grew to 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) and 150 pounds (68 kg) by his senior year.^[1]

After an opportunity to walk-on to the Santa Clara University baseball team, he failed to make the team as a player and became the team equipment manager.^[2]

He left Santa Clara after two years because he could no longer afford the tuition.^[2] He then enrolled in the College of San Mateo (junior college).^[3] He tried out for the baseball team on the encouragement of an old friend he happened to run into at a gym.^[2] While at the College of San Mateo, he became a Junior College All-American. Later Santa Clara wanted him back^[4] and eventually offered him a full scholarship.^[5] He hit .395 with an on-base percentage of .494 in his lone season with the Broncos, both tops in the West Coast Conference, and earned first-team All-WCC honors. He stole 15 bases without being caught, and he had more walks (31) than strikeouts (29).^[2]

Minor League career[link]

When Daniel Nava graduated, he went undrafted and signed with the Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League. The Outlaws cut him after a tryout, only to bring him back a year later to fill a void.^[2] In 2007 Nava hit 12 home runs for the Outlaws, with a .371 batting average and a 1.100 OPS.^[6] Nava was named the number one independent league prospect by Baseball America in 2007.^[6] Red Sox's assistant director of pro scouting, Jared Porter, recommended the Sox sign Nava from the Chico Outlaws in 2007.^[7] The Red Sox paid the Outlaws $1 for the rights to Nava, with an agreement that the Outlaws would receive an additional $1,499 if the Red Sox kept Nava after spring training.^[8]

In 2008, he played for low Single-A Lancaster. He hit .341 with 10 home runs and 59 RBI in 85 games. His on-base plus slugging percentage was .948.^[9] In 2009, he hit .339 at high Single-A Salem before being called up to Double-A Portland where he batted .364 with four home runs and an exceptional 25-to-12 walk-to-strikeout ratio. His OPS was .991.^[10]

In 2010, Daniel Nava spent two months in AAA.^[11] At that time he was quoted as saying "I know I have the talent and the ability, and I can keep playing at the next level," he said. "If I didn't think I could, I would have been like, ‘You know what? There’s no point.’ … I definitely thought I could perform and perform well. That’s why I kept on going. Quitting’s just not much of an option for me."^[2]

Major League career[link]

Nava made his Major League debut with the Boston Red Sox on June 12, 2010 at Fenway Park as the starting left fielder against the Philadelphia Phillies. He was called up to help with the team's outfield situation, with Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida on the disabled list and Josh Reddick optioned to the minor leagues for more playing time. On the first pitch he saw, Nava hit a grand slam off Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton into the Red Sox bullpen. Nava is only the fourth player to have hit a grand slam in his first at-bat, joining Bill Duggleby in 1898, Jeremy Hermida in 2005 and Kevin Kouzmanoff in 2006. Nava is only the second player, after Kouzmanoff, to do so on the first pitch of his Major League career,^[12] and the first player in Major League Baseball history to achieve a grand slam on their first-ever MLB career at-bat, while in interleague play. He is the tenth player in Red Sox history to hit a home run in his first plate appearance with the club, the last being Darnell McDonald on April 20, 2010 against the Texas Rangers.^[3] Creighton Gubanich is the only other player in Red Sox history to hit a grand slam for his first big league hit; however, it was not in Gubanich's first Major League at-bat. Bill LeFebvre is the only other player in Red Sox history to hit a home run on the first pitch thrown to him in the big leagues, doing so June 10, 1938. Due to his outstanding debut, Nava continued to start for the Red Sox. On June 17, he had his first three-hit game, two of those hits being doubles, against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nava managed to reach base safely in his first 13 MLB games.

Nava was sent back to Pawtucket on July 22, 2010 to make room for Jeremy Hermida, who came off the DL.^[13] He was recalled to Boston on August 2, 2010 to replace Mike Cameron, who was placed on the DL,^[14] then optioned two days later to make room for Jacoby Ellsbury. On August 17, 2010 he was once again recalled back to the team after Ellsbury re-injured his ribs.

He was designated for assignment and removed from the Red Sox 40-man roster on May 20, 2011.^[15] He passed through waivers unclaimed and was out-righted back to the Pawtucket Red Sox.^[16] Nava was not invited to major league training camp in 2012, but he was called back to the major league in May of that year, due to the absences of Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford. ^[17] As of May 13th, 2012, Nava's debut grand slam was the only major league home run to his credit despite 188 at bats, until May 14, 2012, when he hit a 2 run home run for the Red Sox at Fenway Park against the Seattle Mariners.^[17]

Awards[link]

• 2007 Independent Leagues Top Prospect (Baseball America)
• Red Sox ML Player of the Month (Aug/Sep 2009)

Personal life[link]

His father, Don, is a fitness instructor and a coach.^[18]

For three years, he left a ticket at every minor league home game for ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews.^[19][20]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• List of players with a home run in first major league at-bat

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Daniel
Daniel's Answer to the King by Briton Rivière
Prophet
Born	7th Century B.C
Died	6th Century B.C Babylon (?)
Honored in	Roman Catholic Church Eastern Catholic Churches Eastern Orthodox Church Lutheranism adventism Islam[1] Armenian Apostolic Church
Major shrine	Tomb of Daniel, Susa, Iran
Feast	July 21 December 17
Attributes	Often depicted in the den of the lions

Daniel (Hebrew: דָּנִיֵּאל, Modern Daniyyel Tiberian Dāniyyêl ; Arabic: دانيال, meaning in Hebrew "God is my Judge") is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways. By Divine Wisdom from his God, Yahweh, he interpreted dreams and visions of kings, thus becoming a prominent figure in the court of Babylon. Eventually, he had apocalyptic visions of his own that have been interpreted as the Four monarchies. Some of the most famous tales of Daniel are: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, The writing on the wall and Daniel in the lions' den.

Narrative of Daniel[link]

Induction into Babylon[link]

Daniel refusing to eat at the King's table, early 1900s Bible illustration

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim (BC 606), Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among the young Jewish nobility carried off to Babylon. The four were chosen for their intellect and beauty to be trained as advisors to the Babylonian court,(Daniel 1) Daniel was given the name Belteshazzar, i.e., prince of Bel, or Bel protect the king!(not to be confused with the neo-Babylonian king, Belshazzar). Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given the Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, respectively.^[2]

Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar[link]

In the narrative of Daniel chapter 2, it is the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar and the king is distressed by his dreams.^[v.1] Thus he summons his interpreters,^[v.2] however, they are unable to relay or interpret the dreams.^[v.10-11] The King acts in fury and demands the execution of all the wise men in Babylon.^[v.12] When Daniel discovers the King's executive order, he requests from the captain of the guard, Arioch, to see the King.^[v.13-16] Daniel prays for God’s mercy to receive a revelation from the King’s dream.^[v.15-18] God then reveals the mystery to Daniel in a vision that night.^[v.19] Daniel praises his God with a doxology.^[v.20-23] After meeting with Arioch again, Daniel is granted access to the king^[v.24-30] and relays the description of the dream,^[v.31-36] followed by its interpretation.^[v.37-45] With Daniel's successful interpretation of the dream, the king expresses homage,^[v.46] followed by his own doxology that affirms that Daniel's God is God of gods for revealing this mystery of his dream.^[v.47] Daniel is then promoted as chief governor over the whole province of Babylon.^[v.48] At Daniel’s request, his companions are also promoted, thus they remain at the king’s court.^[v.49][3]

Nebuchadnezzar's madness[link]

Nebuchadnezzar recounts a dream of a huge tree which is suddenly cut down at the command of a heavenly messenger. Daniel is summoned and interprets the dream. The tree is Nebuchadnezzar himself, who for seven years will lose his mind and become like a wild beast. All of this comes to pass until, at the end of the specified time, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges that "heaven rules" and his kingdom and sanity are restored and his kingdom is restored to him.

Daniel and Belshazzar[link]

In Daniel's later years, king Belshazzar holds a great feast for all his nobles. In a drunken state, the king calls for the sacred vessels captured from the Jerusalem temple and blasphemously drinks from them. Suddenly, the fingers of a man's hand appear before the king and write on the wall of the palace. When none of his wise men are able to interpret the message, Daniel is called in at the suggestion of the queen-mother. After reprimanding the king for his impiety, Daniel interprets the handwriting on the wall to mean that Belzhazzar is about to lose his kingdom to the Medes and the Persians. For successfully reading the cryptic handwriting, Daniel is rewarded with a purple robe and elevated to the rank of "third ruler" of the kingdom. "That very night", we are told, "Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain" and his successor was King Darius the Mede, aged 62.

Daniel in the Lion's den protected by an angel by François Verdier

Daniel and Darius the Mede[link]

After the Persian conquest of Babylon, Daniel is depicted as one of three senior administrators of the empire in the reign of Darius the Mede. When the king decides to set Daniel over the whole kingdom, the other officials plot his downfall. Unable to uncover any corruption, they use Daniel's religious devotion to defeat him. The officials trick the king into issuing an irrevocable decree that no god is to be worshiped for a thirty day period. When Daniel continues to pray three times a day towards Jerusalem, he is thrown into a den of lions, much to the distress of Darius. After an angel shuts the lions' mouths, Daniel is delivered and his opponents thrown into the den where they are devoured instantly.

Daniel's visions[link]

Daniel's ministry as a prophet began late in life. Whereas his early exploits were a matter of common knowledge within his community, these same events, with his pious reputation, serve as the basis for his prophetic ministry. The recognition for his prophetic message is that of other prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel whose backgrounds are the basis for their revelations.

From Chapter 7 to the end of the book of Daniel, an apocalyptic vision is being described, supposedly from the perspective of Daniel.^[2] This marks a change in the narrative from Daniel interpreting to messengers of God interpreting for Daniel. Daniel dreams of four beasts that come out of the sea: a lion with eagles wings, a bear with three tusks, a leopard with four wings and four heads, and a beast with iron teeth, ten horns and one little horn and human eyes.(Daniel 7:4-8) These beasts are all present at a convening of the divine counsel. Presiding over the counsel is the Ancient of Days, which may, in fact, be the Israelite God.^[2] The Ancient One proceeds to put to death the beast with the one little horn. (Daniel 7:9-11) Daniel also describes the fates of the other beasts saying that while their dominion was taken away, their lives were prolonged. (Daniel 7:12) This introduction leads into a series of dreams and visions where these events are expressed in greater detail.

Scholars argue that each of these beasts represent an emperor or kingdom that ruled over the Israelites. The first being Babylon, then Media, then Persia, and finally the Greeks. The horns of the last beast may be symbolic of the rulers that replaced Alexander the Great upon his death, culminating with the little horn, or Antiochus IV.^[2] There are additional details in the text that allude to Antiochus IV, including some form of desecration to the temple (Daniel 11:31) and persecution (Daniel 11:23).^[2] The final message of the second half of Daniel is that God will deliver the people from oppression, the latest of which is Antiochus IV.^[2]

Daniel's final days[link]

The time and circumstances of Daniel's death have not been recorded. However, tradition maintains that Daniel was still alive in the third year of Cyrus according to the Tanakh (Daniel 10:1). He would have been almost 100 years old at that point, having been brought to Babylon when he was in his teens, more than 80 years previously. Many^[who?] posit that he possibly died at Susa in Iran. Tradition holds that his tomb is located in Susa at a site known as Shush-e Daniyal. Other locations have been claimed as the site of his burial, including Daniel's Tomb in Kirkuk, Iraq, as well as Babylon, Egypt, Tarsus and, notably, Samarkand, which claims a tomb of Daniel (see "The Ruins of Afrasiab" in the Samarkand article), with some traditions suggesting that his remains were removed, perhaps by Tamerlane, from Susa to Samarkand (see, for instance, Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, section 153).

References to Daniel[link]

Tomb of Daniel at Susa, Iran.

Book of Ezekiel[link]

The prophet Ezekiel, with whom Daniel was a contemporary, describes a Daniel as a "pattern of righteousness" in the Book of Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and "wisdom" (28:3).^[4] In the Book of Daniel, the name is spelled with a middle letter suggesting the i of that name — but this letter is not included in Ezekiel,^[5] suggesting that the reference there may be to another person, possibly the "Danel" ("Judgement of God") known from Caananite Ugaritic literature (such as the Epic of Aqhat and Anat), whose reputation for wisdom and righteousness had made him legendary. (Vowel-points were not added to the consonantal Hebrew text before well into the Common Era, and the scribes may then have slipped in a vowel-point for "i" as a middle syllable.)

Bel and the Dragon[link]

In the Deuterocanonical portion of Daniel known as Bel and the Dragon, the prophet Habakkuk is miraculously transported by an angel to take a meal to Daniel while he is in the lions' den. In response, Daniel prays, "Thou hast remembered me, O God; neither hast thou forsaken them that seek Thee and love Thee".^[6]

Six tombs of Daniel[link]

There are six different locations claiming to be the site of the tomb of the biblical figure Daniel: Babylon, Kirkuk and Muqdadiyah in Iraq, Susa and Malamir in Iran, and Samarkand in Uzbekistan.

Religious perspectives[link]

Rabbinic literature[link]

According to Rabbinical tradition, Daniel was of royal descent; and his fate, together with that of his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, was foretold by the prophet Isaiah to King Hezekiah in these words, "and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon".^{Isaiah 39:7[7][8]}

According to this view, Daniel and his friends were eunuchs, and were consequently able to prove the groundlessness of charges of immorality brought against them, which had almost caused their death at the hands of the king.^[8]

Daniel on the window in the church of St Daniel in Celje (Slovenia)

Islamic views[link]

Muslims traditionally consider Daniel (Arabic: دانيال, Danyal) as an Islamic prophet, alongside the other major prophets of the Old Testament. Although Daniel is not mentioned in the Qur'an, there are accounts of Daniel's life which feature in later Muslim literature. There are debates, however, that go on about Daniel's time of preaching and some Muslims believe that he was not a prophet but a saintly man. Daniel is listed as a prophet in all major versions of Stories of the Prophets.^[9] When the Muslims conquered Alexandria in 641 C.E, a mosque was immediately built dedicated to Daniel.^[10]

Muslim literature[link]

Muslim exegesis, including Tabari's History of the Prophets and Kings narrates that Daniel was carried off to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar's attack on Jerusalem. It goes onto state that there he was thrown into the den of the lions, but was later rescued. In one such account, Daniel is aided by Jeremiah, who comes to Babylon to help Daniel in the lions den.^[11] In the apocryphal Bel and the Dragon, however, there is a very similar tale which states that the Hebrew prophet Habbakuk was miraculously transported to the den of the lions, to give a meal to Daniel.

All sources, classical and modern, describe Daniel as a saintly and spiritual man. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, in his Qur'anic commentary says:

Daniel was a righteous man of princely lineage and lived about 506-538 B.C. He was carried off to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, the Assyrian, but was still living when Assyria was overthrown by the Medes and Persians. In spite of the "captivity" of the Jews, Daniel enjoyed the highest offices of state at Babylon, but he was ever true to Jerusalem. His enemies (under the Persian monarch) got a penal law passed against any one who "asked a petition of any god or man for 30 days" except the Persian King. But Daniel continued true to Jerusalem. "His windows being open in his chambers towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime."

—Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary^[12]

Commemorations[link]

Eastern Orthodox commemorations[link]

On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, the feast days celebrating St. Daniel the Prophet together with the Three Young Men, falls on December 17 (during the Nativity Fast), on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers^[13] (the Sunday which falls between 11 and 17 December), and on the Sunday before Nativity.^[14] Daniel's prophesy regarding the stone which smashed the idol (Daniel 2:34-35) is often used in Orthodox hymns as a metaphor for the Incarnation: the "stone cut out" being symbolic of the Logos (Christ), and the fact that it was cut "without hands" being symbolic of the virgin birth. Thus the hymns will refer to the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) as the "uncut mountain"

Roman Catholic Commemorations[link]

The Roman Catholic Church commemorates St. Daniel in the Roman Martyrology on July 21.^[15] However, his commemoration at Mass occurs only on local calendars of particular dioceses, sometimes on July 21 and sometimes on another day. For example, the archdiocese of Gorizia celebrates the feast of St. Daniel, prophet and confessor, on September 11. The reading of the Mass is taken from the Book of Daniel, chapter 14; the Gradual from Psalm 91; the Alleluia verse from the Epistle of James 1; and the Gospel from Matthew 24.^[16]

Coptic Church Commemoration[link]

The prophet is commemorated in the Coptic Church on the 23rd day of the Coptic month of Baramhat.^[17]

Protestant Commemorations[link]

He is commemorated as a prophet in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod together with the Three Young Men (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), on December 17.^[18]

Chapters of the Book of Daniel
1: Induction into Babylon 2: Nebuchadnezzar's dream of an image 3: The fiery furnace 4: The madness of Nebuchadnezzar 5: Belshazzar's feast 6: Daniel in the lions' den 7: Daniel's first vision 8: Vision of the ram and goat 9: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks 10: Vision of a man 11: Kings of the North and South 12: Epilogue
v t e

See also[link]

Saints portal

• Book of Daniel
• List of names referring to El
• Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Neo-Babylon
• Arioch, Captain of the guard
• Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Daniel's narrative companions
• Belshazzar, possible last King of Neo-Babylon
• Darius the Mede
• Cyrus the Persian, King of Achaemenid Empire
• Ezekiel, Daniel's narrative contemporary
• Persian Jews
• Apocalypse of Daniel

References[link]

• James B. Jordan (1995). "Daniel: Historical & Chronological Comments (II)" (– ^{Scholar search}). Biblical Chronology 7 (1). http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/ch/ch7_01.htm. ^{[dead link]}
• Francis E. Gigot (1889). "Daniel". Catholic Encyclopedia on CD-ROM. New Advent. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04620a.htm. 
• T. E. Gaston (2009). Historical Issues in the Book of Daniel. Taanathshiloh. 

External links[link]

• Book of Daniel (Biblical Passage)
• Daniel by Rob Bradshaw Detailed dictionary-style article.
• Daniel in the TaNaKh Detailed authorized Jewish translation of the original

Wikisource has original 1897 Easton's Bible Dictionary text related to:

Daniel

• Who is Ezekiel's Daniel? : The Ugaritic Danel
• Daniel 11 in Context Overview of the allusions to the Syrian Wars in Daniel 11

Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Boston Red Sox – No. 39
Catcher
Born: (1985-05-02) May 2, 1985 (age 27) West Palm Beach, Florida
Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 2, 2007 for the Atlanta Braves
Career statistics (through May 25, 2012)
Batting average	.246
Hits	316
Home runs	46
Runs batted in	170
Slugging percentage	.418
Teams
Atlanta Braves (2007) Texas Rangers (2007–2010) Boston Red Sox (2010–present)

Jarrod Scott "Salty" Saltalamacchia (pronounced /ˌsɒltələˈmɑːkiə/; born May 2, 1985, in West Palm Beach, Florida), is an American professional baseball catcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.

His last name is the longest in Major League Baseball history.^[1] Saltalamacchia is Italian for "jump over" (salta) the thicket (lamacchia, a kind of tall shrub).

Baseball career[link]

Saltalamacchia was drafted out of Royal Palm Beach High School in the first round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft by the Atlanta Braves.

In 2006, Saltalamacchia had a breakout season for the Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans, where the switch-hitting slugger hit .314 with 35 doubles, 19 homers, and 81 RBIs in 129 games. Saltalamacchia ranked 18th in Baseball America top 100 prospects in 2006, and 36th the following year.^[2]

Saltalamacchia batting for the Braves in 2007.

In the 2007 season, Saltalamacchia started at catcher for the Double-A Mississippi Braves. In 22 games played, he belted 7 home runs with a batting average of .373.

On his 22nd birthday, he was called up to Atlanta to replace Brayan Peña on the roster and to fill in for Brian McCann, who re-injured his finger on May 1, 2007.^[3] Saltalamacchia's call-up made him the new record-holder of the longest surname in Major League Baseball history, at 14 letters,^[4] breaking the record set by William Van Landingham (or tying it, depending on whether one counts the space in the latter's surname).

On May 6, 2007, Saltalamacchia had the first hit of his major league career in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the seventh inning, with two outs and two men on base, Saltalamacchia got his first RBI, which also drove in the winning run for the Braves. On May 27, 2007, Saltalamacchia hit his first major league home run, a solo shot off Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies. On June 26 in a start at first base, Saltalamacchia had his first multi-home run game. Both blasts came batting right-handed off Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik.

Because Saltalamacchia was "blocked" (by McCann, who was recently signed to a large contract with Atlanta), he was the subject of much trade speculation within baseball, and was traded to the Texas Rangers on July 31, 2007, with Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, and Beau Jones for first baseman Mark Teixeira and reliever Ron Mahay.

In 2007, Saltalamacchia batted .284 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI in 47 games with Texas.

Texas Rangers[link]

Upon joining the Rangers after being traded Saltalamacchia changed his number to 25. In his first game with the Rangers on August 1, 2007, Saltalamacchia started at first base and drove in two runs.

On August 22, 2007, Saltalamacchia had two home runs and seven RBIs in the historic 30–3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles.^[5]

In 46 games with the Rangers in 2007, Saltamacchia batted .251, collecting 7 home runs and 21 RBIs.

On March 26, 2008, Saltalamacchia lost the starting catching job to Gerald Laird, and the Rangers chose to send him down to the minors to catch every day instead of sitting as the alex casparino backup.^[6] However, Saltalamacchia was soon called up on April 25, 2008.^[7]

Saltalamacchia during his tenure with the Rangers in 2009.

After the Rangers signed free agent Andruw Jones, Saltalamacchia gave up his number 25 to Jones and selected the number 21.^[8] On April 25, 2009, Saltalamacchia struck out in his 28th consecutive game played, setting a new MLB strikeout streak record for a position player (pitcher Bill Stoneman holds the all-time record with 37 games). Saltalamacchia's streak started on July 23, 2008.^[9] Saltalamacchia suffered a shoulder injury on August 15, 2009 and was placed on the disabled list.

Saltalamacchia was placed on the disabled list after the 2nd game of the 2010 season. On April 27, 2010, Saltalamacchia was removed from the DL and assigned to the Oklahoma City RedHawks.^[10] He has struggled with throwing the ball back to the pitcher.

Boston Red Sox[link]

Saltalamacchia was traded to the Boston Red Sox just before the Major League Baseball trading deadline on July 31, 2010. The Rangers received minor league prospects Chris McGuinness, Román Méndez, a player to be named later (Michael Thomas), and cash. He reported to the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox, wearing uniform number 39.^[11][12] Saltalamacchia was called up on August 11 after Kevin Cash went on the disabled list needing surgery in his left thumb, in September 2010.^[13][14]

In the 2011 season, Saltalamacchia was slated at the beginning of the year to be Boston's primary catcher with veteran Jason Varitek taking the role as the backup. Out of the gate, he struggled defensively and showed weakness in the batter's box.^[15] However, he showed improvement at the plate as the season progressed, hitting .327 in the month of June.

On January 15, 2012, Saltalamacchia avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, non-guaranteed contract worth $2.5 million with the Sox to be their starting catcher. Kelly Shoppach will be his backup, while Ryan Lavarnway will be the third string catcher when not in the minor leagues/.^[16]

Personal[link]

Saltalamacchia and his former Rangers teammate, Kason Gabbard, were childhood friends. Both were traded to the Rangers from different teams on July 31, 2007.^[17] They were nearly potential teammates once again when the Red Sox, having reacquired Gabbard in 2009, released him from their farm system into free agency on July 24, 2010, exactly one week before Saltalamacchia was traded to Boston.^[18]

In 2005, Saltalamacchia married his high school P.E. teacher, Ashley Patrick (or Perry), who is 14 years older than Jarrod. ^[19] They have three daughters.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jarrod Saltalamacchia

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/sportscolumns/entries/2007/07/15/salty_gets_big.html

Kyle Drabek
Toronto Blue Jays – No. 4
Pitcher
Born: (1987-12-08) December 8, 1987 (age 24) Victoria, Texas
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 15, 2010 for the Toronto Blue Jays
Career statistics (through May 28, 2012)
Win-loss record	8-13
Earned run average	5.36
Strikeouts	105
WHIP	1.66
Teams
Toronto Blue Jays (2010-present)

Kyle Jordan Drabek (born December 8, 1987) is an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his first major league start on September 15, 2010 against the Baltimore Orioles.

He is the son of former major-league pitcher and 1990 National League Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek. He also wears a single-digit uniform number (4), a rarity amongst pitchers.^[1]

High school[link]

Drabek attended The Woodlands High School. While there he was an Aflac, USA Today, and Louisville Slugger high-school All-American at pitcher and shortstop.^[2] Drabek was paired up on a Houston summer team with fellow Texas prospect and current Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce. While in high school, Drabek was named 2005 and 2006 Texas 5-A player of the year. During the 2006 spring season, the Highlanders won the Texas 5-A State Championship.^[3] During his high-school career, Drabek compiled a record of 30-1 on the mound while belting 27 home runs. In the 2006 Texas regional semifinal, he set The Woodlands High School record for most strikeouts in a game by a pitcher (19), recording a no-hitter.^[4]

He first wore his MLB number (4) as a wide receiver on The Woodlands varsity football team. He wore number 1 for baseball.^[1]

Minor League Baseball[link]

In the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, Drabek was selected in the first round by the Philadelphia Phillies as the 18th overall pick.^[4] He had been ranked as the twelfth-best prospect in the draft by Baseball America, but was drafted in a lower position because, at the time of the draft, there were concerns about personal incidents.^[4] Marti Wolever, director of scouting for the Phillies, stated of the issues that the Phillies "feel very good about this selection. We think everything is behind him and we're moving on."^[4] The Phillies opted to develop Drabek as a pitcher in their farm system.^[4]

Drabek learned from the experiences of his father.^[5] He also described his father's involvement to be "like having a pitching coach who lives with you ... He taught me so much, not only about the physical part of the game but the mental part too."^[6]

"What kind of things I should expect. I think it's going to give me a little bit more of an advantage because he's been through everything. I know what to look out for because of him."

—Kyle Drabek, Houston Chronicle^[5]

He made four pitching appearances in the Gulf Coast League (for rookies) since his comeback from Tommy John surgery. He was then promoted to the Short-Season A Williamsport Crosscutters. After a dominant start to the season with the Class A–Advanced Clearwater Threshers, Drabek was promoted to the Class AA Reading Phillies on June 1, 2009.^[7] He was invited to the 2009 All-Star Futures Game, in which he pitched one inning.^[8]

Drabek received the Paul Owens Award from the Phillies in a pre-game ceremony at Citizens Bank Park on September 15, 2009. The annual award is presented to the top pitcher and the top position player in the Phillies' minor-league system.^[9]

Drabek was one of the key players involved in "The Doc Deal", the trade which sent Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay to the Phillies in exchange for Drabek, Travis d'Arnaud, and Michael Taylor in early December. He was officially announced as a member of the Blue Jays on December 16, 2009.^[10] Drabek threw the second no-hitter in New Hampshire Fisher Cats history on Independence Day, 2010. The final score was 5-0 over the New Britain Rock Cats, as he walked two and struck out three.^[11][12]

Drabek was voted the 2010 Eastern League pitcher of the year.^[13] Drabek attributed some of his success to a more consistent delivery, for which the point of release for different pitches appeared the same to batters. “In the beginning, it was like I had different movements for different pitches. Now, everything comes the same and everything stays the same.”^[14]

Major League Baseball[link]

2011[link]

The Blue Jays announced on September 12, 2010 that Drabek would be promoted to make his major league debut on September 15.^[15] At the time, he was considered the Blue Jays top pitching prospect^[16][17] and amongst the top prospects in baseball.^[18] On April 2, Drabek earned his first Major League win against the Minnesota Twins, throwing 101 pitches through 7 innings, with 7 strikeouts, giving up only 1 hit and 1 earned run.^[19] His father, Doug Drabek, also earned his first career win against the Minnesota Twins in 1986.

His worst career outing occurred on June 1, 2011, when he lasted only 0.2 innings versus the Cleveland Indians. He would use 38 pitches, allowing 4 earned runs on 3 hits, 3 walks and 1 strikeout.^[20]

On June 14, the Blue Jays announced that Drabek had been optioned to AAA Las Vegas. Zach Stewart took his place in the rotation.^[21] Drabek was recalled from the minors on September 7.^[22]

Pitching style[link]

Drabek throws a four-seam fastball clocked between 90-96 mph, a curveball in the 79-83 mph range, a cutter with a velocity between 89-94 mph, and a changeup in the 83-86 mph range.^[23]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• List of second-generation Major League Baseball players

References[link]