| Zach Vincej | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Vincej withPepperdine in 2010 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: (1991-05-01)May 1, 1991 (age 33) San Diego, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 1, 2017, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 1, 2018, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .231 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 1 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Zachary Laine Vincej (/vinsiː/VINCE-ee;[1][2] born May 1, 1991) is an American former professionalbaseballshortstop. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theCincinnati Reds andSeattle Mariners. Before beginning his professional career, Vincej playedcollege baseball atPepperdine University. Playing for thePepperdine Waves, Vincej won theBrooks Wallace Award in 2012, given to the best shortstop in college baseball. After retiring as a player, he became a coach in the Mariners' minor league system.
Vincej participated inPONY Baseball in the 14-and-under group.[3] He also competed internationally for theUnited States national youth baseball team in 2007, winning the 2007World Youth Baseball Championship.[4] Vincej had a .583batting average during the tournament.[5][6]
Vincej attendedSaugus High School inSanta Clarita, California and played for the school's baseball team as their startingshortstop.[7] He was a second-team all-league selection as a freshman in 2006,[8] and a first-team selection in his next three seasons. He was named to the all-state team after his sophomore season.[9]
Vincej enrolled atPepperdine University, where he playedcollege baseball for thePepperdine Waves baseball team, starting in 2009.[10] While in college, he playedcollegiate summer baseball for theAnchorage Bucs in theAlaska Baseball League in 2009 and 2010[11][12][13] and for theHyannis Harbor Hawks of theCape Cod Baseball League in 2011.[14][15]
With the Waves, Vincej struggled in 2011, his sophomore season, batting .194 and committing 11errors in 53games played.[16] However, he rebounded to hit .339 in 2012, winning theBrooks Wallace Award as the top college baseball shortstop in the nation.[16][17][9] With the highestfielding percentage of all shortstops in theWest Coast Conference at .981, Vincej was also named the Conference's Defensive Player of the Year.[18]
TheCincinnati Reds drafted Vincej in the 37th round of the2012 Major League Baseball Draft.[16] He signed with the Reds[19] and made his professional debut with theBillings Mustangs of theRookie-levelPioneer League. He spent the rest of 2012 there,slashing .336/.393/.434 with one home run and 17 RBIs in 38 games. Vincej played for theSingle-ADayton Dragons in 2013 and was named to theMidwest League's all-star game.[20][21] In 104 games, he batted .263 with three home runs and 31 RBIs. Vincej played for theBakersfield Blaze of theClass A-AdvancedCalifornia League in 2014, posting a .271 batting average with one home run and 40 RBIs in 115 games, and thePensacola Blue Wahoos of theDouble-ASouthern League in 2015 where he batted .241 with five home runs and 22 RBIs in 90 games. He returned to Pensacola in 2016[22] where he batted .281 with three home runs and 47 RBIs in 121 games.[23] He also won a minor league Gold Glove award.[24] After the 2016 regular season, Vincej played for thePeoria Javelinas of theArizona Fall League.[25]
Vincej began the 2017 season with theLouisville Bats of theTriple-AInternational League. There, he batted .270 with three home runs and 38 RBIs in 110 games. The Reds promoted Vincej to the major leagues on September 1.[26] He made his MLB debut that night as a pinch hitter, grounding out to the shortstop.[27] In nine games in the final month of the season, he batted 1-for-9 and was hit by two pitches.[28]
On November 3, 2017, theSeattle Mariners claimed Vincej off waivers.[29] The Mariners outrighted Vincej to the Triple-ATacoma Rainiers on November 7.[30] Vincej was promoted to the major leagues on July 30, 2018.[31] His only game with the Mariners was also the best and final MLB game of his career. On August 1, he went 2-for-4 with 1 RBI in a Mariners loss.[32][33] He was optioned back to Tacoma the next day.[23] He was designated for assignment on August 21 and outrighted to Tacoma on August 24.[34][23] He electedfree agency on October 2.[35]
On November 16, 2018, Vincej signed a minor league contract with theBaltimore Orioles.[36] He spent the year with theTriple-ANorfolk Tides without receiving a call-up to the majors. In 101 games, Vincej batted .271/.317/.396 with 8 home runs and 51 RBI. He elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2019.[23][37]
On June 3, 2021, Vincej signed a minor league contract with theSeattle Mariners.[38] He did not appear in a game and elected free agency following the season.[23]
On January 31, 2022, Vincej joined theSeattle Mariners organization as a coach for the Triple-ATacoma Rainiers.[39] He was later named a bench coach alongside 2018 Tacoma teammateSeth Mejias-Brean.[40]
On April 20, he made his first appearance on a major league coaching staff, serving as the interim first base coach, while managerScott Servais was unavailable after testing positive forCOVID-19 andKristopher Negrón served as interim.[41] The Mariners beat the Texas Rangers that day under Negrón's management.[41][42]
On January 26, 2023, the Mariners named Vincej the manager of the Single-AModesto Nuts.[43] The Nuts won the California League championship in both 2023 and 2024.[44]Baseball America named Vincej the minor league manager of the year in 2024.[2][45]
On January 15, 2025, the Mariners named Vincej the manager of the High-AEverett AquaSox.[46]
