Mitch Maier
Encyclopedia
Mitchell William Maier is a Major League Baseball
outfielder
for the Kansas City Royals
.
Maier attended the University of Toledo
. In the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft
, he was a first round selection. He was selected 30th overall by the Kansas City Royals.
Maier began his professional career in with the AZL Royals
as a catcher
. He played in 51 games, batted
.350 and hit two home run
s. In , Maier was converted over to third base
. He played for two Single-A teams in 2004, the Burlington Bees
and the Wilmington Blue Rocks
. In , Maier was converted to another position again, this time to the outfield, due to the presence of third base prospect Mark Teahen
in the organization. He played for the Single-A High Desert Mavericks
in 2005 and also played for the Double-A Wichita Wranglers
.
In , Maier began the year at Double-A. He was named to the Texas League
midseason All-Star team. He finished the minor league season with a .306 batting average and had 14 home run
s in 138 games. Following the Wranglers elimination in the playoff finals, Maier was promoted to the major league club on September 20. He made his major league debut on September 23, .
In , Maier played for the Triple-A Omaha Royals
for the entire season. He played in 140 games and batted .279 with 14 home runs.
Maier made his Major League pitching debut as the 8th Royals position player to pitch in a game on July 26, 2011, against the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park. He pitched a scoreless inning, but gave up a double to David Ortiz.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
.
Maier attended the University of Toledo
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
. In the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft
2003 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2003 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 3 and 4. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.Source: -First round selections:...
, he was a first round selection. He was selected 30th overall by the Kansas City Royals.
Maier began his professional career in with the AZL Royals
Arizona League Royals
The Arizona League Royals are a minor league baseball team in Surprise, Arizona, USA. They are a Class R team in the Arizona League and have been a farm team of the Kansas City Royals since 2003. The Royals play home games at Surprise Stadium. Opened in 2002, Surprise Stadium seats 10,500...
as a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
. He played in 51 games, batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.350 and hit two home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s. In , Maier was converted over to third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
. He played for two Single-A teams in 2004, the Burlington Bees
Burlington Bees
The Burlington Bees are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Oakland Athletics, that plays in the Midwest League. Their home is in Burlington, Iowa.-History:...
and the Wilmington Blue Rocks
Wilmington Blue Rocks
The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team located in Wilmington, Delaware. The Blue Rocks play in the Northern Division of the Carolina League.-Franchise history:...
. In , Maier was converted to another position again, this time to the outfield, due to the presence of third base prospect Mark Teahen
Mark Teahen
Mark Thomas Teahen is an American-Canadian professional baseball infielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball....
in the organization. He played for the Single-A High Desert Mavericks
High Desert Mavericks
The High Desert Mavericks are a minor league baseball team in Adelanto, California, USA. Their Major League parent club is the Seattle Mariners. They are a Class A - Advanced team in the California League and had been a farm team of the Kansas City Royals since 2005 before the switch...
in 2005 and also played for the Double-A Wichita Wranglers
Wichita Wranglers
The Wichita Wranglers were a minor league baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team, which played in the Texas League, was the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major-league club from 1995 to 2007, and of the San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1994. The Wranglers played in...
.
In , Maier began the year at Double-A. He was named to the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
midseason All-Star team. He finished the minor league season with a .306 batting average and had 14 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in 138 games. Following the Wranglers elimination in the playoff finals, Maier was promoted to the major league club on September 20. He made his major league debut on September 23, .
In , Maier played for the Triple-A Omaha Royals
Omaha Royals
The Omaha Storm Chasers are a United States minor league baseball team currently based in the Omaha suburb of Papillion, Nebraska. The team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major league club and has been a member of the expanded Pacific Coast League since 1998. From 1969 to 1997,...
for the entire season. He played in 140 games and batted .279 with 14 home runs.
Maier made his Major League pitching debut as the 8th Royals position player to pitch in a game on July 26, 2011, against the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park. He pitched a scoreless inning, but gave up a double to David Ortiz.