Damien Jack Magnifico (born May 24, 1991) 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 ...

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 ...

. 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), ...

(MLB) for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

and the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Career

Magnifico was drafted by 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 ...

in the fifth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft out of

North Mesquite High School North Mesquite High School is a secondary school in Mesquite, Texas and a part of the Mesquite Independent School District (MISD). As of 2022, the school serves northern portions of Mesquite and the MISD portion of Garland. Formerly, North Mesquit ...

Mesquite, Texas Mesquite is a suburban city located east of the city of Dallas, Texas, in the United States. Most of the city is located in Dallas County, though a small portion extends into Kaufman County. As of 2019 census estimates, the population was 140 ...

. He did not sign with the Mets and attended

Howard College Howard College is a community college in the U.S. state of Texas with its main campus in Big Spring and branch campuses in San Angelo and Lamesa. History Howard County Junior College was established in Big Spring in 1945. 148 students be ...

to play

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 ...

. Prior to the 2012 season, he transferred to the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

, where he played for the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...

Milwaukee Brewers

After one year at Oklahoma, Magnifico was drafted by the

in the fifth round of the

2012 Major League Baseball Draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...

. He signed with the Brewers and made his professional debut with the

Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League located in Helena, Montana, from 1978 to 2018. The team played their home games at Kindrick Legion Field, which was built in 1939. They were affiliated with the Milwauke ...

. He spent 2013 with the

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, a town on the outskirts of Appleton, Wisconsin, Appleton in the Fox ...

and

Brevard County Manatees The Brevard County Manatees were a minor league baseball team of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League from 1994 to 2016. They were based in Viera, Florida, and played their home games at Space Coast Stadium. The team left Brevard County afte ...

, 2014 with Brevard County and 2015 with the

Biloxi Shuckers The Biloxi Shuckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Biloxi, Mississippi, and are named in reference to the city's oyster industry and seafood heri ...

. The Brewers added him to their 40-man roster after the season. Magnifico was promoted to the major leagues on August 16 and made his debut that day.

Baltimore Orioles

Magnifico was traded to 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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

on April 13, 2017. He was designated for assignment on May 2.

Los Angeles Angels

On May 6, he was traded to the

for minor leaguer Jordan Kipper. On June 3, 2017, Magnifico was called up and made his Angels debut. The Angels outrighted him to the minor leagues in August.

Pittsburgh Pirates

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 ...

selected Magnifico from the Angels in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft after the 2017 season. He was invited to Spring Training for the 2018 season but did not make the team and elected free agency after the season on November 2, 2018.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 18, 2019, Magnifico signed a minor league deal with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

. Magnifico was released by the Diamondbacks organization on May 22, 2020. On April 1, 2021, Magnifico announced his retirement from professional baseball via Twitter.

References

External links

Oklahoma Sooners bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnifico, Damien 1991 births Living people Baseball players from Dallas Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Los Angeles Angels players Howard Hawks baseball players Oklahoma Sooners baseball players Helena Brewers players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players Brevard County Manatees players Biloxi Shuckers players Surprise Saguaros players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Norfolk Tides players Salt Lake Bees players Indianapolis Indians players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players