Dean William Anna (born November 24, 1986) is an American former 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 ...

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 ...

. He 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

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

and

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 ...

Career

Early career

Dean Anna was born on November 24, 1986, in

Glenwood, Illinois Glenwood is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,662 at the 2020 census. Geography Glenwood is located at (41.544943, -87.612052). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Glenwood has a total area of , ...

. He graduated from

Lincoln-Way East High School Lincoln-Way East High School or LWE, is a four-year public high school located approximately three miles south of Interstate 80 near the intersection of Colorado Avenue, U.S. Route 45 ( La Grange Road) and U.S. Route 30 (Lincoln Highway) in Fran ...

Frankfort, Illinois Frankfort is a village in Will County and Cook County in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a southern suburb of Chicago, and is approximately 28 miles (45 km) south of the city. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,296. Frankfo ...

. He attended

John A. Logan College John A. Logan College is a public community college in Carterville, Illinois. It is part of the Illinois Community College System. As of 2022, it had a total enrollment of 3,272 students. History John A. Logan College was established in 1967 ...

for two years and then transferred to

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of seven aca ...

to continue his

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, ...

career with the

Ball State Cardinals The Ball State Cardinals are the athletic teams that represent Ball State University, located in Muncie, Indiana. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. Charlie Cardinal is the team mascot. The Ball State Univer ...

San Diego Padres

After his junior year of college, the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

selected him in the 26th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. On June 15, 2008, Anna signed with his Padres and began his professional career with the

AZL Padres The Arizona Complex League Padres or ACL Padres are a Minor League Baseball team based in Peoria, Arizona. The Padres compete in the Arizona Complex League as a rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Peori ...

. In 43 appearances between the AZL Padres and the Low-A

Eugene Emeralds The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays ...

, Anna slashed .232/.341/.351 with 5 home runs and 24 RBI. The next year, Anna split the year between Eugene and the Single-A

Fort Wayne TinCaps The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Minor League Baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The TinCaps compete in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Parkview Field. The TinCaps won the ...

, posting a .280/.380/.440 slash line with 5 home runs and 31 RBI. In 2010, Anna returned to Fort Wayne and posted career-highs in both home runs (6) and RBI (32). He split the 2011 season between the High-A

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team based in Lake Elsinore, California. The Storm compete in the California League as the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond, w ...

and the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...

, batting .277/.391/.419 with 5 home runs and a career-high 41 RBI. In 2012, Anna spent the season in San Antonio, hitting .271/.377/.393 in 129 contests. In 2013, Anna spent the season with the Triple-A

Tucson Padres The Tucson Padres were a Minor League Baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, that competed in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). They were the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team moved to Tucson from Portland, Oregon, for the 2011 ...

, slashing .331/.410/.482 with 9 home runs and 73 RBI.

New York Yankees

On November 20, 2013, the Padres traded Anna to the

for Ben Paullus and New York added him to their 40-man roster. In spring training in 2014, Anna competed with

Eduardo Núñez Eduardo Michelle Núñez Méndez (born June 15, 1987) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and the New Y ...

Zelous Wheeler Zelous Lamar Wheeler (born January 16, 1987) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and right fielder. He previously played in NPB for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and Yomiuri Giants and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ...

, Yangervis Solarte, and

Scott Sizemore Scott Daniel Sizemore (born January 4, 1985) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) infielder who played for the Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, and New York Yankees from 2010 to 2014. Early life Sizemore was born in Virginia Beac ...

for a reserve infielder role with the Yankees. Anna ultimately won a spot on the Yankees'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster. Anna hit his first career home run on April 10, against

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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

pitcher

Clay Buchholz Clay Daniel Buchholz (born August 14, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays. Buchholz made ...

. On April 19, Anna pitched the eighth inning in a 16–1 loss to 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 ...

, giving up two runs on three hits. The next day, he drew a game-winning bases-loaded walk in the 12th inning against Rays' pitcher C. J. Riefenhauser. Anna was designated for assignment by the Yankees on July 3, 2014.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Anna was claimed off waivers by 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 ...

on July 5, 2014, and was assigned to the Triple-A

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 ...

. He was designated for assignment on August 3 when

Jayson Nix Jayson Truitt Edward Nix (born August 26, 1982) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yank ...

was signed by the Pirates. He was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis and finished the year with a .235/.398/.338 slash line with the team.

St. Louis Cardinals

Anna signed a major league contract with the

on November 11, 2014. Anna spent most of the 2015 season with the Cardinals Triple-A affiliate, the

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 ...

, but did appear in one at-bat for the Cardinals in an April 23 game against 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 ...

. In 125 games for Memphis, Anna slashed .272/.382/.355 with 3 home runs and 44 RBI. Anna returned to Memphis in 2016, slashing .266/.344/.341 with 2 home runs and 39 RBI in 106 games for the team. On September 4, 2016, Anna was designated for assignment by the Cardinals. He was released by the organization on September 7.

Kansas City Royals

Anna signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

organization on January 21, 2017. He was assigned 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 ...

, where he batted .285/.364/.376 with 5 home runs and 33 RBI in 114 games. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Philadelphia Phillies

On January 24, 2018, Anna signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

organization. On March 28, Anna was traded to the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

organization and was assigned to the Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

. In 122 games for Lehigh Valley, Anna posted a .271/.367/.341 slash line with one home run and 34 RBI. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.

Minnesota Twins

On December 11, 2018, Anna signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

organization. On February 18, 2019, Anna announced his retirement from professional baseball.

References

External links

Ball State Cardinals bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anna, Dean 1986 births Living people People from Mokena, Illinois Major League Baseball infielders New York Yankees players St. Louis Cardinals players Ball State Cardinals baseball players Arizona League Padres players Eugene Emeralds players Fort Wayne TinCaps players John A. Logan Volunteers baseball players Lake Elsinore Storm players San Antonio Missions players Tucson Padres players Estrellas Orientales players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Indianapolis Indians players Memphis Redbirds players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players Omaha Storm Chasers players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players 21st-century American sportsmen American expatriate baseball players in Mexico