Aaron James Whitefield (born September 2, 1996) is an Australian 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 ...

for the

Sioux Falls Canaries The Sioux Falls Canaries are a professional baseball team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. The Canaries are members of the North Division of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major ...

of the

American Association of 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 ...

. He has previously 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

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

and

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

Career

Whitefield began his career playing

fastpitch softball Fastpitch softball, or simply fastpitch, is a form of softball played by both women and men. While the teams are most often segregated by sex, coed fast-pitch leagues also exist. Considered the most competitive form of softball, fastpitch is the ...

. Whitefield won the bronze medal at the 2012 U-18 Men's Softball World Cup as a member of Australia's national softball team.

Minnesota Twins

After signing with the

in 2015, Whitefield was assigned to the Gulf Coast Twins of the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the low ...

. He played in only seven games for the Twins due to visa issues. After the season, he played for the

Brisbane Bandits The Brisbane Bandits are a professional baseball team in Brisbane, Queensland that plays in the Australian Baseball League and is one of the six founding teams of the league. From the 2010/11 season till the 2012/13 season their home ballpark ...

of the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it s ...

(ABL) for 2015–16 ABL season. In 2016, Whitefield returned to the Gulf Coast League and played in 51 games, posting a .298 batting average with two home runs, 17 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. After the season, he played for the Brisbane Bandits of the ABL for

2016–17 ABL season The 2016–17 ABL season was the seventh season of competition of the ASEAN Basketball League. The regular season started on 25 November 2016 and will end on 26 March 2017. Teams Venues Personnel Imports The following is the list of impor ...

and winning three consecutive championships with the club and the league MVP award. In 2017, Whitefield played for the

Cedar Rapids Kernels The Cedar Rapids Kernels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium (Cedar Rapids), Veter ...

of the Single–A

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 reorganizat ...

, where he batted .262 with 11 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases. After the season, he played for the Brisbane Bandits of the ABL for 2017–18 ABL season. Whitfield spent the 2018 season with the

Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at ...

of the High–A

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 following ...

. He hit .211 with two home runs, 25 stolen bases, and ten RBIs in 65 games. After the season, he joined to the Adelaide Bite of the ABL for the 2018–19 ABL season. After the 2019 season, he joined to the Adelaide Bite of the ABL for the 2019–20 ABL season. On June 29, Whitefield made the Twins 60-man summer camp roster for the 2020 season, ending up on the Opening Day roster. On July 25, he made his MLB debut in the ninth inning against the

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 ...

as a

pinch runner In baseball or softball, a pinch runner is a player substituted into a game for the purpose of base running. Description A pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been s ...

for Eddie Rosario. On August 10, Whitefield was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. Whitefield spent the 2021 season with Double-A

Wichita Wind Surge The Wichita Wind Surge are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Wichita, Kansas, and began play in 2021 at Equity Bank Park. The Wind Surge were supposed to be ...

, slashing .257/.327/.353 with 6 home runs and 58 RBI in 111 games. On November 7, 2021, he elected free agency.

Los Angeles Angels

On November 10, 2021, Whitefield signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On May 8, 2022, he was promoted to the Angels' main roster after playing for the Double-A

Rocket City Trash Pandas The Rocket City Trash Pandas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Madison, Alabama, and play their home games at Toyota Field. History In November 20 ...

of the Southern League, where he batted .301 with 5 home runs, 17 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases. Whitefield was designated for assignment on May 14, 2022. He cleared waivers 4 days later, and was outrighted to Double-A

. On October 14, Whitefield re–signed with the Angels organization on a minor league contract. Whitefield began the 2023 season back with Double–A Rocket City. In 37 games, he hit just .191/.280/.324 with 3 home runs, 13 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. On June 19, 2023, Whitefield was released by the Angels organization.

Kansas City Monarchs

On 27 June 2023, Whitefield signed with the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...

of the

. In 29 games, he batted .234/.317/.262 with no home runs, 5 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.

Sioux Falls Canaries

On August 20, 2023, Whitefield was traded to the

in exchange for cash and future considerations. In 12 games he hit .250/.346/.455 with 2 home runs, 9 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. On January 19, 2024, Whitefield re-signed with the Canaries. He did not appear in a game during the 2024 season.

International career

Whitefield has played for the Australian national baseball team in the

2017 World Baseball Classic Qualification The qualifying Round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, officially called the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers was held from February 11 to September 25, 2016. Teams which participated at the 2013 World Baseball Classic were automatically ...

in 2016,

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts wer ...

2019 WBSC Premier12, and

2023 World Baseball Classic The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball tournament and the fifth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. It began on March 8, 2023, and ran until March 21. It was originally scheduled to take place in ...

Personal life

Whitefield's father, John, played fastpitch softball for New Zealand's national team, and his mother, Nicole Molander, played softball in Queensland and for the Australian national team.

References

External links

, o
ABL
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitefield, Aaron 1996 births Living people Adelaide Bite players Australian expatriate baseball players in the United States Baseball players from Brisbane Brisbane Bandits players Cedar Rapids Kernels players Fort Myers Miracle players Gulf Coast Twins players Kansas City Monarchs (American Association) players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Australia Minnesota Twins players National baseball team players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Sioux Falls Canaries players Sportsmen from Queensland Wichita Wind Surge players 2017 World Baseball Classic players 2023 World Baseball Classic players 21st-century Australian sportsmen