| Nate Schierholtz | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Schierholtz with the San Francisco Giants | |||||||||||||||
| Right fielder | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1984-02-15)February 15, 1984 (age 41) Reno, Nevada, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |||||||||||||||
| Professional debut | |||||||||||||||
| MLB: June 11, 2007, for the San Francisco Giants | |||||||||||||||
| NPB: April 19, 2015, for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp | |||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | |||||||||||||||
| MLB: October 7, 2014, for the Washington Nationals | |||||||||||||||
| NPB: September 12, 2015, for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .253 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 52 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 228 | ||||||||||||||
| NPB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .250 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 30 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Nathan John "Nate" Schierholtz (born February 15, 1984) is an American former professionalbaseballright fielder. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theSan Francisco Giants (2007–2012),Philadelphia Phillies (2012),Chicago Cubs (2013–2014), andWashington Nationals (2014). He also played inNippon Professional Baseball (NPB) forHiroshima Toyo Carp (2015). He won a bronze medal with theU.S. national baseball team at the2008 Summer Olympics.
Schierholtz was born February 15, 1984, inReno, Nevada.[1] His parents were Vai Sr., and Karen Schierholtz, and he was the oldest of four children (Cainan; Vai Jr.; and Sophia).[2] He attendedSan Ramon Valley High School inDanville, California, the same high school as futureSan Francisco Giants teammateRandy Winn.[3] At San Ramon Valley, he served as the team captain.
Following high school, Schierholtz played forChabot College, acommunity college located inHayward, California. He spent the 2003 season with Chabot, starting atthird base.[4] In his lone season at Chabot, he was named an All-American.[4]
Schierholtz was drafted by theSan Francisco Giants in the second round (63rd overall) of the2003 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. He began his minor league career that year as athird baseman with the rookieArizona League Giants,batting .400 in 11 games before getting promoted to theSingle-A short seasonSalem-Keizer Volcanoes of theNorthwest League.[5] In 35 games for Salem-Keizer, he hit .306 with 38hits, threehome runs, and 29runs batted in (RBI).[6] He began the 2004 season with the Single-AHagerstown Suns of theSouth Atlantic League, earningAll-star game honors for that league. He batted .296 with 53 RBI in 58 games and was leading the league in home runs (15) andextra-base hits (37) before getting promoted to the Single-A advancedSan Jose Giants of theCalifornia League.[5] At San Jose, though still receiving significant playing time as a third baseman, he began to play theoutfield as well.[6] In 62 games with San Jose, he batted .295 with three home runs and 31 RBI. He was second on the team with ninetriples after not hitting any with Hagerstown. He was third among Giants' prospects with 18 home runs and ranked second with 84 RBI in 2004.[5]
In 2005, Schierholtz remained at San Jose, where he became an everydayright fielder. Over 128 games, he batted .319 (fifth in the California League) with 160 hits (tied withChris Lubanski,Seth Smith, andClay Timpner for fifth), 37doubles (tied withDanny Putnam for eighth), eighttriples (tied withWladimir Balentien,Danny Richar, and Joe Gaetti for third behind Timpner's 12 and Anthony Webster's 11), 15 home runs, and 86 RBI.[7] He batted .333 in the playoffs, helping San Jose win the California League championship.[5]
Schierholtz moved up to theDouble-AConnecticut Defenders of theEastern League in 2006. In 125 games, he batted .270 with 127 hits, 14 home runs, and 54 RBI.[6] He led the Defenders in most major batting categories and finished sixth in the Eastern League with seven triples.[5][8] Entering the 2007 season, Schierholtz was ranked the eighth-best prospect in the Giants' organization byBaseball America.[9] That year, he was assigned to theTriple-AFresno Grizzlies of thePacific Coast League. He spent most of the season with them. In 109 games, he had 137 hits, 31 doubles, 16 home runs, and 68 RBI. He finished third in the league in batting average (.333, behindGeovany Soto's .353 andDelwyn Young's .337) and triples (seven, tied withScott Seabol behindReggie Abercrombie's andJeff Salazar's nine).[10]
Giants' managerBruce Bochy considered calling up Schierholtz in May 2007 whenDave Roberts started suffering elbow problems, but an injury to Schierholtz prevented that.
On June 11, Schierholtz was called up to replaceDan Ortmeier and try to give the Giants some offensive help.[11] He made his major league debut that day, against theToronto Blue Jays as a defensive replacement.[12] He got his first hit the next night, againstA. J. Burnett in his first careerat bat in a 3–2 victory over Toronto.[13] During this stint, Schierholtz received most of the starts in right field.[14] On June 23, atAT&T Park against theNew York Yankees, heblooped an RBIsingle intocenter field againstScott Proctor in the bottom of the 13th inning to win the game 6–5 for the Giants.[15] Despite a .325 batting average in 40 at bats, Schierholtz was sent down at the start of July to make room forRich Aurilia, who was returning from thedisabled list.[16][17] He was recalled in September, and he received most of the starts in right field that month.[14] In 39 games (112 at bats), he batted .304 with 34 hits, five doubles, three triples, 10 RBI, and twowalks.[5]
In 2008,Baseball America ranked Schierholtz the fourth-best prospect in the Giants' system.[18] He attendedspring training with the Giants but started the season in Fresno.[5] Schierholtz was batting .314 with fifteen home runs and 65 runs batted in for the Grizzlies when hisminor league season ended as a result of his being selected for the2008 USA Olympic Baseball Team. In the sixth inning of a preliminary round game againstChina, he collided with China backupcatcherYang Yang at the home plate on a sacrifice fly, a play that resulted in a near brawl between the teams and saw Chinese managerJim Lefebvre ejected from the game.[19] Schierholtz played nine games with the Americans, batting .216 with four doubles, one home run, and six RBI as the United States earned a bronze medal.[5]
Schierholtz was again called up in September 2008, as the Giants' roster expanded, and he was used as the Giants' starting right fielder for the remainder of the year.[20][21] On September 3, he recorded four hits in a game for the first time in a 9–2 victory over theColorado Rockies.[22] Three days later, he hit his first career home run againstJesse Chavez in a 7–6 victory over thePittsburgh Pirates.[23] In 19 games (75 at bats) in 2008, Schierholtz hit .320 with 24 hits, eight doubles, one triple, one home run, and five RBI.[5]
Schierholtz started the 2009 season as apinch hitter.[24] In June, he saw his playing time increase asRandy Winn, the Giants' right fielder, began playingleft field frequently in place ofFred Lewis.[24][25][26] On June 14, he had aninside-the-park home run, only the fourth in AT&T Park history, in the third inning againstBrett Anderson of theOakland Athletics in a 7–1 victory.[27] He had four hits on June 28 in a 7–0 win over theMilwaukee Brewers.[28] From July 28 through August 12, he was on thedisabled list with a bruised left hip, which he suffered after running into a chain-link fence atTurner Field.[5][29][30] He saw his playing time reduced in September as Winn moved back to right field to giveEugenio Vélez andJohn Bowker opportunities in left.[24][25][31][32] In a career-high 116 games (285 at bats) in 2009, Schierholtz batted .267 with 76 hits, five home runs, and 29 RBI. He had the third-highest batting average for a pinch hitter in the majors (.371, behind Seth Smith's .472 andHideki Matsui's .381).[5]
Schierholtz was expected to be the Giants'Opening Day right fielder in 2010, but Bowker won the position after hitting six home runs in spring training.[33] Bowker, however, only held the job for 10 games before Schierholtz replaced him on April 17.[34][35] In his first 16 games in the role, he batted .393, but over his next 19, he batted .154.[35] WhenBuster Posey was called up in late May,Aubrey Huff moved fromfirst base to right field, leaving Schierholtz on the bench.[36][37][38] AfterBengie Molina was traded, Posey switched from first base tocatcher, butTravis Ishikawa began getting some starts at first base, creating a platoon between Schierholtz and Ishikawa, with Huff covering first base or right field depending on who was playing.[35][37][39][40] WhenJosé Guillén was acquired on August 13, Schierholtz was relegated to the role of pinch-hitter and late-inningdefensive substitution for the rest of the year.[35][41] In 137 games (227 at bats), Schierholtz batted .242 with 55 hits, 13 doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 17 RBI.[5]
Schierholtz received regular playing time throughout the postseason as a defensive replacement for starting outfielderPat Burrell.[42] Whenever the Giants held a lead in the sixth inning or later, Bochy would remove Burrell from the game, shiftCody Ross from right field to left field, and place Schierholtz in right field. This strategy was meant to provide the Giants with the best possible defensive outfield and, thus, the best chance of holding the lead and winning the game.[43][44][45] Schierholtz ultimately appeared in 11 of San Francisco's 15 playoff games, accumulating 13 plate appearances and recording an RBI in Game 1 of the2010 World Series against theTexas Rangers.[5] In Game 4, a night when Bochy chose to start several of his backups, he got his first start of the postseason, playing right field in the Giants' 4–0 victory.[46] The Giants won the World Series in five games, their first World Series victory since 1954.[47]
Schierholtz hit a 467-foot home run atCoors Field on April 18, 2011, againstEsmil Rogers in an 8–1 victory over the Rockies.[5][48] At the start of May, Schierholtz took over the Giants' right field job, due to a slump by Burrell.[49][50][51] He hit a game-tying, two-run pinch-hit home run againstGrant Balfour on May 22 in an 11-inning, 5–4 victory over Oakland.[52] Ten days later, he had a game-tying RBI single in the ninth inning againstFernando Salas and a game-winning RBI single in the 11th inning againstRyan Franklin in a 7–5 victory over theSt. Louis Cardinals.[53] On July 6, against theSan Diego Padres, Schierholtz recorded his first multi-home run game. In the bottom of the 14th inning of that game, he hit a walk-off home run againstPat Neshek that secured a 6–5 victory for the Giants.[54] Two days later, he had asplash hit home run againstR. A. Dickey in a 5–2 loss to theNew York Mets.[55] Following the acquisition ofCarlos Beltrán on July 28, Schierholtz began playing some left field for the first time in his career.[5] He broke his right foot after hitting afoul ball off it against theAtlanta Braves on August 15. Schierholtz appeared in five more games after the injury, but it became too severe to play through, and he was placed on the disabled list on August 27 (retroactive to August 22), and, though initially expected to return, he missed the rest of the season.[56][57] In 115 games (335 at bats), Schierholtz hit .278 with 93 hits, 22 doubles, nine home runs, and 41 RBI.[5] He said of his 2011 season, "I was able to contribute to the team this year. That was a positive thing I can take from the season."[57]
In 2012, Schierholtz started the season as a bench player but soon became the Giants' everyday right fielder.[58] On April 23 and 24, he had back-to-back three-hit games against the Mets.[5] He batted .372 over his first 14 games but hit just .048 over his next seven. When May started, Bochy benched him in favor ofGregor Blanco.[58][59] On July 18, in an interview with Henry Schulman of theSan Francisco Chronicle, he said that Bochy had told him in May that he did not view him as an everyday player. He said that, while he did not ask for a trade, "I think whatever the best fit for the team and me is would be ideal. I can't really make those decisions. It's all up to them. Whether I'm here or not I'm going to give my best effort every day and bust my tail."[60] That weekend, he started three games against thePhiladelphia Phillies in right field, partly because Blanco andÁngel Pagán had been struggling.[61] On July 22, Schierholtz hit two home runs againstJoe Blanton, the second of which forced the game into extra innings. However, the Giants would lose 4–3 in 12 innings.[62] In 77 games (175 at bats), Schierholtz hit .251 with 44 hits, four doubles, five triples, five home runs, and 16 RBI.[5]
At thetrade deadline on July 31, Schierholtz was traded to thePhiladelphia Phillies along with minor league catcherTommy Joseph and minor league pitcherSeth Rosin for outfielderHunter Pence.[1][63] Upon Schierholtz's arrival in Philadelphia, managerCharlie Manuel said he wanted to give Schierholtz everyday playing time for the rest of the year, in order to assess him.[64] In the transition, Schierholtz changed his number from 12 to 22.[1] In his debut, Schierholtz homered againstEdwin Jackson in a 3–2 victory against theWashington Nationals.[65] However, Schierholtz was sent to the disabled list on August 13 after fouling a ball off his right big toe in a game against the Cardinals.[64] He remained on the disabled list until September 1.[66] On September 7, he delivered a game-ending RBI single againstWill Harris, giving the Phillies a 3–2 win over Colorado.[67] Schierholtz appeared in 33 games with the Phillies, batting .273 with 18 hits, four doubles, one home run, and five RBI. In 114 games (241 at bats) with Philadelphia and San Francisco, he batted .257 with 62 hits, eight doubles, five triples, six home runs, and 21 RBI.[5] After the season, the Philliesnon-tendered Schierholtz, making him afree agent. They chose to non-tender him because they were only projecting him as a fifth outfielder, and Schierholtz was due for a pay raise.[68][69]
Despite being traded to the Phillies, Schierholtz received his secondWorld Series ring from the Giants due to his contributions during the first half of the 2012 season with the team.[70]
On December 5, 2012, Schierholtz signed a $2.25 million, one-year deal with theChicago Cubs.[69][71] He was the Cubs' starting right fielder for most of the 2013 season. From June 4 through 18, he set a career-high with a 10-game hitting streak.[5] On June 14, he had two triples in a game for the first time in his career in a 14-inning, 6–5 victory over theCincinnati Reds.[72] On June 22, he set a career-high with his 10th home run of the season in a 4–3 loss to theHouston Astros.[73] He batted .286 with 11 home runs through June 30 but saw his average sink to .218 for the rest of the season, although he would hit 10 home runs.[74] On July 24, he had a career-high five RBI, including a game-winning RBI double againstDavid Hernandez in the 12th inning of a 7–6 victory over theArizona Diamondbacks.[75] Three days later, he hit a home run againstSergio Romo in a 1–0 victory over the Giants.[76] Schierholtz reset his career-high in RBI with six on August 19, including home runs againstJordan Zimmermann andFernando Abad in an 11–1 victory over theWashington Nationals.[77] In 137 games (462 at bats), Schierholtz batted .251 with career-highs in hits (116), doubles (32), home runs (21),runs scored (56), and RBI (68). Defensively, he posted a .988fielding percentage.[5]
On January 17, 2014, Schierholtz signed a $5 million, one-year deal to remain with the Chicago Cubs.[1] On June 3, he had a game-ending RBI single againstScott Rice, giving the Cubs a 2–1 victory over the Mets.[78] He was designated for assignment by the Cubs on August 6, 2014.[79] Chicago released the veteran onwaivers after he had a .192 batting average and six home runs over 99 games.[1]
On August 18, 2014, Schierholtz signed a minor league deal with theWashington Nationals, and was assigned to the Triple-ASyracuse Chiefs of theInternational League.[80] The Nationals selected Schierholtz's contract on August 23 and used him as a reserve outfielder.[81] On September 21, he tripled home a run againstNate Eovaldi, then scored on a double byAnthony Rendon in a 2–1 victory over theMiami Marlins.[82] In 23 games (40 at bats) with the Nationals, Schierholtz batted .225 with one home run. His combined totals were a .195 average, 69 hits, seven home runs, and 37 RBI in 122 games with Chicago and Washington.[1] Schierholtz reached the playoffs with Washington as they won theNational League East.[83] He appeared in all four games of the2014 National League Division Series, getting a hit and three walks in four plate appearances for a 1.000 on-base percentage as the Nationals were defeated by the Giants. After the season, he became a free agent.[1]
On February 6, 2015, Schierholtz signed a minor league deal with theTexas Rangers.[84] He competed for an outfield spot but was released on March 28 before the season started.[85]
After his release from Texas, Schierholtz went to Japan, signing a one-year deal with theHiroshima Toyo Carp ofNippon Professional Baseball (NPB). During the2015 season, he hit .250 (58-for-232), with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs in 65 games.[6] "It was definitely an interesting experience and I learned a lot. I enjoyed living with the Japanese culture and learning some of their ways and values. The fans are very kind to the American foreign players and it was a great experience," Schierholtz summarized his time in Japan.[86]
On December 23, 2015, Schierholtz signed a minor league contract with theDetroit Tigers, and was invited to 2016spring training.[87] Failing to make the club, he played 31 games for the Triple-AToledo Mud Hens of the International League, batting .246 with 29 hits, three home runs, and 13 RBI before his release on May 22.[6][1] On August 5, 2016, Schierholtz received an 80-game suspension from Major League Baseball for testing positive for aperformance-enhancing drug.[88]
Schierholtz married Kate Eveland, a formerguard on theSan Diego State basketball team on December 3, 2011.[89] Vai Jr., his youngest brother, attended the Air Force Academy and played baseball for the Falcons.[2] His mother lives inAlamo, California; her house burned down in 2009 but was rebuilt.[90]
Schierholtz used to bat withoutbatting gloves, one of the few Major Leaguers to do so,[5] but since 2011 has used batting gloves.[91]
| |
|
