Robert Lee Dugger (born July 3, 1995) is an American 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 is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for 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 ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

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 ...

and

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

Amateur career

Dugger attended Tomball High School in

Tomball, Texas Tomball ( ) is a city in Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas, a part of the Houston metropolitan area. The population was 12,341 at the 2020 U.S. census. In 1907, the community of Peck was renamed Tomball for local congressman Thomas Henry ...

. In 2013, as a senior, he led Tomball to a Texas UIL 4A State Championship, throwing a complete game in which he allowed only one run while striking out six, along with going 3–4 at the plate, including a three-run

inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of the field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-park home run", or "in-the-park homer". Discussion To score ...

. He was named to the 4A All-State Baseball Team that year. Undrafted out of high school, he enrolled at Cisco Junior College where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

. In his two years at Cisco, he compiled ERAs of 5.40 and 4.37. After his sophomore year, he transferred to

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...

. As a junior at Texas Tech, he was 6–1 with a 2.67 ERA over relief innings. After his junior year, he was drafted by the

in the 18th round of the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks will be di ...

Professional career

Seattle Mariners

After signing with the Mariners, Dugger was assigned to the

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seating capacity ...

before being reassigned to the

Arizona League Mariners The Arizona Complex League Mariners are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The team is co ...

. He also pitched in two games for the Tacoma Rainers. In 12 games (six starts) between the three teams, he went 2–1 with a 4.62 ERA. In 2017, he began the season with the

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...

where he compiled a 4–1 record, a 2.00 ERA, and a 0.99 WHIP in 22 games (nine starts) and was named a

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganiza ...

All-Star before being promoted to the Modesto Nuts in July, where he finished the season with a 2–5 record and a 3.94 ERA over nine starts.

Miami Marlins

On December 7, 2017, Dugger, along with

Nick Neidert Nicholas William Neidert ( ; born November 20, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins. Career Neidert attended Peachtree Ridge Hi ...

and Christopher Torres, was traded to the

in exchange for Dee Gordon and international slot money. He began 2018 with the

Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean ...

, earning

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A follow ...

All-Star honors, and was promoted to the

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 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 pl ...

in May. In 25 starts between the two clubs, he pitched to a 10–7 record with a 3.40 ERA. He returned to the Jumbo Shrimp to begin 2019, earning Southern League All-Star honors, before being promoted to the New Orleans Baby Cakes in June. On August 5, 2019, the Marlins selected Duggar's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut that day versus the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

, allowing six runs over five innings pitched.

Seattle Mariners (second stint)

On December 7, 2020, Dugger was claimed off waivers by the

. On February 19, 2021, Dugger 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 play ...

after the signing of Ken Giles was made official. On February 23, Dugger was sent down to the Triple-A level Tacoma Rainers. On April 15, 2021, Dugger was selected to the active

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, and ...

ahead of a doubleheader against 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 ...

. In 12 games for the Mariners in 2021, Dugger posted a 7.36 ERA with 19 strikeouts. On August 22, Dugger was designated for assignment by the Mariners. On August 24, Dugger cleared waivers and was assigned outright to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainers.

Tampa Bay Rays

On March 24, 2022, Dugger signed a minor league deal with the

. On May 2, 2022

designated him for assignment.

Cincinnati Reds

On May 4, 2022, the

claimed Dugger off waivers. On May 9, 2022, the Reds designated him for assignment. On May 10, Dugger cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

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

. On May 12, Dugger was re-selected to the active roster. However, he didn't make an appearance for the Reds before he was designated for assignment again on May 14. On May 16, he cleared waivers and again returned to Louisville. On July 7, the Reds yet again selected Dugger's contract. On July 8, the Reds designated him for assignment and was sent outright to Triple-A. On October 4, Dugger was once again designated for assignment.

References

External links

Texas Tech Red Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dugger, Robert 1995 births Living people Baseball players from Tucson, Arizona Major League Baseball pitchers Miami Marlins players Seattle Mariners players Tampa Bay Rays players Cincinnati Reds players Cisco Wranglers baseball players Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball players Arizona League Mariners players Everett AquaSox players Clinton LumberKings players Modesto Nuts players Tacoma Rainiers players Jupiter Hammerheads players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players New Orleans Baby Cakes players Durham Bulls players