Bligh John Madris (born February 29, 1996) is an American-Palauan 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 ...

in the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

organization. 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

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

and

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

Amateur career

Madris attended Foothill High School in

Henderson, Nevada Henderson is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, about southeast of downtown Las Vegas. It is the List of cities in Nevada, 2nd most populous city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with 317,610 residents. The city is part of the Las Vegas V ...

, and 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, ...

Colorado Mesa University Colorado Mesa University (CMU or Mesa) is a public university in Grand Junction, Colorado, United States. Originally established in 1925 as Grand Junction Junior College, the school was renamed to Mesa College in 1940. The college began offerin ...

. He was selected by the

in the ninth round of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Madris made his professional debut with the

West Virginia Black Bears The West Virginia Black Bears are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Granville, West Virginia, and play their home games at Kendrick Family Ballpark, which is across the Monongahela River from Morga ...

, batting .270 with five home runs and 31 RBIs over 56 games. He spent the 2018 season with the

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...

with whom he hit .238 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs over 103 games, and he spent 2019 with the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...

, batting .260 with eight home runs and 55 RBIs over 132 games. After not playing a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the season, he returned to Altoona to begin the 2021 season before being promoted to the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

in May. Over 114 games, he slashed .267/.353/.417 with nine home runs and 56 RBIs and was named Rookie of the Year by the Indians. After the season, he played in the

Puerto Rico Baseball League Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Oriental Mi ...

for the Gigantes de Carolina. He returned to the Indians to open the 2022 season. On June 19, 2022, the Pirates announced that Madris would have his contract selected and that he would be promoted to the major leagues the next day. He made his MLB debut the next day as the starting right fielder at

PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore (Pittsburgh), North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth location to serve as the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. Opened during the 2001 Major League Baseb ...

versus the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

and recorded his first major league hit, a two-RBI single, in his first at-bat versus Caleb Kilian. Madris became the first Pirates rookie since Jason Kendall in 1996 to record three hits in his major league debut. As the Pirates continued their series against the Cubs on June 21, Madris hit his first major league home run while facing Mark Leiter Jr. On September 13, Madris was designated for assignment.

Tampa Bay Rays

On September 16, 2022, Madris was claimed by the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

. He played in 10 games for the Triple–A

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

to close out the year, and hit .317/.370/.683 with 4 home runs and 15 RBI. On November 15, he was designated for assignment. On November 18, 2022, Madris was claimed off waivers by the

. On December 21, he was designated for assignment following the waiver claim of Mario Feliciano.

Houston Astros

On January 3, 2023, Madris was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. Madris was optioned to the Triple-A

Sugar Land Space Cowboys The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metro ...

to begin the 2023 season. On March 30, Madris was designated for assignment, after Corey Julks and César Salazar were added to the roster. On April 3, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to Sugar Land. In 60 games for Sugar Land, Madris hit .249/.363/.446 with 10 home runs, 36 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. On June 23, the Astros selected Madris' contract, adding him to the active roster. In 12 games for Houston, he went 4–for–26 (.154) with 4 walks. On August 8, Madris was designated for assignment following the promotion of Jon Singleton. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Sugar Land on August 10. Madris elected free agency on October 11.

Detroit Tigers (second stint)

On November 13, 2023, Madris signed a minor league contract with the

. In 80 games for the Triple–A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

, he batted .236/.339/.464 with 14 home runs, 46 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. The Tigers purchased Madris' contract on July 21, 2024, and added him to the active roster. He hit his first home run as a Tiger on August 3, against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. In 21 games for Detroit, he slashed .269/.324/.358 with one home run and five RBI. On November 4, Madris was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Toledo. He elected free agency the same day. On November 8, Madris re-signed with the Tigers on a minor league contract.

Personal life

Madris is of Palauan descent. Upon making his MLB debut, he became the first Palauan to play in the major leagues.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madris, Bligh 1996 births Living people Altoona Curve players American people of Palauan descent Baseball players from Las Vegas Bradenton Marauders players Brisbane Bandits players Colorado Mesa Mavericks baseball players Detroit Tigers players Durham Bulls players Gigantes de Carolina (baseball) players Houston Astros players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball outfielders Pittsburgh Pirates players Sugar Land Space Cowboys players Toledo Mud Hens players West Virginia Black Bears players