David Edward Phelps (born October 9, 1986) 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 ...

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

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 ...

Miami 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 ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

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 ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

, and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. Phelps 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 ...

at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

Amateur career

Phelps attended

Hazelwood West High School Hazelwood West High School is a public high school in the Hazelwood School District located in North St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. History Hazelwood West High School began in 1974, with the first graduating class in 1975. Due to ov ...

in Hazelwood,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, where he played basketball and baseball. For the baseball team, he was named to the All-Conference Team as both an outfielder and pitcher as a sophomore, and as team captain and to the All-Conference, All-Metro Performer, and team captain as a junior and senior. He was a member of the

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

. Though Phelps was ranked as the sixth best prospect from Missouri prior to the

2005 Major League Baseball draft The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best ...

, Phelps was not selected due to his strong commitment to enroll at the

, where he pitched for the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

baseball team. As a freshman, Phelps pitched sparsely as a reliever. As a sophomore, he pitched in the starting rotation, earning

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

All-Conference First Team, Academic All-District and Academic All-American honors. He struggled in his junior season. While in college, he also pitched for the

Mat-Su Miners The Mat-Su Miners are a college summer baseball club in the Alaska Baseball League (ABL). The Miners are based in Palmer, Alaska, and their name refers to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough where Palmer is located. The team was founded in 1976 and p ...

of the

Alaska Baseball League The Alaska Baseball League (ABL) is an amateur collegiate summer baseball league. Players in the league must have attended one year of college and must have one year of NCAA eligibility remaining. The Midnight Sun Game, held at Growden Memorial ...

, and in 2007 for the

Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie All ...

of the

Cape Cod 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 ...

Professional career

New York Yankees

Damon Oppenheimer Damon T. Oppenheimer (born 1962) is Vice President and Director of Amateur Scouting for the New York Yankees. Playing career Oppenheimer attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he played college baseball as a catcher for the USC ...

, the

scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

director for the New York Yankees, noticed Phelps while on a visit to Notre Dame to scout

Kyle Weiland Kyle Edward Weiland (born September 12, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros. Career Weiland attended the University of Notre Dame, where he ...

, Phelps' teammate. Based on Oppenheimer's recommendation, the Yankees selected Phelps in the 14th round 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 ...

. Phelps was named to the 2010 Eastern League All-Star Game. In 2011, he played for the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. Phelps was named the Yankees minor league pitcher of the year for 2010. He was added to the Yankees 40-man roster after the 2011 season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Phelps made the Yankees'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

roster in 2012. On April 29, 2012, he was moved into the

starting rotation R rabbit ears :Indicates a participant in the game who hears things perhaps too well for their own good. A player who becomes nervous or chokes when opposing players or fans yell at or razz them is said to have rabbit ears. Also, an umpire ...

to replace the struggling

Freddy García Freddy Antonio García (born October 6, 1976), is a former Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. He is best known for his many seasons with seven Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, including the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and ...

. Phelps started 0–0 with a 3.57 ERA in six games before the switch. After making two starts for the Yankees, the team shifted him back to the bullpen when they promoted

Andy Pettitte Andrew Eugene Pettitte (; born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the Houston Astros. Pettitte won fiv ...

. On June 14, 2012, Phelps was sent down to Triple-A after David Robertson came off from the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

(DL). Phelps returned to the team as a starter when Pettitte and

CC Sabathia Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr. (born July 21, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the New York Yankees. He also played for the Cleveland Indians and Milwauke ...

were placed on the DL with injuries. During a game against 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 ...

on May 29, 2013, Phelps surrendered 5 runs (4 earned) in the first inning and only lasted of an inning. (It was the shortest outing for any Yankees

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

at the new

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

.) On July 6, 2013, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list, due to a right forearm strain. On August 15, 2013, Phelps was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. On September 14, 2013 he was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list. In 2014, Phelps had a 5-5 record with a 4.38 ERA in 113 innings with 92 strikeouts and 42 walks in 32 games, 17 starts.

Miami Marlins

On December 19, 2014, the Yankees traded Phelps and

Martín Prado Martín Manuel Prado Torcate (born October 27, 1983) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. During h ...

to the Miami Marlins for

Nathan Eovaldi Nathan Edward Eovaldi ( ; born February 13, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Ra ...

Garrett Jones Garrett Thomas Jones (born June 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins and New York Yankees. Hi ...

, and

Domingo Germán Domingo Germán Polanco (; born August 4, 1992) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Germán was signed by the Florida Marlins as an international free agent in 2009. He made his ...

. At the start of the 2016 season, Phelps was installed as the Marlins primary setup reliever, usually called in to pitch the eighth inning. Through 25 games, he maintained an ERA of 1.93

Seattle Mariners

On July 20, 2017, the Marlins traded Phelps to the Seattle Mariners for prospects Brayan Hernandez, Brandon Miller, Pablo Lopez, and Lukas Schiraldi. On March 21, 2018, Phelps suffered a torn

ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...

in his right elbow during

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, and was out for the entire season, awaiting reconstructive elbow surgery.

Toronto Blue Jays

Phelps signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, on January 12, 2019. While appearing in 17 game appearances, he posted a 3.63 ERA, with no game decisions.

Chicago Cubs

The Blue Jays traded Phelps to the Chicago Cubs on July 30, 2019, in exchange for minor league player

Thomas Hatch John Thomas Hatch (born September 29, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Career Amateur Hatch attended Jenks High School in Jenks, Oklahoma. As a junior, he went 7–2 wi ...

. Phelps posted a 2-1 record with a 3.18 ERA, in 24 relief appearances.

Milwaukee Brewers

On January 29, 2020, Phelps signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 12 relief appearances, he posted a 2-3 record with a 2.77 ERA.

Philadelphia Phillies

On August 31, 2020, the Brewers traded Phelps to the

in exchange for Juan Geraldo, Brandon Ramey, and Israel Puello. He struggled to a 12.91 ERA in 10 games for Philadelphia.

Second stint with the Blue Jays

On February 11, 2021, Phelps officially signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the

. On May 15, Phelps was placed on the 60-day injured list with a right lat strain. On May 25, it was announced that Phelps would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a “significant” strain in his right lat. In 11 appearances for Toronto in 2021, Phelps recorded a minuscule 0.87 ERA with 15 strikeouts. On November 29, Phelps signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays and was invited to spring training. On April 1, 2022, Phelps had his contract selected to the major league roster. On January 18, 2023, he announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.

Pitching style

Phelps throws four pitches. He has a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ca ...

(90–92),

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

(89–92), cutter (86–88) and a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

(82–85). The two-seamer is his primary pitch to left-handed hitters, and his four-seamer is his primary pitch to right-handers. He uses his changeup exclusively against lefties. He likes to use his cutter in 2-strike counts against righties.

Personal life

Phelps is a devout Catholic and frequently attended

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

at St. Patrick's Cathedral in

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

when he was a member of the Yankees. Phelps met his wife, Maria, at Notre Dame when they had to work together on an assignment. They had their first child, a daughter, in 2012, a second daughter in 2013 and his third daughter in 2015.

References

External links

David Phelps – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, David 1986 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from St. Louis Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Catholics from Missouri Charleston RiverDogs players Chicago Cubs players Dunedin Blue Jays players Falmouth Commodores players Gulf Coast Yankees players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Miami Marlins players New York Yankees players Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball players Philadelphia Phillies players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Seattle Mariners players Staten Island Yankees players Tampa Yankees players Toronto Blue Jays players Trenton Thunder players Mat-Su Miners players