Daniel Robert Schlereth (born May 9, 1986) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("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, who attempts to e ...

who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. ...

and

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 of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He is currently the manager for the

Joliet Slammers The Joliet Slammers are a professional baseball team based in Joliet, Illinois, that play in the independent Frontier League. They play their home games at Duly Health and Care Field. They replaced the Joliet JackHammers of the Northern League a ...

of the

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

Early years

Schlereth was born in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring ...

, before moving to

Highlands Ranch, Colorado Highlands Ranch is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The p ...

. He is a graduate of

Highlands Ranch High School Highlands Ranch High School, commonly referred to as Ranch or HRHS, is a public high school in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. It is part of the Douglas County School District. History Highlands Ranch opened in 1987 as the third high school in the d ...

. During his senior year, he struck out a school record 19 batters in a single game. He was named to the top 50 All-Star game players his senior year. He also played

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for the football team and broke the school rushing record in a single season by a QB and had the longest run from scrimmage in school history, 96 yards. He was named Colorado Gatorade Offensive Player of the Year his senior season.

College career

Schlereth attended

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the ...

for one season as a member of the baseball team, but did not appear in any games. He then transferred to the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. ...

, where he pitched for three seasons. During his time at Arizona, he pitched alongside former Detroit Tigers teammate Ryan Perry.

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks

Schlereth was drafted by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

in the 8th round of the

2007 Major League Baseball Draft The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players and was held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the fir ...

, but did not sign. He then was drafted by the

26th overall in the

2008 Major League Baseball Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

. He made his major league debut in a relief appearance 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 (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...

on May 29, 2009, throwing a perfect inning.

Detroit Tigers

On December 9, 2009 Schlereth and

Max Scherzer Maxwell Martin Scherzer (born July 27, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and ...

were traded to the

as part of a three-team trade that brought

Ian Kennedy Ian Patrick Kennedy (born December 19, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, ...

and Edwin Jackson to the Diamondbacks. Schlereth spent the first half of the 2010 season with the

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 Mud Hens team has played ...

, posting a 2.83 ERA and 45 strikeouts. He was called up by the Tigers on July 2, 2010 to replace Fu-Te Ni on the roster, who was sent down two days earlier. On August 15, 2011, Schlereth gave up

Jim Thome James Howard Thome (; born August 27, 1970) is an American former professional baseball corner infielder and designated hitter, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 22 seasons (1991–2012). He played for six different teams during t ...

's 600th home run against the Twins at Comerica Park. On November 30, 2012, the Tigers non-tendered Schlereth's contract, making him a free agent. He was then traded back to the Detroit Tigers from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash, on June 24, 2014 and was assigned to the Detroit Tigers Triple a team, The Toledo Mud Hens.

Baltimore Orioles

On December 19, 2012, Schlereth was signed to minor league deal with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

with an invitation to spring training.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Schlereth signed a minor league deal with 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 (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

on December 18, 2013.

Return to Detroit

On June 24, 2014, the Tigers reacquired Schlereth from Pittsburgh in exchange for cash considerations, and was assigned to the Detroit Tigers' Triple-A affiliate, the

. He posted a 4.50 ERA in 17 games with the Mud Hens. On January 14, 2015, the Tigers signed Schlereth to a minor league contract.

Toronto Blue Jays

On January 18, 2016, Schlereth signed a minor league contract with the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. He was released on June 30.

St. Louis Cardinals

On December 12, 2016, Schlereth signed a minor league contract with 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 (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...

that included an invitation to spring training. He was released on March 27, 2017.

Miami Marlins

On April 9, 2017, Schlereth signed a minor league deal with 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 (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fra ...

. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Long Island Ducks

On May 6, 2018, Schlereth signed with the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor-league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "part ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

Seattle Mariners

On June 2, 2018, Schlereth's contract was purchased by the

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

. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.

Boston Red Sox

On January 14, 2019, Schlereth signed a minor league deal with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

. He was released on March 21, 2019.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On May 31, 2019, Schlereth signed with the

Sugar Land Skeeters 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 metr ...

of the

. He became a free agent following the season.

Coaching career

On February 21, 2022, Schlereth was named manager for the

of the

Personal life

Schlereth's father,

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * F ...

, was a professional football player who spent twelve seasons in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...

with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

, and was a starting guard on three Super Bowl championship teams. The elder Schlereth was born and raised in Anchorage and played college football at

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and W ...

; he is currently an NFL analyst on

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

, and co-host of the morning edition of Denver's sports radio show, 104.3 The Fan. Schlereth was married on November 14, 2010, to his longtime girlfriend, Breanne Workman, a collegiate gymnast at Arizona. They have two daughters.

Repertoire

Schlereth predominantly is a two-pitch pitcher. He features a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curv ...

in the high 70s and a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have t ...

in the low 90s.

References

External links

UNLV Rebels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlereth, Daniel 1986 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona Wildcats baseball players Arkansas Travelers players Baseball players from Alaska Detroit Tigers players Indianapolis Indians players Iowa Cubs players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Jupiter Hammerheads players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball pitchers Missoula Osprey players Mobile BayBears players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players New Orleans Baby Cakes players Norfolk Tides players People from Highlands Ranch, Colorado Reno Aces players South Bend Silver Hawks players Sportspeople from Anchorage, Alaska Sugar Land Skeeters players Tacoma Rainiers players Toledo Mud Hens players UNLV Rebels baseball players