David Fletcher Cooper (born February 12, 1987) 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 ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. He previously 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

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 ...

in 2011 and 2012. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds.

Amateur career

A native of

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

, Cooper is a graduate of

Tokay High School Tokay High School is one of two high schools in Lodi, California, United States, the other being Lodi High School. Tokay High School is part of the Lodi Unified School District. The school's colors are purple and gold, and its mascot is the ti ...

Lodi, California Lodi ( ) is a city located in San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County, California, in the center portion of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 62,134 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 cen ...

. 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

Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball The Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball team represents California State University, Fullerton in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with the other CSUF athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Big West Conference. Since its e ...

team before finishing his college career with the

California Golden Bears baseball The California Golden Bears baseball team represents the University of California, Berkeley in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other California athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Pac-12 Conference. The Bears ...

team. In 2006 and 2007, 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

Brewster Whitecaps The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Brook ...

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 one thousan ...

. In his junior season he hit .359/.449/.682 with 19 home runs and 55 RBIs, attracting the attention of professional scouts. He was drafted with the 17th overall pick of the

2008 Major League Baseball Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

by the

. Cooper was one of many first base prospects taken in the first round of the draft after other highly regarded college hitters such as

Yonder Alonso Yonder Alonso (born April 8, 1987) is a Cuban former professional baseball first baseman and current MLB Network analyst. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Cl ...

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

Justin Smoak Justin Kyle Smoak (born December 5, 1986) is an American professional baseball first baseman who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewer ...

. In scouting reports prior to the draft, Cooper was regarded as a highly polished college bat who can hit for both average and plus home run power in the majors, but was seen as defensively limited and projected to play at 1B or DH at the major league level.

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

He was playing with the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s in the Blue Jays organization, until he was called up to the Blue Jays on April 29, 2011.Roster as of August 1, 2008
The Lansing Lugnuts. Retrieved on 2008-08-07. Cooper made his major league debut on April 29, 2011, 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 ...

, playing the DH position and batting 7th in the line-up. He walked in his first plate appearance, and struck out in his first official at-bat. He finished the game 0–4. He recorded his first career RBI the next day in a 5-4 loss to the Yankees, and his first career hit on May 1 against

Iván Nova Iván Manuel Nova Guance (born January 12, 1987) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, and D ...

. On May 10, Cooper hit his first career home run, a solo shot off of

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 ...

reliever

Daniel Bard Daniel Paul Bard (born June 25, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Boston Red Sox from 2009 to 2013. In 2011, Bard set a Red Sox team record wit ...

, and followed that up with a game winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning. Cooper was demoted back to Triple-A on May 15, and after almost 4 months with Las Vegas, he was included in the Blue Jays' September call-ups and re-debuted on September 8. Cooper did not make the Blue Jays roster out of spring training and began the 2012 season at Las Vegas. Cooper was hitting .298 with 6 HR and 34 RBI in 42 games when on May 25, he was promoted to Toronto after

Ben Francisco Louis Benjamin Francisco (born October 23, 1981), is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who is currently a major league scout for the Los Angeles Angels. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Phila ...

was placed on the 15-day DL. Cooper was optioned to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s on June 24, 2012. He was recalled on July 30 to replace

Adam Lind Adam Alan Lind (born July 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals. Lind has a ...

, who was placed on the disabled list due to a mid-back strain, On February 17, 2013, the Blue Jays announced that Cooper will miss all of spring training due to a serious back injury, and is seeking treatment for a disc issue. Cooper was released by the Blue Jays on March 13, 2013. Cooper underwent back surgery in April 2013 and had a titanium plate and two titanium screws placed in his T7 and T8 vertebrae to reinforce his

spine Spine or spinal may refer to: Science Biology * Vertebral column, also known as the backbone * Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite * Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants * Spine (zoolog ...

Cleveland Indians

On August 13, 2013, Cooper signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

. It included an opt out clause for him to leave the organization if he had not made the major league club by late August. He played seven games with the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

before being granted free agency on August 31. Cooper signed a new major league deal with the Indians on December 9, 2013. He was designated for assignment on March 2, 2014 when

Justin Sellers Justin Ryan Sellers (born February 1, 1986) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians. Primarily a shortstop, Sellers also played second base ...

was acquired from 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 ...

, and was outrighted to Triple-A on March 4.

Lancaster Barnstormers

On March 25, 2015, Cooper signed with the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Barnstormers (colloquially known as the Stormers) are an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

New York Mets

On May 14, 2015, Cooper signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

, and was assigned to the Double-A

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mira ...

. Cooper was released on May 31, and reportedly planned to retire.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, David 1987 births Living people Baseball players from Stockton, California American expatriate baseball players in Canada Toronto Blue Jays players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players Brewster Whitecaps players California Golden Bears baseball players Auburn Doubledays players Lansing Lugnuts players Dunedin Blue Jays players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Las Vegas 51s players Arizona League Indians players Columbus Clippers players People from Lodi, California Mesa Solar Sox players Bravos de Margarita players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Lancaster Barnstormers players Binghamton Mets players