Stephen Andrew Soderstrom (born April 3, 1972) is an American former

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 ...

player who played for 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 ...

in 1996.

Amateur career

A native of

Turlock, California Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. Its population was 72,740 at the 2020 United States census, making it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County after Modesto. History Founded on December 22, 1871, by pr ...

, Soderstrom attended Turlock High School and was drafted by the

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

in the 15th Round (402nd overall) of the 1990 amateur draft. He didn't sign, and went on to pitch for

Fresno State University California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...

. In 1991, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Hyannis Mets The Hyannis Harbor Hawks, formerly the Hyannis Mets, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Harbor Hawks play ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

. In 1993, he was drafted by the

sixth overall in the 1993 amateur entry draft.

Professional career

Soderstrom spent three years in the Giants' organization before getting to the major leagues. The 6'3", 215 pound right-hander made his major league debut on September 17, 1996. His stay in the majors lasted just 10 days, as his final MLB game was on September 27. Over those ten days, he started all three of the games he pitched in, compiling a 2–0 record while giving up 16 hits in 13

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

s and gaining an

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

of 5.27. He walked six and struck out nine.

Personal

Soderstrom currently owns and operates Backyard Sports Academy, a multi-sport instructional facility, in his hometown of Turlock. His son, Tyler, was drafted number 26 overall in the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft by 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 ...

. He is a catcher and attended the same high school as his father. They became the 10th father-son duo to be drafted in the first round. Another son, Tate, is an outfielder at the

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

References

External links

Articles and Books About Steve SoderstromBaseball Almanac Steve Soderstrom PageBack Yard Sports Academy - Owner Steve Soderstrom
1972 births Baseball players from Turlock, California Major League Baseball pitchers Living people San Francisco Giants players Fresno State Bulldogs baseball players Hyannis Harbor Hawks players Turlock High School alumni Fresno Grizzlies players Louisville Redbirds players Phoenix Firebirds players San Jose Giants players Shreveport Captains players 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1970s-stub