Daniel Lee Jennings (born April 17, 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 Miami Marlins,

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 ...

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) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

, Milwaukee Brewers, and

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. He also 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 p ...

for the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

of the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

Amateur career

Though born in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

, Jennings was raised in

West Des Moines, Iowa West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas, Warren, and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. A majority of the city is located in Polk County, a minority of the city is located in Dallas County, and small portions extend into Warren and M ...

. There, he attended Valley High School. Playing for the school's baseball team, he led the team to back-to-back state championships in 2004 and 2005. As a senior in 2005, Jennings pitched to a 9–0

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

and 0.85

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), earning All-State honors. Jennings attended the

, where he played

for the

Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

. In 2006 and 2007, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Waterloo Bucks of the Northwoods League, and spent the summer of 2008 with the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the lea ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted by the Marlins in the ninth round of the

2008 MLB 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 ...

Professional career

Minor Leagues

He made his professional debut that season for the

Jamestown Jammers The Jamestown Jammers were a minor league baseball team based in Jamestown, New York from 1994 until 2014. The team was the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in the New York–Penn League. The team pla ...

of the

Class A-Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

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 ...

. Across three levels of minor league baseball in 2009, Jennings had a combined 1–2 record, six saves, and 2.15 ERA in 45 games overall, allowing with 26 walks and while

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...

69 batters in 62⅔ innings pitched for the

Greensboro Hornets Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

of the Class A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

, the

Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Florida State League, and the

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Southern League. '' Baseball America'' rated Jennings as the Marlins' fourth best pitching prospect, and 13th best overall. Returning to Jacksonville in 2010, Jennings was suspended for 50 games for violating minor league baseball's policy banning the use of

performance-enhancing drug Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where bann ...

s. The Marlins added Jennings to their 40-man roster after the 2011 season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Jennings began the 2012 season with the New Orleans Zephyrs of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

Pacific Coast League. In nine appearances, he had a 2.08 ERA.

Miami Marlins

The Marlins promoted Jennings to MLB on April 30, 2012, and he pitched a scoreless inning in relief in his debut that day.Iowan Jennings pitches one scoreless inning in MLB debut. He finished the season with a 1-0 record, a 1.89 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP, 11 walks, and 8 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched. , The Des Moines Register , DesMoinesRegister.com
/ref> On August 7, 2014, Jennings was pitching in relief against the Pittsburgh Pirates when

Jordy Mercer Jordy Joe Mercer (born August 27, 1986) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Washington Nationals. Prior to beginning his ...

hit a

line drive In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...

that struck Jennings in the head, inflicting a concussion in the process. Jennings was kept overnight in a

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

hospital for observations instead of accompanying the Marlins to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

for their next series against the Cincinnati Reds after the game. Jennings later thanked Pirates fans on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

for their support after the crowd at

PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pira ...

gave Jennings a

standing ovation A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. In Ancient Rome returning military commanders (such as Marcus Licinius Crassus a ...

when he was carted off the field and gave the crowd a wave. He returned to the Marlins shortly thereafter, passing concussion protocol and sustaining no permanent injury.

Chicago White Sox

The Marlins traded Jennings to the

on December 11, 2014, in exchange for

André Rienzo André Albanez Rienzo (born July 5, 1988) is a Brazilian professional baseball pitcher for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins ...

Tampa Bay Rays

On July 27, 2017, the White Sox traded Jennings to the

in exchange for first baseman Casey Gillaspie. He was released on March 26, 2018.

Milwaukee Brewers

Jennings signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on March 30, 2018. He elected free agency on November 30, 2018.

Los Angeles Angels

On February 15, 2019, Jennings signed a minor league deal with 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 h ...

. The Angels released him on March 26.

Washington Nationals

On April 15, 2019, Jennings signed a minor league deal with the

. He had his contract purchased on April 30. Jennings posted a 13.50 ERA over eight games with the Nationals, before being designated for assignment on May 20. He elected free agency two days later.

New York Yankees

On July 8, 2019, Jennings signed a minor league deal with 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 ...

. He was released by the Yankees on August 13, 2019.

Retirement

Before 2020 spring training, Jennings retired from playing professional baseball.

Personal life

Jennings has been confused for the son of Dan Jennings, who was an executive for the Marlins when the younger Jennings was pitching for them. His parents, Bob and Janet Jennings, live in West Des Moines. Jennings has a brother, Tom, who currently works as a tennis professional at the Quad City Tennis Club. He is married. Jennings' parents, fiancée, and her parents all flew to Miami to watch Jennings' MLB debut.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, Dan 1987 births Living people People from West Des Moines, Iowa Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Berkeley, California Baseball players from Iowa Miami Marlins players Chicago White Sox players Tampa Bay Rays players Milwaukee Brewers players Washington Nationals players Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball players Cotuit Kettleers players Jamestown Jammers players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Jupiter Hammerheads players Jacksonville Suns players New Orleans Zephyrs players Gulf Coast Marlins players Charlotte Knights players Harrisburg Senators players Surprise Saguaros players Scottsdale Scorpions players Waterloo Bucks players