Joshua Warren Vitters (born August 27, 1989) is an American former

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 professiona ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system u ...

. 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

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

in 2012.

Amateur career

Vitters was an AFLAC All-American Prep Third Baseman for

Cypress High School Cypress High School is a public high school in the city of Cypress, California. It was founded in 1973 and serves grades 9 through 12. Cypress is one of eight high schools in the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD). History Cypress was firs ...

Cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the l ...

, California. He was also named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for California in 2007. Vitters committed to attend

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

on a scholarship, to play for the

Arizona State Sun Devils baseball The Arizona State Sun Devils baseball program at the Arizona State University (ASU) is part of the Pac-12 Conference. Since it became a member of the Pac-12, it had the highest winning percentage, at .681, of all schools that participate in Divi ...

team.

Professional career

Chicago Cubs

The

drafted Vitters with the third overall selection of the

2007 Major League Baseball Draft The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players and was held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the fir ...

. He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona Cubs of the

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it ...

. Vitters split the 2008 season between the Low-A

Boise Hawks The Boise Hawks are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. Home games are played at Memorial Stadium in Garden City, Idaho, a small city surroun ...

and the Single-A

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Peo ...

, logging a .322/.357/.495 slash line with 5 home runs and 38 RBI in 65 games. Vitters was selected to appear in the 2009

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National Leag ...

. In mid-2009, the Cubs promoted Vitters from the

of the

Single-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for each ...

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganiza ...

to the

Daytona Cubs Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it. Daytona may also refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as ...

of the

High-A High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A followi ...

. He spent the 2010 season with Daytona and the

Tennessee Smokies The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off ...

of the Double-A Southern League. He returned to Tennessee for the 2011 and hit .283 with 14 home runs. The Cubs promoted Vitters and fellow prospect

Brett Jackson Brett Elliott Jackson (born August 2, 1988) is an American former professional baseball center fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks between 2012 and 2014. Jackson played college basebal ...

from the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The Cubs play their h ...

of the Triple-A

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

on August 5, 2012. He made his Major League debut later that day as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning against 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 ...

On August 7, 2012, Vitters pinch hit for pitcher

Jeff Beliveau Jeffrey Ryan Beliveau (born 17 January 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously pitched in MLB for the Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and Cleveland Indians. As an amateur, B ...

and collected his first MLB hit, a double against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

in the seventh inning, scoring both Steve Clevenger and Darwin Barney. His first major league home run was on August 20, 2012, in the fifth inning against Mark Rogers of 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 October 11, 2012, he was started playing in

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

with the

Leones del Caracas The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A. or better known by its commercial name as the ''Leones del Caracas'', is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. In its creation, its headquarters are the University Stadium of C ...

and appeared 2 games. Vitters split the 2013 season between Iowa and the AZL Cubs, slashing .267/.368/.475 in 33 games between the two teams. He spent the entire 2014 season in Iowa as well, batting .213/.268/.339 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI in 112 games. On October 29, 2014, Vitters was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. On November 4, he was granted free agency.

Bridgeport Bluefish

On March 15, 2016, Vitters signed with the

Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. In 80 games with Bridgeport, Vitters batted .226/.302/.343 with 5 home runs and 25 RBI.

Sioux City Explorers

On March 16, 2017, Vitters signed with the

Sioux City Explorers The Sioux City Explorers are a professional minor league baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are members American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Si ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. He was released on June 21, 2017 after posting a slash line of .185/.220/.254 in 50 games.

Québec Capitales

On April 12, 2018, Vitters signed with the Québec Capitales of the

Can-Am League The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization of ...

. He was released on June 24 after hitting .247/.326/.346 with 1 home run and 6 RBI in 25 games.

York Revolution

On March 10, 2020, Vitters signed with the

York Revolution The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseba ...

of the

. He did not play a game for the team because of the cancellation of the ALPB season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

and became a free agent after the year. On April 26, 2021, Vitters re-signed with the Revolution for the 2021 season. In 20 games with York, Vitters slashed .157/.254/.157 with no home runs and 5 RBI. On June 24, Vitters again announced his retirement from professional baseball.

Personal

Josh's brother, Christian, played minor league baseball.

References

External links

Rotoworld report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vitters, Josh 1989 births Living people Arizona League Cubs players Baseball first basemen Baseball outfielders Baseball players from Anaheim, California Boise Hawks players Bridgeport Bluefish players Chicago Cubs players Daytona Cubs players Iowa Cubs players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball third basemen Mesa Solar Sox players Peoria Chiefs players Québec Capitales players Sioux City Explorers players Tennessee Smokies players York Revolution players