Allen Lorenz "A. J." Pollock (born December 5, 1987) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. Pollock played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 26 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

. The Diamondbacks selected Pollock in the first round of the

2009 Major League Baseball draft The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The drafting order is as follows: First-round selections Key Supplemental first-round selections From Baseball Americ ...

. He made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2012. Pollock was an MLB All-Star and won a

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

in 2015.

Early life

A. J. Pollock was born in

Marlborough, Connecticut Marlborough is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the census-designated place (CDP) of Terramuggus, Connecticut, Terramuggus. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connectic ...

, to parents Al and Karen Pollock. His family lived an hour and forty minutes away from Foxboro, Massachusetts, and Pollock and his father would routinely make the trip to watch

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

' home games. Pollock attended RHAM High School in his hometown of Hebron, where he played basketball, soccer, and baseball. In his senior year, Pollock was a member of the

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized cocurricular student organizations in American high schools, with 1.4 million members. The purpose of the NHS is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to ...

. That year, he was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Connecticut, receiving the most votes for a Connecticut player since 1974, and was also named the state's Player of the Year by the coaches' association. Pollock finished his high school baseball career with a .411

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, 55

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs), 26 walks, 27

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s, and eight

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

over 248

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

College career

Pollock attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

, where he played

for the

as an

and

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 Baseball scorekeep ...

. Pollock was named a Freshman

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n, leading the team with a .372 batting average. In 2007 playing for the NECBL Vermont Mountaineers, he won the 10th Player Award. Pollock was rated by Baseball America before his sophomore season as the league's second-best 2009 MLB prospect and best pure hitter. During his sophomore season, Pollock hit .352 and led the team in hitting and stolen bases and was a First-Team All-

Big East Conference The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

as a

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

. After the 2008 season, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie All ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

, where he hit .377 and was named MVP of the league. In his junior season at Notre Dame, Pollock hit .365, had an

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...

of .443, and a

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...

of .610. Pollock also made no errors in 159 chances and stole 21 bases in 25 tries. Pollock became second player ever to lead the team in batting average for three consecutive years.

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks

The

selected Pollock in the first round of the

2009 MLB draft The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The drafting order is as follows: First-round selections Key Supplemental first-round selections From Baseball Americ ...

. He was chosen as a compensation pick from the

for the signing of Orlando Hudson. The Diamondbacks invited Pollock to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2010. He broke his right elbow while attempting to make a diving catch. Pollock missed the entire season due to the injury. In 2011 he played for the

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

. He batted .307/.358/.444 in 550 at bats with 103 runs (leading the Southern League), 41 doubles (3rd), 36 steals (3rd), and 9 sacrifice flies (3rd). Pollock was called up to the majors for the first time on April 18, 2012, and made his debut that day. Batting as a pinch hitter for

Justin Upton Justin Irvin Upton (born August 25, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Nicknamed "J-Up", he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Los Angel ...

, Pollock collected his first career MLB hit, a single, on April 23 against the Phillies. He played in 31 games that season for the Diamondbacks, batting .247/.315/.395 in 81 at bats with two home runs and eight RBIs. In 2013, Pollock batted .269/.322/.409 with eight home runs, 38 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts in the course of 443 at bats over 137 games. Pollock missed the second half of the 2014 season with an injury. Up to that point in the season, he was batting .302.353/.498 with 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts in 265 at bats. In 2015, he was named a

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

. He ended the season batting .315(3rd in the NL)/.367/.498 in 609 at bats with 22 runs (2nd in the NL), 39 doubles (3rd), 6 triples (6th), 20 home runs, 76 RBIs, 39 stolen bases (3rd), an 84.78% stolen base success rate (6th), and 8 sacrifice flies (2nd), playing 151 games in center field. He led the National League in power-speed number (26.4). He came in 14th in voting for NL MVP. He also won a Gold Glove. Pollock signed to a two-year contract extension worth $10.25 million on February 8, 2016. Pollock broke his right elbow again at the end of spring training, this time on a slide at home plate, and missed most of the 2016 season. In the 12 games he would appear in during the 2016 season, Pollock would record 10 hits on 41 at bats, a .244 batting average, playing center field. On May 15, 2017, Pollock was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a right groin strain. Over the course of 112 games in 2017, Pollock batted .266/.330/.471 in 413 at bats, with 6 triples (9th in the NL), 14 home runs, and 49 RBIs, playing center field. In 2018, Pollock hit .257/.316/.484 in 413 at bats with 21 home runs, 65 RBIs and 7 sacrifice flies (9th in the NL) over 113 games, playing center field. He was also 13 for 15 in stolen base attempts.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On January 26, 2019, the

announced that they had signed Pollock to a four-year contract, with a player option for another year. On April 30, 2019, the Dodgers placed Pollock on the injured list with a right elbow inflammation. He did not rejoin the team until July 12. In September, the Dodgers moved Pollock to left field for the rest of the season. For the season he appeared in 86 games, batting .266/.327/.468, with 15 homers and 47 RBIs. The 2020 season was shortened because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, but Pollock played in 55 of the Dodgers' 60 games. On September 16, Pollock hit his 100th career home run, off of Adrián Morejón of 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

. He batted .276/.314 (a career low)/.566 (a career high) with 16 home runs (3rd in the NL), 12.3 at bats per home run (5th), and 34 RBIs. In the postseason, Pollock had one hit (a double) in five at-bats in the

Wild Card Series The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. A single wild card game was instituted in 2012. This became a best ...

, three hits in 10 at-bats in the 2020 NLDS, four hits in 20 at bats in the 2020 NLCS and one hit (a double) in six at bats in the

2020 World Series The 2020 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 2020 season. The 116th World Series was a best-of-seven-playoff between the American League (AL) champion Tampa Bay Rays and the National League (NL) champion Los An ...

, which the Dodgers won in six games. On May 2, 2021, against the

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

, Pollock hit two home runs (including a grand slam) and drove in a career high eight RBI. Pollock received player of the week for July 5–11, 2021, during the week he had a four-game hitting streak while batting .391/.462/1.043 with three doubles, four home runs and four RBIs. For the 2021 season Pollock batted .297/.356/.537 in 384 at bats with 27 doubles, 21 home runs, 69 RBIs, and 9 steals (while being caught once), while playing 103 games in left field and eight games in center field. In the post-season, he was hitless in three at-bats in the

Wild Card Game The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. A single wild card game was instituted in 2012. This became a best ...

, had three hits in 11 at bats (.273) over four games in the 2021 NLDS and eight hits in 21 at-bats (.381) with two home runs in the 2021 NLCS.

Chicago White Sox

On April 1, 2022, Pollock was traded to the

in exchange for Craig Kimbrel. Overall in 2022, Pollock appeared in 138 games hitting to a .245 average with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs. On November 8, Pollock declined his option for the 2023 season and became a free agent.

Seattle Mariners

On January 12, 2023, Pollock signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the

. Prior to the trade, Pollock appeared in 49 games for Seattle, batting .173/.225/.323 (all career lows), with 5 homers and 15 RBIs.

San Francisco Giants

On July 31, 2023, Pollock and Mark Mathias were traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations or a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

. Pollock went hitless in five games for the Giants before he was released by the team on September 5.

International career

Pollock played for the

United States national baseball team The United States national baseball team, also known as Team USA, represents the United States in international level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The United S ...

at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Guadalajara 2011, were an international multi-sport event held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby c ...

Coaching career

On March 8, 2024, it was announced that Pollock had joined the

during spring training as a volunteer assistant coach.

Personal life

Pollock became engaged to his girlfriend, Kate, in March 2014. They met at Notre Dame, where Kate played for the

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

team. They were married after the 2014 season. In May 2020, Pollock and his wife welcomed a daughter at only 24 weeks of gestation, and she spent 128 days in the hospital after her birth. The family resides in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, A. J. 1987 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Hartford County, Connecticut Chicago White Sox players Falmouth Commodores players Gold Glove Award winners Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball left fielders Baseball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in baseball Mobile BayBears players National League All-Stars Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball players People from Hebron, Connecticut Sportspeople from Tolland County, Connecticut Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Reno Aces players Sacramento River Cats players San Francisco Giants players Scottsdale Scorpions players Seattle Mariners players South Bend Silver Hawks players United States national baseball team players Vermont Mountaineers players People from Marlborough, Connecticut