Christopher J. Heisey (born December 14, 1984) is an American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
. He played for the
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 ...
,
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
, and
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB).
Early life
Heisey graduated from Donegal High School in 2003, and went on to attend
Messiah College in
Grantham, Pennsylvania. At Messiah College, he set career records in batting average (.405), total bases (294), doubles (41), home runs (23), extra base hits (71), and consecutive game hitting streak (14).
Professional career
Cincinnati Reds
Following his junior year of college, Heisey was drafted by the
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 ...
in the 17th round of the
2006 Major League Baseball Draft.
He played in the Reds' minor league system for all or parts of six seasons. In the minors leagues, he had a .294 overall batting average, 52 home runs, 241 RBI, and 88 stolen bases. In 2009, he was named the Reds' minor league player of the year.
Heisey was added to the Reds' 40-man roster after the 2009 season to protect him from the
Rule 5 Draft.
Heisey played his first Major League game with the Cincinnati Reds on May 3, 2010, starting in right field and going 0-for-5 against 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 league ...
. On May 11, starting in centerfield and batting leadoff for the Reds against 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 ...
, he got his first three Major League hits (the first came off starter
Charlie Morton), including his first home run, a two-run shot off
Jeff Karstens
Jeffrey Wayne Karstens (born September 24, 1982) is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Karstens pitched for the New York Yankees in 2006 and 2007 and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2008 to 2012.
High schoo ...
in a 9–0 win. Heisey played in 97 games his rookie season and batted .254 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs. He excelled as a
pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...
, hitting four home runs to share the Major League lead in pinch-hit home runs with
Matt Stairs
Matthew Wade Stairs (born February 27, 1968) is a Canadian former professional baseball outfielder, first baseman, and designated hitter, who holds the record for most pinch-hit home runs in Major League Baseball (MLB) history with 23. His pinch ...
.
On June 22, 2011, Heisey hit three home runs in a game against 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) Amer ...
. In 2011, he finished his second full Major League season with a .254 batting average, 18 home runs, and 50 RBI.
After qualifying as a Super Two player, giving him an extra year of arbitration eligibility, Heisey agreed to a one-year, $1.325 million contract on January 31, 2013.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On December 2, 2014, Heisey was acquired by the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
in trade for pitcher
Matt Magill
Matthew William Magill (born November 10, 1989) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, and Seattle Mariners.
Professional career Los ...
. The Dodgers then signed him to a one-year, $2.16 million, contract to avoid salary arbitration. He was assigned to the AAA
Oklahoma City Dodgers for the start of the 2015 season. The Dodgers called him up to play a game on April 22, 2015 and returned him to the minors after the game. He was called back up again on May 7. After being sent down he would be recalled to Los Angeles again from the Oklahoma City Dodgers on June 2. He was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on July 30, 2015. He was released by the team on August 7.
Toronto Blue Jays
On August 12, 2015, Heisey signed a minor league contract with the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
and was assigned to Triple-A
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...
. He hit .155 in 17 games for Buffalo and was then traded back to the Dodgers for cash considerations on September 1. He rejoined the Dodgers roster on September 6. In 33 games for the Dodgers in 2015, he hit .182 with two homers and nine RBI. He was outrighted to the minors and chose to become a free agent on November 6, 2015.
Washington Nationals
In November 2015, Heisey signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
. He was reunited with
Dusty Baker, for whom he played as a Red. Heisey hit .267 in spring training with 3 home runs and 11 RBI. On April 1, 2016, the Nationals announced he had made the team's 25-man roster, joining fellow non-roster invitee and former Cincinnati teammate
Matt Belisle
Matthew Thomas Belisle (beh-LYLE; born June 6, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twin ...
.
On April 24, 2016, Heisey hit his first career walk-off home run to give the Nats a win over 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) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
in 16 innings.
On October 13, 2016, in the deciding game of a 5-game NLDS series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Heisey hit a pinch-hit two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull the hometown Nationals within one run of the Dodgers at a score of 4–3.
In November 2016, Heisey signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Washington Nationals. Heisey did not repeat the production from 2016, hitting just .162 with one home run. He was released by the Nationals on July 30, 2017.
Minnesota Twins
On February 13, 2018, Heisey 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) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
. He was released on March 22, 2018.
Personal life
Heisey is the oldest of four children born to Craig and Linda Heisey. His father died in 2007 of
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...
. He is married to Lisa Heisey. Heisey is a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
. He is close friends with
Stephen Drew, whom he met and developed a rapport with during the
2016 season, when both served as key reserves for the
Nationals.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heisey, Chris
1984 births
Living people
People from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Baseball players from Pennsylvania
Major League Baseball outfielders
Cincinnati Reds players
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Washington Nationals players
Messiah Falcons baseball players
Billings Mustangs players
Dayton Dragons players
Sarasota Reds players
Chattanooga Lookouts players
Lobos de Arecibo players
Carolina Mudcats players
Louisville Bats players
Peoria Saguaros players
Pensacola Blue Wahoos players
Oklahoma City Dodgers players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players