Donzell McDonald (born February 20, 1975) is a former
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 c ...
who played parts of two seasons 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), ...
from 2001 to 2002.
Early life
Born in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
, McDonald grew up in
Fort Collins, Colorado. He attended
Cherry Creek High School
Cherry Creek High School (commonly Cherry Creek, Creek, or CCHS) is the oldest of seven high schools in the Cherry Creek School District in the Denver metropolitan area. It is located in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and is one of the largest high s ...
, then went on to
Trinidad Community College and later moved to
Yavapai College
Yavapai College is a public community college in Yavapai County, Arizona. The main campus is in Prescott, with locations in Clarkdale, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Sedona.
History
Yavapai College was established in 1965 by means of a c ...
with coach Nino Giarratano.
Professional career
Donzell was drafted by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
in the 22nd round, 618th overall, in the
1995 Major League Baseball draft
First round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft.
''*'' Did not sign
Background
Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad ...
. The switch hitting
center fielder was known for his speed; twice he stole over 50 bases in the minor leagues, and six times stole more than 30.
He made his major league debut in 2001. He played 5 games with the Yankees that year, getting one hit in three at bats, he would also appear in ten games for the
Kansas City Royals in 2002. He was last in the Yankees farm system in 2004, after being in 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 Fi ...
,
Kansas City Royals, and
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) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
farm systems. He played for several seasons in 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 ...
and different independent leagues, last appearing in a professional game in 2010 when he played
center field
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...
for
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 Ace ...
.
[Baseball Reference]
/ref>
Personal
McDonald resides in Arizona and currently serves as a pro scout/roving coach for the Texas Rangers organization.San Diego Union Tribune
/ref>
Donzell is the older brother of former outfielder Darnell McDonald Darnell is a unisex given name and surname. The surname refers to a group of people in medieval ages who grew a plant called Darnel, which had intoxicatory properties. The last name originated in France, the plant can only grow in Mediterranean clim ...
and cousin of former pitcher James McDonald.[
]
Honors and awards
*1996 New York–Penn League
The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
All-Star Team
Sources
External links
, o
Retrosheet
o
Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Donzell
1975 births
Living people
Acereros de Monclova players
Acereros del Norte players
African-American baseball players
Algodoneros de Guasave players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Baseball players from Long Beach, California
Cañeros de Los Mochis players
Caribes de Oriente players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Columbus Clippers players
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks players
Gulf Coast Yankees players
Indios de Mayagüez players
Leones de Yucatán players
Kansas City Royals players
Major League Baseball left fielders
Mayos de Navojoa players
Mexican League baseball center fielders
New York Yankees players
Newark Bears players
Norwich Navigators players
Olmecas de Tabasco players
Omaha Royals players
Oneonta Yankees players
Pastora de los Llanos players
Richmond Braves players
Tampa Yankees players
Trinidad State Trojans baseball players
Venados de Mazatlán players
Winnipeg Goldeyes players
Yavapai Roughriders baseball players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople