Danny Jansen
Danny Jansen | |
---|---|
Toronto Blue Jays – No. 9 | |
Catcher | |
Born: Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S. | April 15, 1995|
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
MLB debut | |
August 13, 2018, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |
Batting average | .224 |
Home runs | 65 |
Runs batted in | 196 |
Teams | |
|
Daniel Robert Jansen (born April 15, 1995) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Professional career[edit]
Minor leagues[edit]
Jansen attended Appleton West High School in Appleton, Wisconsin, and was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 16th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.[1] He had committed to play college baseball at Jacksonville University, but signed with the Blue Jays instead.[2] He was assigned to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays for the season, appearing in 36 games and hitting .246 with 18 runs batted in (RBI). He showed above-average plate discipline that season, walking 21 times while striking out only 10 times.[1] In 2014, Jansen was promoted to the Rookie Advanced Bluefield Blue Jays. In 38 games, he batted .282 with five home runs and 17 RBI.[1] Jansen was assigned to the Class-A Lansing Lugnuts in 2015, but spent more than half the season on the disabled list.[3] After a seven-game rehab stint in the Gulf Coast League, Jansen rejoined the Lugnuts in August. In 53 total games, he hit .210 with five home runs and 30 RBI.[1]
Jansen was invited to Major League spring training on January 12, 2016,[4] and reassigned to minor league camp on March 12.[5] He was assigned to the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays for the 2016 minor league season.[6] In 57 total games, Jansen hit .218 with one home run and 25 RBI in 2016.[1] After the 2016 season, the Blue Jays assigned Jansen to the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.[7] He appeared in 20 games for the Sox and hit .282 with 11 RBI and the first two triples of his professional career.[8][9]
Prior to the start of the 2017 season, Jansen found he was having vision problems, and began wearing glasses on and off the field.[10] The glasses paid immediate dividends, as Jansen hit .369 with five home runs and 18 RBI in 31 games for Dunedin before being promoted to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He played in 52 games for New Hampshire and hit .291 before being promoted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in August.[1][10] With Buffalo, Jansen hit .328 with three home runs and 10 RBI in 21 games.[1] On November 20, 2017, Jansen was added to Toronto's 40-man roster.[11] Heading into the 2018 season, Jansen was named the eighth-best catching prospect by MLB.[12] He played in the All-Star Futures Game in July, during which he hit a home run.[13]
Toronto Blue Jays[edit]
The Blue Jays promoted Jansen to the major leagues on August 12, 2018.[14] He made his debut the following night, recording two singles in a 3–1 loss to the Kansas City Royals. He and Sean Reid-Foley became the first batterymates to debut in the same American League game since Billy Rohr and Russ Gibson did so in April 1967.[15] Jansen hit his first major league home run on August 14 off Royals pitcher Heath Fillmyer, breaking a 3–3 tie in a game the Blue Jays would end up winning 6–5.[16] He finished the season hitting .247 in 31 games.
Overall with the 2020 Blue Jays, Jansen batted .182 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in 43 games.[17] During Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Jansen became the second Blue Jays player in franchise history with a multi-home run game in the post-season.[18]
The 2021 season saw Jansen playing 70 games, splitting playing time with catcher Reese McGuire. Jansen spent time on the injured list in July and August with a right hamstring strain, but returned to the lineup to play the last 21 games of the season with a .322 batting average and 7 home runs.[19]
Jansen's 2022 season began strong before a left oblique injury in April sidelined him for over a month. On June 6, Jansen was again placed on the IL after suffering a fracture in his left pinky finger after being hit by a 96mph pitch during a game against the Kansas City Royals.[20]
On July 22, 2022, the Blue Jays set a franchise record for runs scored in a game with a 28-5 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Jansen hit 2 home runs over the Green Monster in left field, scored 4 times, and contributed 6 RBIs.[21]
On January 13, 2023, Jansen signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Blue Jays, avoiding salary arbitration.[22] On September 1, Jansen suffered a fractured right middle finger after he was hit by a foul tip.[23] On September 8, he underwent surgery to insert a pin into his finger, ending his season.[24] Jansen finished the year playing in 86 games and hitting .228/.312/.474 with career–highs in home runs (17) and RBI (53).[25]
Personal life[edit]
Jansen is the younger son of parents Steve and Kathy.[26] His older brother is Matthew.[27][28] In his youth, Jansen's family hosted players for the then-Seattle Mariners Class-A affiliate Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. In 2004, Adam Jones was housed by the Jansen family.[29]
Jansen and his wife Alexis were married in March 2022 with former teammate Rowdy Tellez as the officiant.[30]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g "Danny Jansen Register Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "dan jansen Class of 2013 - Player Profile | Perfect Game USA". Perfect Game.
- ^ "Danny Jansen Stats, Highlights, Bio". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- ^ "Blue Jays Invite 14 to Spring Training". bluebirdbanter.com. January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "Ben Nicholson-Smith on Twitter". Twitter. March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
- ^ Rosenbaum, Mike (April 7, 2016). "Where the Blue Jays' Top 30 prospects are starting the season". MLB.com. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
- ^ "2016 Arizona Fall League Rosters". baseballamerica.com. August 31, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
- ^ Holmyard, Braydon (November 21, 2016). "Arizona Fall League wrap: Alford among top Blue Jays performers". Sportsnet. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ^ "Winter Leagues: Arizona Fall League: Statistics". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Rutherford, Kristina (August 22, 2017). "Blue Jays' Danny Jansen keeps hitting at every stop of 'whirlwind' season". Sportsnet. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- ^ Davidi, Shi (November 20, 2017). "Jansen, Tellez among players added to Blue Jays' 40-man roster". Sportsnet. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
- ^ Chisholm, Gregor (January 18, 2018). "Jansen among top 10 catching prospects". MLB.com. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ^ Arguello, Ricardo (July 17, 2018). "Appleton's Jansen shines in MLB Futures Game". postcrescent.com. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^ Arguello, Ricardo (August 12, 2018). "Appleton West grad Danny Jansen called up to major leagues with Blue Jays". postcrescent.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ Falkoff, Robert (August 14, 2018). "Reid-Foley has learning curve in loss to KC". MLB.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ Falkoff, Robert (August 15, 2018). "Jansen belts 1st career homer against Royals". MLB.com. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ "Danny Jansen Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
- ^ "Danny Jansen's two-homer game". MLB.com. September 30, 2020.
- ^ "Jansen, pulling more, is unleashing his power". MLB.com. June 2, 2022.
- ^ "Blue Jays' Jansen placed on IL with broken finger after being hit by pitch". June 7, 2022.
- ^ "Blue Jays set franchise record for runs". MLB.com. June 22, 2022.
- ^ "2023 MLB Arbitration Tracker". MLBTradeRumors. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ "Blue Jays' Danny Jansen: Suffers broken finger". cbssports.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ "Danny Jansen injury update: Blue Jays catcher on IL with fractured finger, out for rest of regular season". cbssports.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ "Blue Jays' Danny Jansen: Undergoes surgery". cbssports.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ "A salute to mom from a member of every club". MLB.com. May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Brudnicki, Alexis (May 10, 2020). "Danny Jansen's mom makes many feel at home". MLB.com. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Arguello, Ricardo (May 25, 2019). "Danny Jansen's family, friends relish opportunity to watch him chase his baseball dream". Post Crescent. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Davidi, Shi (July 15, 2018). "Blue Jays prospect Danny Jansen pushing to prove he's worth the wait". Sportsnet. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Ex-teammate Tellez helps Jansen tie the knot". MLB.com.
External links[edit]
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Danny Jansen on Instagram
- 1995 births
- American expatriate baseball players in Canada
- Bluefield Blue Jays players
- Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
- Dunedin Blue Jays players
- Gulf Coast Blue Jays players
- Lansing Lugnuts players
- Living people
- Major League Baseball catchers
- Mesa Solar Sox players
- New Hampshire Fisher Cats players
- People from Elmhurst, Illinois
- Baseball players from DuPage County, Illinois
- Toronto Blue Jays players