Dustin Thomas Garneau (born August 13, 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 ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

. 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 Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics,

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 ...

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 ...

, Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers.

Career

Amateur career

Garneau attended

San Pedro High School San Pedro High School is a public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District and is located in the San Pedro portion of the city of Los Angeles, California. The school serves the entirety of San Pedro as well as most of the Eastvie ...

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

. He enrolled at

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

to play

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

Cal State Fullerton Titans The Cal State Fullerton Titans (also known as CSUF or Fullerton Titans) are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Fullerton. The Titans are a member of the NCAA Division I level. The Titans compete within the Big West Co ...

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies selected Garneau in the 19th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. Garneau made his professional debut with the rookie-level

Casper Ghosts Casper may refer to: People * Casper (given name) * Casper (surname) * Casper (Maya ruler) (422–487?), ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque * Tok Casper, first known king of Maya city-state Quiriguá in Guatemala, ruling beginning in 426 * Da ...

, hitting .250 in 23 games. In 2010, Garneau split the season between the Low-A

Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home ga ...

and the High-A

Modesto Nuts The Modesto Nuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Modesto, California, and are named for the several types of nuts grown in the region. They play the ...

, batting .243/.346/.405 with 3 home runs and 34 RBI between the two teams. In 2011, he played for the Single-A

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in differe ...

, slashing .255/.370/.513 with career-highs in home runs (17) and RBI (67) in 100 games with the team. In 2012, Garneau returned to Modesto and hit .243/.332/.383 with 6 home runs and 29 RBI. The following season, Garneau played for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, posting a .236/.313/.414 with 13 home runs and 47 RBI in 96 games with the team. He returned to Tulsa the next year, and split the year with the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox, hitting .240/.327/.395 with 7 home runs and 42 RBI between the two teams. Garneau was assigned to the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...

to begin the 2015 season. On August 19, 2015, Garneau was selected to the 40-man roster and called up to the majors for the first time. He made his MLB debut the following day as the starting catcher against the

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 ...

, and notched his first career hit in the game, a double off of Nationals starter

Max Scherzer Maxwell Martin Scherzer (born July 27, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and L ...

. In his rookie season, Garneau batted .157/.224/.286 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI in 22 major league games. Garneau split the 2016 season between Albuquerque and Colorado, hitting .235/.293/.368 with 1 home run and 6 RBI in 24 games with the Rockies. Garneau played in 22 games for Colorado in 2017, slashing .206/.260/.353 with 1 home run and 6 RBI.

Oakland Athletics

On August 4, 2017, Garneau was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics. He was added to the Athletics' active roster the next day. In 19 games for Oakland, Garneau batted .159 with 1 homer and 3 RBI. Garneau was assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds to begin the 2018 season. On May 21, 2018, Garneau was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Athletics.

Chicago White Sox

On May 24, 2018, Garneau was claimed off waivers by the

. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

and hit .252 in 45 games with the team. Garneau was promoted to the White Sox on August 3. Garneau only played in 1 game for Chicago on the year, going 1-for-2 with a walk. On October 2, the White Sox outrighted Garneau to the minors and removed him from the 40-man roster. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.

Los Angeles Angels

On November 19, 2018, Garneau signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He opened the 2019 season with the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark o ...

. On May 22, 2019, Garneau's contract was selected and he was called up to the major league roster. On July 12, he was behind the plate for a combined no-hitter thrown by Taylor Cole and

Félix Peña Félix Ricardo Peña (born February 25, 1990) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). He made his MLB debut in 2016. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for th ...

. He was designated for assignment by the Angels on July 31 after hitting .232/.346/.362 in 28 games.

Oakland Athletics (second stint)

On August 3, 2019, Garneau was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics. In 7 games for Oakland, Garneau went 5-for-17 (.294) with 1 home run and 7 RBI. On August 16, Garneau was designated for assignment. He was outrighted to the Triple-A

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada ...

on August 19, and spent the remainder of the year there, going 8-for-26 (.308) in 8 games. He elected free agency on October 4, 2019.

Houston Astros

On November 26, 2019, Garneau signed a 1-year, $650K contract with the Houston Astros. For the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

shortened 2020 season, Garneau batted .158/.273/.289 with one home run and four RBIs in 38 at bats. On defense, his four errors (in 110.2 innings) tied for fourth-most in the AL, and he caught only 18% of attempted base-stealers. Garneau made his postseason debut in the

2020 American League Division Series The 2020 American League Division Series were two best-of-five-games series in Major League Baseball (MLB) to determine participating teams in the 2020 American League Championship Series. Those matchups were: * (1) Tampa Bay Rays (East Divisio ...

against the Oakland Athletics as a defensive replacement for Martin Maldonado. He would later make his first postseason start in the

2020 American League Championship Series The 2020 American League Championship Series was the best-of-seven series between the two American League Division Series winners, the defending American League Champion Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays, for the American League (AL) pennant a ...

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

Minor leagues

On December 23, 2020, Garneau signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers organization that included an invitation to spring training. Garneau did not make the big league club and split time between the Single-A

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. H ...

and the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

, batting .213/.324/.492 with 4 home runs and 11 RBI. On July 15, 2021, Garneau was released by the Tigers organization. On July 22, 2021, Garneau signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies organization.

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers acquired Garneau from the Rockies on August 18, 2021, and promoted him to the major leagues that day. In 20 games with the Tigers, Garneau hit .210 with 6 home runs and 11 RBI. On March 22, 2022, Garneau signed a one-year, $1.175 million contract with the Tigers, avoiding salary arbitration. On May 2, 2022, when teams were required to reduce the roster to 26 players, Garneau was

. On May 4, Garneau cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

. He elected free agency on October 6, 2022. He announced his retirement at the conclusion of the season.

Personal life

Garneau and his wife, Jacqlyn, have three sons.

References

External links

Cal State Fullerton Titans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garneau, Dustin 1987 births Living people Baseball players from Torrance, California Major League Baseball catchers Colorado Rockies players Oakland Athletics players Chicago White Sox players Los Angeles Angels players Houston Astros players Detroit Tigers players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players Casper Ghosts players Tri-City Dust Devils players Modesto Nuts players Asheville Tourists players Tulsa Drillers players Salt River Rafters players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Toros del Este players Albuquerque Isotopes players Tigres del Licey players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Nashville Sounds players Charlotte Knights players Salt Lake Bees players Las Vegas Aviators players Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players