Delino Diaab DeShields (born August 16, 1992) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

center fielder who is a free agent. 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 (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Texas Rangers from 2015 through 2019, the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

in 2020, and the Cincinnati Reds in 2021. He signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves on April 8, 2022. He is the son of former MLB player

Delino DeShields Delino Lamont DeShields (born January 15, 1969), also nicknamed "Bop", is an American former professional baseball second baseman and current first base coach for the Cincinnati Reds. He played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ...

and the brother of basketball player

Diamond DeShields Diamond Danae-Aziza DeShields (born March 5, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the third overall pick in the 201 ...

Early life

DeShields, the eldest of his father's five children, was raised in the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

area. He went to

Woodward Academy Woodward Academy (also known as Woodward or WA) is an independent, co-educational college-preparatory school for pre-kindergarten to 12th grade on two campuses located in College Park and Johns Creek, Georgia, United States, within the Atlanta ...

, where he played both baseball and football. In his senior year at Woodward, he hit 9 home runs and batted .415, while stealing 29 bases. He was recruited by the Georgia Bulldogs and

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893. Originally known as th ...

for football before deciding to pursue baseball instead. He was also recruited by the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associat ...

for baseball, but they only committed a half-scholarship to him due to his desire to play professionally.

Professional career

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros selected DeShields in the first round, with the eighth overall selection, of the 2010 MLB draft. The Astros signed DeShields for a $2.15 million signing bonus. Astros general manager

Ed Wade Ed Wade (born January 31, 1956) is an American former professional baseball executive, who served as general manager of the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Early career in baseball After graduating fro ...

stated his intention to send DeShields to the rookie-level

Greeneville Astros The Greeneville Astros were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League from 2004 to 2017. They represented the town of Greeneville, Tennessee, though Pioneer Park, their home stadium, was located in nearby T ...

of the Appalachian League once he was signed, with a transition to second baseman during the winter. In 2010, DeShields played 16 games for Greeneville and two for the

GCL Astros The Florida Complex League Astros are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Astros. The team plays ...

. He also played for the

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends ha ...

of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

, the

Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League ...

of the California League, and the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by ...

of the Double-A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. On April 18, 2014, DeShields was hit in the face by a pitch. He suffered a non-displaced

maxillary sinus The pyramid-shaped maxillary sinus (or antrum of Highmore) is the largest of the paranasal sinuses, and drains into the middle meatus of the nose through the osteomeatal complex.Human Anatomy, Jacobs, Elsevier, 2008, page 209-210 Structure It i ...

fracture.

Texas Rangers

Delino Deshields Jr Corpus Christi Hooks sliding July 2014

At the 2014

Winter Meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...

, the Texas Rangers selected DeShields from the Astros in the Rule 5 draft. DeShields made the Rangers' Opening Day roster. He recorded his first major league hit in the 8th inning on an infield single against

Dan Otero Daniel Anthony Otero (born February 19, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, and Cleveland Indians. Amateur career Otero went to Rans ...

of the Oakland Athletics on April 8. On June 3, 2015, DeShields was named

American League Rookie of the Month Major League Baseball (MLB) honors its best rookies with a Rookie of the Month Award for one player in the American League (AL) and one in the National League (NL) during each month of the regular season. These awards have been issued since 2001, ...

for May after batting .296 for the month and scoring 22 runs. On August 14, he hit his first Major League home run against Tampa Bay. After the 2015 season, DeShields changed his

uniform number In team sports, the number, often referred to as the uniform number, squad number, jersey number, shirt number, sweater number, or similar (with such naming differences varying by sport and region) is the number worn on a player's uniform, to ...

from 7 to 3. After the completion of the 2015 season, DeShields finished in 7th place in the

American League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

voting, with one third place vote. He was voted as the Texas Rangers' Rookie of the Year by fellow players and coaches. DeShields began the 2016 season as the Rangers' starting center fielder, but eventually lost his job to

Ian Desmond Ian Morgan Desmond (born September 20, 1985) is an American former professional baseball infielder and outfielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies. Desmond is a ...

for inconsistency and was demoted to the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

. DeShields finished the season with a .209 batting average, four home runs and 13 RBI with eight stolen bases in 74 games. Deshields made the 2017 Opening Day roster. On April 21, 2017, he hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 13th inning in a game against the Kansas City Royals. On March 31, 2018, DeShields experienced pain in his left hand after swinging. He was diagnosed with a broken

hamate bone The hamate bone (from Latin hamatus, "hooked"), or unciform bone (from Latin ''uncus'', "hook"), Latin os hamatum and occasionally abbreviated as just hamatum, is a bone in the human wrist readily distinguishable by its wedge shape and a hook-l ...

in the left hand, ruling him out for four to six weeks. DeShields ended the season with a .216 batting average with two home runs and 20 stolen bases. In 2019, he hit .249/.325/.347/.672 with four home runs, 32 RBI, and 24 stolen bases.

Cleveland Indians

On December 15, 2019, the Rangers traded DeShields and

Emmanuel Clase Emmanuel Clase (; born March 18, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He signed with the San Diego Padres as an international free agent in 2015. He made his MLB debut in ...

to the

in exchange for

Corey Kluber Corey Scott Kluber (born April 10, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. He made his M ...

and cash considerations. Overall with the 2020 Cleveland Indians, DeShields batted .252 with no home runs and 7 RBI in 37 games. On December 2, 2020, the Indians declined to tender DeShields a contract for the 2021 season, making him a free agent.

Texas Rangers (second stint)

On February 1, 2021, DeShields signed a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers organization and was invited to spring training. He was not added to the 40-man roster, and was assigned to the Triple-A Round Rock Express. DeShields played in 66 games for Round Rock, hitting .263 with 5 home runs and 18 RBI's, while also stealing 16 bases.

Boston Red Sox

On August 5, 2021, DeShields was traded to 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 eigh ...

in exchange for cash considerations. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Worcester Red Sox The Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional minor league baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Beginning play in 2021, the team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, succeeding the Pawtucket Red Sox. The ...

. DeShields played in 18 games for Triple-A Worcester, hitting .210 with one home run and four RBI.

Cincinnati Reds

On August 31, 2021, DeShields was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for cash considerations. He was assigned to the Triple-A Louisville Bats. The following day, the Reds selected DeShields' contract. DeShields played in 25 games for the Reds, hitting .255 with one home run and six RBI. On October 11, DeShields rejected his outright assignment and elected free agency.

Miami Marlins

On March 18, 2022, DeShields signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins. DeShields collected one hit in eight plate appearances during Spring Training before he was released by the Marlins organization on April 3.

Atlanta Braves

On April 8, 2022, DeShields signed a minor league contract with the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

.He elected free agency after the 2022 season.

Awards

For the 2018 season, DeShields received the Texas Rangers' Harold McKinney Good Guy Award as voted by the Dallas–Fort Worth

Baseball Writers' Association of America The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) is a professional association for journalists writing about Major League Baseball for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying websites. The organization was founded in 1908, and is known ...

(BBWAA) chapter.

Personal life

DeShields is the son of former MLB player

. His sister,

, is a professional basketball player in the WNBA. In addition to Diamond, DeShields has a brother, another sister and a paternal half-sister. DeShields was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, possession of alcohol by a minor and a traffic violation in Georgia on January 16, 2011. He was released on $2,500 bail and charged with the three misdemeanors.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:DeShields, Delino Jr. 1992 births Living people African-American baseball players Sportspeople from College Park, Georgia Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Major League Baseball center fielders Texas Rangers players Cleveland Indians players Cincinnati Reds players Greeneville Astros players Gulf Coast Astros players Lexington Legends players Lancaster JetHawks players Peoria Javelinas players Corpus Christi Hooks players Round Rock Express players Nashville Sounds players Worcester Red Sox players Woodward Academy alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople