Austin James Dean (born October 14, 1993) is an American 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 ...

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

for the

LG Twins The LG Twins () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. They are a member of the KBO League. The Twins play their home games at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which they share with their rivals, the Doosan Bears. ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

. He was drafted by the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

in the fourth round of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

. He made his

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) debut in 2018 with the Marlins and has also played for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

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 ...

Career

Amateur career

Dean was born in

Spring, Texas Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston in Harris County, Texas, Harris County, Texas, United States, part of the metropolitan area. The population was 62,559 at the 2020 United States cens ...

. In his senior year at Klein Collins High School in Spring, Dean hit .379 with 10

double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...

s, 12

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s, and 44 RBI, and was a second-team All American selection, while playing

third base 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 us ...

Miami Marlins

The

selected Dean in the fourth round of the

out of high school. He signed for $367,200, forgoing his commitment to play

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, ...

at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

. The Marlins converted him from an

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

to an

. Dean made his professional debut in 2012 with the rookie-level

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

, batting .223/.337/.338 with two home runs and 15 RBI in 148

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, ...

s over 47 games. In 2013, he played for the Low–A

Batavia Muckdogs The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city o ...

and the Single–A

Greensboro Grasshoppers The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National B ...

, batted a combined .262/.327/.416 with three home runs and 22 RBI in 233 at–bats over 63 total games. In 2014, he returned to Greensboro, slashing .308/.371/.444 with nine home runs and 58 RBI in 403 at–bats over 99 games. His 24.7%

line drive In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...

percentage was third-best in the league. During the season he injured his right hand during a slide, later suffered a

nasal fracture A nasal fracture, commonly referred to as a broken nose, is a fracture of one of the bones of the nose. Symptoms may include bleeding, swelling, bruising, and an inability to breathe through the nose. They may be complicated by other facial fra ...

when he was hit by a pitch, and later again hit the injured list, this time with a groin strain. He spent 2015 with the High–A

Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean ...

where he batted .268/.318/.366 with 67 runs (4th in the

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 ...

), a career-high 32 doubles (2nd), five home runs, 52 RBI, 10 sacrifice flies (leading the league), and a career-high 18

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 (though he was caught stealing 10 times) in 515 at–bats over 136 games. In the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

, playing for Mesa he batted .323/.364/.452 with one home run and seven RBI in 62 at–bats. He was an AFL Rising Star in 2015. Dean spent 2016 with the Double–A

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in th ...

where he compiled a .238/.307/.375 slash line with 11 home runs and 67 RBI in 480 at–bats over 130 games. He was a Southern mid-season All-Star and an MILB.com Organization All-Star in 2016. Dean spent 2017 back with Jacksonville where he batted .282/.323/.427 with four home runs and 30 RBI in 234 at–bats over 61 games. He broke his right hand in an outfield collision and missed almost three months of the season. Dean made his Major League debut on August 15, 2018, against 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

, going 0–for–3. In his first Major League season, Dean hit .221/.279/.363 with 16 runs scored, four home runs, and 14 RBI in 113 at–bats over 34 games in left field. In 2018 in the minors for Jacksonville and Triple–A New Orleans he batted .345/.410/.511 with 71 runs, 12 homes runs, and 68 RBI in 397 at–bats over 109 games. He was an MILB.com Organization All-Star in 2018. In 2019 with Miami, Dean batted .225/.261/.404 with six home runs and 21 RBI in 178 at–bats. That season with New Orleans he batted .337/.401/.635 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI in 252 at–bats over 73 games; he also was 1–for–3 for the GCL Marlins.

St. Louis Cardinals

On January 14, 2020, Dean was traded to the

in exchange for Diowill Burgos. He appeared in only three games during the season, going one-for-four with three walks, while missing time due to injury. During the season he was put on the injured list with a right elbow strain. In 2021 with the St. Louis Cardinals he batted .233/.342/.400 with one home run and 7 RBI in 30 at–bats in 22 games. In the minors, with the Triple–A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbird ...

and Single–A

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

, he batted .246/.368/.456 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 87 at–bats over 18 games. During the season he suffered a fractured left wrist. Through 2021, in the major leagues, he had played 83 games in

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering syst ...

, 9 in

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In t ...

, and 6 at

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. In the minors he had played 491 games in left field, 142 in right field, 26 at first base, and 14 in center field.

San Francisco Giants

On November 5, 2021, Dean was claimed off waivers by the

. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

on March 20, 2022, to create room for the newly signed Matthew Boyd, and was later sent outright to the Triple–A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

on March 27. With the Sacramento, he slashed .268/.345/.467 in 392 at–bats, with 68 runs, 5 triples (10th in the

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 (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

), 17 home runs, 55 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts. He played 59 games in right field, 27 in left field, 16 at DH, 8 in center field, and 6 at first base. On September 9, Dean had his contract selected to the active roster. In 3 games for the Giants, he went 3–for–8 with a walk. On November 9, Dean was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Sacramento.

LG Twins

On December 22, 2022, Dean signed with the

of the

. Dean was named a KBO All-Star in 2023. In 139 games for the Twins, he batted .314/.376/.517 with 23 home runs, 95 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. On November 16, 2023, Dean re–signed with the Twins on a one–year, $1.3 million contract. In 140 games for the Twins in 2024, he slashed .319/.384/.573 with 32 home runs, 132 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. On November 28, 2024, Dean re–signed with the team on a $1.7 million contract.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Austin 1993 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Baseball players from Harris County, Texas Batavia Muckdogs players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Gulf Coast Marlins players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Jacksonville Suns players Jupiter Hammerheads players KBO League first basemen LG Twins players Major League Baseball outfielders Memphis Redbirds players Mesa Solar Sox players Miami Marlins players New Orleans Baby Cakes players Palm Beach Cardinals players Sacramento River Cats players San Francisco Giants players Sportspeople from Spring, Texas St. Louis Cardinals players