Bligh John Madris (born February 29, 1996) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022 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) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Amateur career

Madris attended Foothill High School in

Henderson, Nevada Henderson is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, about southeast of downtown Las Vegas. It is the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with an estimated population of 320,189 in 2019. The city is part of the Las Vegas Vall ...

, and played college baseball at Colorado Mesa University. He was selected by the

in the ninth round of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Madris made his professional debut with the West Virginia Black Bears, batting .270 with five home runs and 31 RBIs over 56 games. He spent the 2018 season with the Bradenton Marauders with whom he hit .238 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs over 103 games, and he spent 2019 with the Altoona Curve, batting .260 with eight home runs and 55 RBIs over 132 games. After not playing a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the season, he returned to Altoona to begin the 2021 season before being promoted to the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

in May. Over 114 games, he slashed .267/.353/.417 with nine home runs and 56 RBIs and was named Rookie of the Year by the Indians. After the season, he played in the Puerto Rico Baseball League for the Gigantes de Carolina. He returned to the Indians to open the 2022 season. On June 19, 2022, the Pirates announced that Madris would have his contract selected and that he would be promoted to the major leagues the next day. He made his MLB debut the next day as the starting right fielder at PNC Park versus the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

and recorded his first major league hit, a two-RBI single, in his first at-bat versus

Caleb Kilian Caleb John Kilian (born June 2, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022. Amateur career Kilian attended Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, Texas ...

. Madris became the first Pirates rookie since Jason Kendall in 1996 to record three hits in his major league debut. As the Pirates continued their series against the Cubs on June 21, Madris hit his first major league home run while facing

Mark Leiter Jr. Mark Leiter Jr. (born March 13, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs. Caree ...

On September 13, Madris was designated for assignment.

Tampa Bay Rays

On September 16, Madris was claimed by the Tampa Bay Rays. On November 15, he was designated for assignment.

Detroit Tigers

On November 18, 2022, Madris was claimed off waivers by the

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 was designated for assignment on December 21, 2022.

Houston Astros

On January 3, 2023, Madris was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations.

Personal life

Madris is of Palauan descent. After making his MLB debut, he became the first Palauan to play in the major leagues.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madris, Bligh 1996 births Living people Baseball players from Nevada Sportspeople from Las Vegas Major League Baseball outfielders Pittsburgh Pirates players Colorado Mesa Mavericks baseball players Gigantes de Carolina players West Virginia Black Bears players Bradenton Marauders players Altoona Curve players Indianapolis Indians players Brisbane Bandits players American people of Palauan descent American sportspeople of Oceanian descent