Daniel Joseph Mengden (born February 19, 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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (English: Two Laredos Owls), formerly known as the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo (English: Nuevo Laredo Owls), are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The Tecolotes are a binational baseball team, spli ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. 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

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

and

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 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 ...

for the

Kia Tigers The Kia Tigers () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are members of the KBO League and are the most successful ...

, and in the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL) for the

CTBC Brothers The CTBC Brothers () or simply Brothers are a professional baseball team in Taiwan. The team was originally established as an amateur team in 1984 by the Brother Hotel located in Taipei City, and later joined the Chinese Professional Baseball Lea ...

College career

After graduating from Westside High School in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Mengden 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, ...

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

from 2012 to 2014. During his three years, he appeared in 54 games with 36 starts. He went 15–17 with a 3.21

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and 230

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 ...

Professional career

Houston Astros

Mengden was drafted by the

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 ...

in the fourth round, with the 106th overall selection, of the

2014 Major League Baseball draft The 2014 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June 6, and the last 30 round ...

. He made his professional debut with the rookie-level

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

and was later promoted to the Low-A

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats are a professional baseball team based in Albany, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was established in 2002, along with the ...

. In 2015, Mengden started the season with the Single-A

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, on ...

and was promoted to the High-A

Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League B ...

after recording a 1.16 ERA. In 10 games (8 starts) for Lancaster, he compiled a 2-1 record and 5.26 ERA with 48 strikeouts across innings pitched.

Oakland Athletics

On July 23, 2015, the Astros traded Mengden and Jacob Nottingham to the

in exchange for

Scott Kazmir Scott Edward Kazmir (; born January 24, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who participated in 15 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons between and , most notably with the Tampa Bay Rays. Kazmir was born and raised in the ...

In 2016, Mengden began the season with the Double-A

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, which ope ...

, but was promoted to the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

on May 1. With Nashville, he had a 3–1 record with a 1.39 ERA in seven starts. On June 11, 2016, he made his MLB debut, against the

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

. He won his first MLB game in the Battle of the Bay against the

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 ...

on June 27. Mengden would remain in the rotation for the remainder of the 2016 season, finishing with 14 starts for the A's. Mengden recorded 2 wins and 9 losses with 71 strikeouts in 72 innings. In 2017, Mengden spent the majority of the season in the minors, only making 7 starts for Oakland. In 2018, he was 7-6 with an ERA of 4.05 and 72 strikeouts in 22 games (17 starts). In 2019, Mengden did not replicate his success as he had done the previous season, going 5-2 with an ERA of 4.83 and 42 strikeouts in 13 games (9 starts). During the off-season, Mengden underwent two intestinal surgeries and an

arthroscopic Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the j ...

elbow surgery. On September 20, 2020, Mengden 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 ...

by the Athletics. On October 9, Mengden elected free agency. While playing for the A's he was noted for his

Rollie Fingers Roland Glen Fingers (born August 25, 1946) is an American former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between 1968 and 1985. His effectiveness helped to redefine the value of relievers within baseball an ...

style

handlebar mustache A handlebar moustache is a moustache with particularly lengthy and upwardly curved extremities. These moustache styles are named for their resemblance to the handlebars of a bicycle. It is also known as a spaghetti moustache, because of its ste ...

Kia Tigers

On December 25, 2020, Mengden signed a one-year, $725,000 guaranteed contract plus $275,000 possible performance incentives with the

of the

. He made 21 starts for the Tigers in 2021, posting an 8-3 record and 3.60 ERA with 104 strikeouts across 120 innings pitched. Mengden became a free agent following the season.

Kansas City Royals

On March 8, 2022, Mengden signed a minor league deal with the

. Mengden was selected to the 40-man roster on June 13 after Joel Payamps was placed on the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

injured list. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

on July 2. On September 1, Mengden was selected back to the major league roster to make a spot start 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 ...

. He went innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits with 2 strikeouts, taking the loss. Mengden was designated for assignment by the Royals the following day. He was again sent outright to Triple–A Omaha on September 4. He elected free agency on October 6. On March 29, 2023, Mengden re-signed with the Royals on a minor league deal. In 6 games (3 starts) for Omaha, Mengden struggled to a 7.36 ERA with 14 strikeouts across innings of work. He was released by the Royals organization on June 27.

Washington Nationals

On July 2, 2023, Mengden signed a minor league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

organization. In 22 games for the Triple–A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

, he recorded a 7.20 ERA with 30 strikeouts across 35 innings of work. Mengden elected free agency following the season on November 6.

CTBC Brothers

On January 17, 2024, Mengden signed with the

of the

. In 25 starts for the team, he compiled a 10–3 record and 2.86 ERA with 114 strikeouts across 154 innings pitched. With the Brothers, Mengden won the 2024

Taiwan Series The Taiwan Series () is the final championship series of the Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 a ...

. On January 23, 2025, Mengden re-signed with the Brothers. On March 5, Mengden was released by the Brothers due to failing an internal drug test.

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos

On March 11, 2025, Mengden signed with the

of the

. On June 26, Mengden signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

; however, the transaction never materialized, and Mengden was reactivated by the team on July 5.

Personal life

Daniel is the oldest son of Beth and Joe Mengden, and has four siblings: an older sister, Victoria; and younger siblings, Michael and Gabrielle. Mengden was home schooled through eighth grade, at which time his parents ultimately decided to place him in public high school in order to further his baseball career. Victoria is a highschool math teacher and his younger siblings are professional dancers; Michael with the Cincinnati Ballet and Gabrielle with Oklahoma City Ballet. Daniel married Danielle Bishop on November 7, 2020, in Houston, Texas.

References

External links

Texas A&M Aggies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mengden, Daniel 1993 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in South Korea American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Baseball players from Houston CTBC Brothers players Gulf Coast Astros players Kansas City Royals players KBO League pitchers Kia Tigers players Lancaster JetHawks players Las Vegas Aviators players Major League Baseball pitchers Midland RockHounds players Nashville Sounds players Oakland Athletics players Omaha Storm Chasers players Quad Cities River Bandits players Rochester Red Wings players Stockton Ports players Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players Tri-City ValleyCats players United States national baseball team players