Ryan Doumit
Encyclopedia
Ryan Matthew Doumit is an American professional baseball
catcher
for the Minnesota Twins
of Major League Baseball
. He played the first seven years of his career for the Pittsburgh Pirates
.
.
. During his rookie season, Doumit played primarily as a backup catcher but also served as the Pirates' designated hitter
in interleague games.
, and right fielder
.
above .330 throughout the rest of the summer. Doumit shared the National League's Player of the Week award for the week ending June 16, 2008, hitting .400 and 4 home run
s during the week. On September 26, Doumit attempted to throw out Willie Harris
trying to steal 2nd base, but instead plunked Pirates pitcher John Grabow
; see http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200809263553445
On December 22, Doumit agreed to a three-year contract with the Pirates to avoid arbitration.
. Doumit had surgery to repair the bone, and missed roughly 8-10 weeks. He finished 2009 with 16 doubles, no triples, 10 home runs, 38 runs batted in, 4 stolen bases, to go along with a .250 average, .299 on base percentage, a .414 slugging percentage, in just 280 at bats.
. He batted .251 with 13 home runs and 51 runs batted in. He season ended due to injury.
, pending a physical. He officially joined the team on November 23.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
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...
for the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
of Major League Baseball
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...
. He played the first seven years of his career for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
.
Professional career
Doumit was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2nd round as the 59th overall selection in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft1999 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999...
.
2005
After six seasons in the minor leagues, Doumit made his major league debut on June 5, , against the Atlanta BravesAtlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. During his rookie season, Doumit played primarily as a backup catcher but also served as the Pirates' designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
in interleague games.
2006-07
Over the next two seasons, Doumit suffered a variety of injuries, limiting him to 144 games. When healthy, he saw action as a catcher, first basemanFirst baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
, and right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
.
2008
In , Doumit played exclusively as the Pirates' starting catcher. He was once again plagued by injury and missed three weeks with a broken thumb. He returned to the lineup and consistently kept his batting averageBatting 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 :...
above .330 throughout the rest of the summer. Doumit shared the National League's Player of the Week award for the week ending June 16, 2008, hitting .400 and 4 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 during the week. On September 26, Doumit attempted to throw out Willie Harris
Willie Harris
William Charles Harris is a Major League Baseball outfielder and infielder. Harris is known for his quick feet and base-stealing abilities, with currently 94 career stolen bases. Harris was formerly a member of the Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox , Boston Red Sox , Atlanta Braves , and...
trying to steal 2nd base, but instead plunked Pirates pitcher John Grabow
John Grabow
John William Grabow, nicknamed "Grabes" , is a Major League Baseball left-handed reliever....
; see http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200809263553445
On December 22, Doumit agreed to a three-year contract with the Pirates to avoid arbitration.
2009
Doumit began the year strongly, starting 11 of the first 12 games and hitting .244 with 2 home runs; however, he sustained a wrist injury in a game against the Atlanta Braves, later diagnosed as a fracture in the scaphoid boneScaphoid bone
The scaphoid bone is one of the carpal bones of the wrist. It is situated between the hand and forearm on the thumb-side of the wrist . The scaphoid bone is the largest bone of the proximal row of wrist bones, its long axis being from above downward, lateralward, and forward...
. Doumit had surgery to repair the bone, and missed roughly 8-10 weeks. He finished 2009 with 16 doubles, no triples, 10 home runs, 38 runs batted in, 4 stolen bases, to go along with a .250 average, .299 on base percentage, a .414 slugging percentage, in just 280 at bats.
2010
Doumit played in 124 games during the 2010 season with the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. He batted .251 with 13 home runs and 51 runs batted in. He season ended due to injury.
2011
For the 2011 season, Doumit was limited to just 77 games, in which he batted .303 with 10 home runs and 38 runs batted in. He became a free agent after the 2011 season, ending his tenure with the Pirates.2012
On November 18, 2011, Doumit agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, pending a physical. He officially joined the team on November 23.