Clayton Grant Mortensen (born April 10, 1985) is an American former 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 tea ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

and current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He played 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), ...

for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

, and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Amateur career

After graduating from

Madison High School Madison High School may refer to: * Madison County High School (Alabama), Gurley, Alabama * Madison High School (Idaho), Rexburg, Idaho * Madison Consolidated High School, Madison, Indiana * Madison High School (Kansas), Madison, Kansas * Kentucky ...

, Mortensen went to

Treasure Valley Community College Treasure Valley Community College is a public community college in Ontario, Oregon, at the western edge of the Treasure Valley. Its service area is sections of Malheur and Baker counties. Additionally Harney County and the city of Burns have ...

, then

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the univ ...

. 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 ...

for the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

36th overall in the

2007 Major League Baseball Draft The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players and was held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the f ...

. He was invited to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, but began the season in the minors. He was called up to the major leagues for the first time on June 29, .

Oakland Athletics

On July 24, 2009, Mortensen was traded to the

along with

Brett Wallace Brett Alexander Wallace (born August 26, 1986) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres. High school A 2005 graduate of Justin-Siena High Scho ...

and

Shane Peterson Shane Aaron Peterson (born February 11, 1988) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, and Tampa Bay Rays. Career Amateur Peterson attended ...

for

Matt Holliday Matthew Thomas Holliday (born January 15, 1980) is an American professional baseball coach and former left fielder who is the bench coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB from 2004 to 2018 for the Col ...

. He was called up to the Athletics to replace

Russ Springer Russell Paul Springer (born November 7, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Springer made his major league debut on April 17, , with the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the California Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Ariz ...

on August 8.

Colorado Rockies

Mortensen 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 pla ...

in January 2011 and was eventually traded to the

for minor league pitcher Ethan Hollingsworth.

Boston Red Sox

On January 21, 2012 Mortensen was traded to the

for

Marco Scutaro Marcos Scutaro, better known as Marco Scutaro, (; born October 30, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. He bats and throws right-handed. Scutaro made his major league debut with the New York Mets in 2002, and subsequentl ...

. Mortensen made his Red Sox debut on May 2, 2012 throwing three innings and giving up just one hit. On July 7, Mortensen was called up to the majors to be the 26th man for the Red Sox and Yankees double-header. Mortenson was recalled on August 8, when

Vincente Padilla Vicente de la Cruz Padilla (born September 27, 1977) is a Nicaraguan former professional baseball pitcher. Padilla played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers an ...

was placed on the disabled list. Mortensen was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on June 29, 2013. After clearing waivers, Mortensen was assigned outright to the Pawtucket Red Sox on July 3.

Kansas City Royals

On August 27, 2013, the Red Sox traded Mortensen to the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

for

Quintin Berry Quintin Lonell Berry (born November 21, 1984) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, and Milwaukee Brewers. Early c ...

Miami Marlins

Mortensen signed a minor league contract with 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 franc ...

on April 4, 2017, and was assigned to the Triple-A

New Orleans Baby Cakes The New Orleans Baby Cakes (formerly the New Orleans Zephyrs) were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They were located in Metairie, Louisiana, a sub ...

. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Kansas City Royals

On January 20, 2018, Mortensen signed a minor league deal with the

. Mortensen did not throw a pitch in 2018. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.

Coaching career

Mortensen retired after the 2018 season and was named as the Pitching Coach for the

Idaho Falls Chukars The Idaho Falls Chukars 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 Idaho Falls, Idaho, and play their home games at Melaleuca ...

for the 2019 season. He was named the

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at TicketReturn.com Field, which open ...

pitching coach for the 2021 season.

Pitching style

Mortensen threw four pitches: a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ca ...

and

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

at 88–90 mph, a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

at 85–87, and a

circle changeup In baseball, a circle changeup (also called the "okay changeup", related to the thumb and index finger touching) is a pitch (baseball), pitch thrown with a grip that includes a circle formation, hence the name circle changeup. The circle is fo ...

at 79–81. The slider tended to be used more against right-handed batters, and the changeup was used more against left-handed hitters. Mortensen's slider had a somewhat unusual and unpredictable movement:

My slider isn’t a typical slider. It doesn’t necessarily break right-to-left. It has more depth to it, so it’s more of a down-ball. It also has three different movements, depending on where my release point is. When I really accentuate staying on top of it — away to a righty — it will have a little depth and a little right-to-left movement. If I try to throw it down the middle, it’s more straight down. Sometimes it kind of
screws A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...
. It's basically because of the way I grip it. I kind of cock my wrist a little bit. To be honest, I try to throw it as hard as I can and it just kind of does what it wants to do.

Personal life

On the night of October 2, 2009, Mortensen was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and spent the night in the Santa Clara County jail. Mortensen is married to Janna and they had two children, Miles and Harper. Miles died at the age of 6 on September 11, 2018 after a long battle with stage IV

Neuroblastoma Neuroblastoma (NB) is a type of cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue. It most frequently starts from one of the adrenal glands but can also develop in the neck, chest, abdomen, or spine. Symptoms may include bone pain, a lump in the ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mortensen, Clay 1985 births Living people People from Rexburg, Idaho Baseball coaches from Idaho Baseball players from Idaho Major League Baseball pitchers St. Louis Cardinals players Oakland Athletics players Colorado Rockies players Boston Red Sox players Batavia Muckdogs players Treasure Valley Chukars baseball players Swing of the Quad Cities players Memphis Redbirds players Springfield Cardinals players Sacramento River Cats players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Gonzaga Bulldogs baseball players Pawtucket Red Sox players Portland Sea Dogs players Omaha Storm Chasers players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players New Orleans Baby Cakes players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Minor league baseball coaches