Donald Thomas Lutz III (born February 6, 1989) is an American-

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

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 ...

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 ...

leftfielder 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 system ...

. 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

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 ...

. Lutz signed with the Reds as a non-drafted amateur free agent in 2007. Despite starting his baseball career in his teenage years, and in Germany, Lutz first visited Cincinnati's spring training camp, reached Double–A and was placed on the

Reds Reds may refer to: General * Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism * ''Reds'' (film), a 1981 American film starring and directed by Warren Beatty * Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists duri ...

' 40-man roster in 2012. Lutz was the first German-developed player to play in the modern Major Leagues. He played for Team Germany in the

2019 European Baseball Championship The 2019 European Baseball Championship was an international baseball tournament organized by the Confederation of European Baseball. The 2019 Championship was held September 7–15, 2019, in Bonn and Solingen, Germany. The tournament contribu ...

, in which they came in 6th.

Playing career

Lutz was still a baby when his family moved to Germany. He had his first experience with the sport at 14, when his older brother (, who became a baseball player in the German leagues) took him to a training session of the Friedberg Braves, a team located in

Friedberg (Hessen) Friedberg (; official name: ''Friedberg (Hessen)'') is a town and the capital of the Wetteraukreis district, in Hesse, Germany. In 1966, the town hosted the sixth ''Hessentag'' state festival, in 1979 the 19th. Geographical location Friedberg is l ...

. Since then, Lutz has rapidly increased his skills, especially his powerful hitting that made him so successful. After two years with the local team, he went to the Bad Homburg Hornets and played there for two seasons before he went to a baseball boarding school in Regensburg for one more season.

Cincinnati Reds

Within another few years, he became a member of the

Germany national baseball team The Germany national baseball team is the national baseball team for Germany. They are a contender for the European Baseball Championship, and have competed in the Baseball World Cup. Jendrick Speer is the manager, since March 2023. Results and f ...

and traveled to Europe-wide training camps, which finally led to his signing with the

on July 15, 2007. Lutz played his first two seasons for the former

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the low ...

affiliate of the Reds. In those seasons he played 50 games and achieved a .250 BA with one home run and 19 RBI in the first season, while only scoring a .169 BA, 10 RBI and no home runs the following year. In his third season Lutz remained in the Rookie level but was transferred to the

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Deh ...

from the Pioneer League, where he had a .286 BA as well as 7 home runs and 28 RBI. After an impressive 2011 season for the single-A

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark. In 2011, they broke the record for most ...

with a .301 BA and 20 home runs and the team's first

cycle Cycle, cycles, or cyclic may refer to: Anthropology and social sciences * Cyclic history, a theory of history * Cyclical theory, a theory of American political history associated with Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. * Social cycle, various cycles in ...

, Lutz was promoted to the Reds'

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

in 2012 and participated in 15 Spring training games. Only a few days before

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 ...

, he was dropped from the active roster and sent to the High–A

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the California League at the Class A-Advanced level, hosting home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facing ...

. Through mid-July, Lutz made 63 appearances and logged 17 home runs and 51 RBI. After being promoted to Double–A

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home ga ...

Lutz continued with nearly the same statistics. Although playing in the Arizona Fall League and a second spring training with the Reds, Lutz started the 2013 season in Pensacola but remained on the 40-man roster. The Reds promoted Lutz to the major leagues for the first time on April 29, 2013. On May 5, against Shawn Camp of 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 ...

, Lutz got his first MLB hit when he lined a ball into center field. Lutz also went on to score that inning, and registered an RBI and stolen base later in the same game. Lutz hit his first career home run on May 12, a three-run homer off Brewers pitcher

Wily Peralta Wily Peralta (born May 8, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Dorados de Chihuahua of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, and Detroit Ti ...

. He was sent back down to Pensacola on June 25. In 34 games during his rookie campaign, Lutz batted .241/.254/.310 with one home run, eight RBI, and two stolen bases. On April 21, 2014, he hit for the first cycle in Blue Wahoos franchise history in a 17–1 win against the

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

. In 28 games for the Reds in 2014, Lutz hit .176/.222/.255 with one RBI. On May 1, 2015, it was announced Lutz would undergo

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

and would be out for the season. He was released on June 3. On January 12, 2016, Lutz re–signed with the Reds organization on a minor league contract. He played in 66 games split between Pensacola and the Triple–A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

, hitting a combined .199/.252/.261 with two home runs and 18 RBI. Lutz elected free agency following the season on November 7.

Bravos de León

On March 30, 2017, Lutz signed with the

Bravos de León The Bravos de León (English: León Braves) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. History Cachorros de León (1979–80) Mexican League baseball in León began in 1979 when the Alijadore ...

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 ...

. In 10 games with León, he batted .290/.378/.316 with five RBI and two stolen bases. Lutz was released by the Bravos on April 12. On May 4, 2017, Lutz signed with the

Kansas City T-Bones The Kansas City Monarchs are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Kansas. Formerly known as the Kansas City T-Bones, they are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball; which, in 2020, became designated as a Majo ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. He was released without making an appearance for the team on May 17.

Brisbane Bandits

Lutz commenced his comeback from injury with the

Brisbane Bandits The Brisbane Bandits are a professional baseball team in Brisbane, Queensland that plays in the Australian Baseball League and is one of the six founding teams of the league. From the 2010/11 season till the 2012/13 season their home ballpark ...

in the

ABL ABL may refer to: Aviation * Airborne Laser, a weapons system designed for use by the United States military * Air Busan of South Korea (ICAO airline code) * IATA airport code for Ambler Airport in State of Alaska, USA Companies, groups, organiz ...

for the 2015-16 season, where his 3/7 in the 2016 Australian Baseball League postseason led to him being named Championship Series MVP and helping the Bandits to their first league championship. The following season, he played in a more limited capacity trying to break back into affiliated baseball from injuries, but still hit .323/.405/.600 across 19 games through the middle of the 2016-17 season. Lutz rejoined the Bandits full-time for the 2017-18 Australian Baseball League season where he broke the single season homerun record with teammate T. J. Bennett with 16. The Bandits went on to win their third consecutive ABL title. Following the conclusion of the 2017–18 season, he announced his retirement as a player, and later signed on as the new hitting coach of the

Arizona League Reds The Arizona Complex League Reds are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The team is composed ...

for the 2018 season. On September 6, 2018, Lutz came out of retirement to play again for Brisbane in the 2018-19 Australian Baseball League season. He had a relatively lean season, slashing .186/.312/.310, but was key in Brisbane's postseason run, going 4/10 with three home runs to help the Bandits to their fourth successive championship.

Coaching career

, Lutz was the hitting coach for the

. Lutz is now the hitting coach for the Brisbane Bandits.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lutz, Donald 1989 births Living people 2019 European Baseball Championship players American emigrants to Germany American expatriate baseball players in Australia American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American people of German descent Arizona League Reds players Bakersfield Blaze players Baseball coaches from New York (state) Baseball players from Jefferson County, New York Billings Mustangs players Bravos de León players Brisbane Bandits players Canberra Cavalry players Cincinnati Reds players Dayton Dragons players German baseball players German expatriate sportspeople in Mexico German sportspeople of American descent German sports coaches Gulf Coast Reds players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball players from Germany Major League Baseball right fielders Mexican League baseball first basemen Minor league baseball coaches Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Peoria Javelinas players Sportspeople from Watertown, New York Yaquis de Obregón players People from Friedberg, Hesse Sportspeople from Darmstadt (region)