Deunte Raymon Heath (born August 28, 1985) is an American

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 ...

for the

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serape Wearers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (198 ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He made his

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) debut on September 1, 2012, for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

, and has also pitched in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

and

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

Early life

Heath went to Newton County High School and was drafted in the 27th round, 799th overall, as a senior 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 2003. He did not sign, and went on to

Lake City Community College Florida Gateway College (FGC), formerly Lake City Community College, is a public college in Lake City, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and one of the institutions in the system designated a "state college", allowing it to offer ...

. In his freshman year of 2004, he got 6 wins and was named Second-Team All-Mid Florida Conference. He was drafted that year by the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venu ...

in the 25th round, 735th overall, 13 selections before Rays outfielder

Justin Ruggiano Justin Marshall Ruggiano (born April 12, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Rays, Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodg ...

. However, he did not sign and returned to Lake City CC. In his sophomore year, he got 4 wins and was rated as the 146th best prospect for the 2005 MLB Draft by Baseball America. In that draft, he was selected by the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 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 ...

in the 23rd round, 703rd overall, 2 selections before Phillies pitcher

David Herndon Kenneth David Herndon (born September 4, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies. Career Minor leagues The 6'5", 230 pound Herndon was originally drafted ...

. Once again, Heath did not sign, but he did transfer to the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

. In his junior year, he went 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA.

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

He was drafted in the 2006 Draft by the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

in the 19th round, 580th overall, 1 selection before Indians pitcher

Josh Tomlin Joshua Aubry Tomlin (born October 19, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves. Tomlin was drafted by the Indians in the 19th ...

. Heath was assigned to Single-A

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where he went 2-3 with a 2.03 ERA before being promoted to High-A

Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in the northeastern part of the state. Its y ...

, where he went 2-4 with a 5.82 ERA. He started 2007 with Myrtle Beach, where he went an impressive 9-2 with a 3.11 ERA before being promoted to Double-A

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, where he went 4-5 with a 5.56 ERA. He started 2008 with Mississippi, going 2-5 with a 4.16 ERA before being promoted to Triple-A

Gwinnett Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia (after Fulton ...

, where he went 0-1 with a 9.64 ERA. Heath was released after the year. He played the offseason in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

with

Mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by ...

, appearing in 10 games with an 8.31 ERA.

Chicago White Sox

Heath signed with the White Sox on April 4, 2010. He played 2010 with Double-A

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, going 2-4 with a 3.12 ERA exclusively in relief. He played all of 2011 with Triple-A

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, where he went 4-7 with a 4.73 ERA. He was added to the 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule V Draft. On July 4, 2012, Heath was called up by the White Sox to replace the injured

Jesse Crain Jesse Alan Crain (born July 5, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox. High school and college Crain was born in Toronto, Ontario and at ...

. He was returned to Charlotte on July 8, without having made an appearance for the White Sox. Heath was outrighted off the White Sox roster on February 7, 2014.

Mexican League

On April 18, 2016, Heath signed with the

Vaqueros Laguna The ''vaquero'' (; pt, vaqueiro, , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain. The vaquero became t ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. On May 17, 2016, Heath was traded to the

Pericos de Puebla The Pericos de Puebla (English: "Puebla Parrots") are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla, Mexico. History The state of Puebla came upon baseball in the early 1920s when returning Poblanos that had come from militar ...

. He served as the team's closer for the 2016 and 2017 seasons before being released following the 2017 season.

Toyama Thunderbirds

On March 9, 2018, Heath signed with the

Toyama Thunderbirds The Route Inn BCL, formerly known as the , is an independent minor baseball league in Japan. The league's abbreviated designation is "." League structure The Baseball Challenge League has three divisions, East, Middle, and West, with four team ...

of the independent

Baseball Challenge League The Route Inn BCL, formerly known as the , is an independent minor baseball league in Japan. The league's abbreviated designation is "." League structure The Baseball Challenge League has three divisions, East, Middle, and West, with four teams ...

of Japan.

Saitama Seibu Lions

On May 10, 2018, Heath was traded to the

(NPB). On November 13, 2019, Heath placed on waivers. On November 20, 2019, he become free agent.

Mexican League (second stint)

On May 12, 2022, Heath signed with the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. Their home ballpark is Estadio de Béisbol Monclova, which has a capacity of 11,000 people. The Acere ...

of the

. On April 25, 2023, Heath's rights were traded to the

References

External links

, o
NPB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Deunte 1985 births Living people Acereros de Monclova players African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from Atlanta Birmingham Barons players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Gwinnett Braves players Hiroshima Toyo Carp players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball pitchers Mesa Solar Sox players Mexican League baseball pitchers Mississippi Braves players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Pericos de Puebla players Rome Braves players Saitama Seibu Lions players Tennessee Volunteers baseball players Tigres de Aragua players Vaqueros Laguna players