Dale Scott Thayer (born December 17, 1980) 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 ...

. 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

Tampa Bay 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) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

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

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

Playing career

Draft

Thayer was drafted out of high school by the Chicago Cubs in the 47th round of the

1999 Major League Baseball Draft The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999. A total of 1474 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections ...

, but did not sign. Thayer went undrafted out of Chico State in 2002, but was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

on September 25, 2002.

San Diego Padres minor league system

Thayer was used as a closer for the majority of his minor league career. In 2003, Thayer had 25 saves and a 2.06 ERA with the Class A

Fort Wayne Wizards A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. He began 2004 with the High-A

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The Storm plays their home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond (Pete Lehr Field), which opened in 1994; the park se ...

, where he had a 1.63 ERA and 23 saves, and was promoted to the Double-A

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

in August. Thayer spent all of 2005 with Mobile, posting a 2.34 ERA and 27 saves in 56 games with 9.2 strike-outs per 9 innings. In 2006, he again spent the year with Mobile except for two appearances with Triple-A Portland in September. He had a 2.48 ERA and 27 saves in 57 games with Mobile. Dale Thayer 2010

Tampa Bay Rays

Thayer was traded to the

on September 15, 2006, as a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

in exchange for

Russell Branyan Russell Oles Branyan (born December 19, 1975) is an American former professional baseball first baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians (two occasions), Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers (two occasions), Ta ...

. He started 2007 with the Double-A

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

and was advanced to the Triple-A

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...

in August. He had a 2.35 ERA in 55 combined games for the year, finishing 47 of them. Thayer spent all of 2008 with the Bulls and pitched to a 2.77 ERA with 72 strike-outs in 68 innings and 9 saves in 52 games. Thayer again started 2009 in Triple-A Durham but made his Major League debut on May 22, 2009, at

Land Shark Stadium Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes, the University of Miami's NCAA Division I colleg ...

Miami Gardens Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located north of Downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from I-95 and Northeast 2nd Avenue to its east to Northwest 47th and Northwest 57th Avenues to its west ...

against the

Florida 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 ...

. He pitched 3 innings, allowing one earned run and collected his first Major League save. Thayer had 3 stints with the Rays in 2009, including a September call-up. He pitched in 11 games with the Rays, giving up 7 earned runs in 13 innings. At the Triple-A level in 2009, he posted a 2.27 ERA with 17 saves in 51 games. Thayer spent most of 2010 with Durham, where he had a 3.45 ERA in 46 games with 55 strike-outs in 60 innings. He was moved up to the majors on August 6, 2010, to add bullpen depth, but only pitched in a single game with the Rays before being sent back down. He was granted free agency at the end of the season.

New York Mets

The New York Mets signed Thayer to a minor league contract in the off-season. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

, where he had a 2.66 ERA in 54 games on the year, earning 21 saves. The Mets purchased Thayer's contract on May 27, 2011. As part of the move, the Mets brought up

Ángel Pagán Ángel Manuel Pagán (born July 2, 1981) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants. Pagán's original contract in Major League Base ...

and sent down Fernando Martínez and Pat Misch. Thayer was sent down to the minors on June 11 after pitching in 4 games, as

D. J. Carrasco Daniel J "D. J." Carrasco (born April 12, 1977) is a former American professional baseball pitcher. He is currently the pitching coach of the Syracuse Mets. Career Baltimore Orioles Carrasco was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 39 ...

was brought back up after being demoted in April. Thayer was recalled in September and pitched in 7 more games for the Mets. Overall, he had a 3.48 ERA in 10 innings. He declared for free agency on October 23.

San Diego Padres

Thayer signed a minor league contract with the

on December 6, 2011. He also received an invitation to spring training. On April 26, 2012, Thayer was called up from Triple-A

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

to replace

Huston Street Huston Lowell Street ( ; born August 2, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels. After ...

, who was placed on the 15-day DL, having gone 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 8.1 innings at Tucson. In his first full season with a major league team, Thayer had a 2-2 record with a 3.43 ERA and seven saves. In 2013, Thayer opened the season in the Padres bullpen. He finished with a record of 3-5 in 69 games. The following season, Thayer enjoyed his best season of his career, pitching a career high 70 games with a career low 2.34 ERA. Thayer was designated for assignment on August 11, 2015. He ended the season with a 4.06 ERA in 38 games.

Baltimore Orioles

Thayer signed a minor league deal with 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 ...

in February 2016. In March he opted out the contract, making him a free agent.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On April 2, 2016, Thayer signed a minor league deal with 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 ...

. He pitched in seven games for the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

before he was released on May 3.

Atlanta Braves

On May 30, 2016, Thayer signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

. Thayer was released on June 11.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thayer, Dale 1980 births Living people People from Fountain Valley, California Baseball players from California Major League Baseball pitchers Tampa Bay Rays players New York Mets players San Diego Padres players Chico State Wildcats baseball players Durham Bulls players Montgomery Biscuits players Portland Beavers players Algodoneros de Guasave players Mobile BayBears players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Caribes de Anzoátegui players Lake Elsinore Storm players Fort Wayne Wizards players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Tucson Padres players Tulsa Drillers players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela