Steven Geltz (born November 1, 1987) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) for the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ...

and the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

Amateur career

Geltz was born in

Newfane, New York Newfane is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 9,666 at the 2010 census. The name was suggested by an early settler. The Town of Newfane is in the north-central part of the county, north of the City of Lockpor ...

to Roxanne, a

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...

, and John, an electrician. Geltz was raised in

Ransomville, New York Ransomville is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in the Town of Porter in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 1,419 at the 2010 census. Portions of the hamlet are also in Town of Wilson and Town of Cambria. R ...

, a small town with merely 1,400 inhabitants. Geltz attended Wilson High School in

Wilson, New York Wilson is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 5,993 at the 2010 census. The town was named after an early settler, Reuben Wilson, who built and dwelt in a log cabin on the shore of Lake Ontario at the site of wha ...

. Only 5'9" as a senior in high school, Geltz was overlooked by most

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

programs and all

clubs despite his talents as a pitcher, and attended nearby

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 18 ...

Professional career

Los Angeles Angels

Geltz signed with the

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

in 2008 out of the

and was assigned to the

Orem Owlz The Orem Owlz were a Minor League Baseball team located in Orem, Utah, United States, from 2001 to 2020. The team competed in the Pioneer League as a Rookie League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The Owlz played their home games at Home ...

. Geltz was called up to the majors for the first time on August 10, 2012.

Tampa Bay Rays

Before the 2013 season, the Angels traded Geltz to the

for pitcher Dane De La Rosa. Geltz spent all of 2013 in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

with the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

. In May 2014, Geltz received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for a drug of abuse for the second time in his career in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The positive test was a result of recreational

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various t ...

use during the offseason. Geltz pitched his first full Major League season in 2015. On April 14, Geltz faced four

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

batters and got four outs for his first Major League win. On April 22 against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, Geltz picked up his first save in the Major Leagues. Geltz set a Rays franchise record later in the season by retiring 32 batters in a row. He lost the streak on June 24 by allowing an extra-inning single to

Ezequiel Carrera Ezequiel Manuel Carrera Reyes (born June 11, 1987) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, and Toronto Blue Jays. Profess ...

Milwaukee Brewers

Geltz was claimed off waivers by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

on November 28, 2016. He was outrighted to the minors on December 3 and elected to become a free agent the following day.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Geltz signed with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

in 2017 and was assigned to the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

to begin the season. In 23 games he was 2–2 with a 2.67 ERA.

Philadelphia Phillies

On January 2, 2018, Geltz signed a minor league deal with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. Before the 2018 season, he was suspended 100 games for his third positive test for a drug of abuse. Geltz was released by the organization on August 15, 2018.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geltz, Steven 1987 births Living people Los Angeles Angels players Tampa Bay Rays players Buffalo Bulls baseball players Orem Owlz players Arizona League Angels players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Arkansas Travelers players Salt Lake Bees players Durham Bulls players Mesa Solar Sox players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from New York (state) Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Oklahoma City Dodgers players