Dylan James Carlson (born October 23, 1998) is an American

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 ...

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 cat ...

for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

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). Selected by the Cardinals in the first round of the

2016 MLB draft The 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks will be d ...

, Carlson became one of the top prospects in baseball before making his MLB debut in 2020. He became the team's starting right fielder in 2021 and was a finalist for

National League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

Amateur career

Carlson attended Elk Grove High School in

Elk Grove, California Elk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, located just south of the state capital of Sacramento. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade– Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 Census, the population o ...

where he played baseball under his father, Jeff, and was teammates with

Nick Madrigal Nicklaus Michael Madrigal (born March 5, 1997) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Chicago White Sox. He made his MLB debut in 2020. Amateur caree ...

Rowdy Tellez Ryan John "Rowdy" Tellez ( ; born March 16, 1995) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2013, Tellez was both a ''B ...

, Dom Nunez, and Derek Hill. He began playing on the varsity team as a 14-year-old freshman. As a senior, he batted .407 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs in 36 games along with pitching to a 6–0 record with a 1.44 ERA.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

Despite not being considered or named a Top 200 prospect for the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft by

MLB.com MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...

, Carlson was selected by the

in the first round, 33rd overall, of the

. He rescinded his college commitment to

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) ...

and agreed to a signing bonus of $1.35 million, which was $550,500 under the slot value. Carlson made his professional debut that same year with the

Gulf Coast League Cardinals The Florida Complex League Cardinals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. The team plays ...

, batting .251 with three home runs and 22 RBIs in 50 games. Carlson spent 2017 with the

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Peori ...

where he slashed .240/.342/.347 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs in 115 games. He began the 2018 season with Peoria, and after batting .234 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 13 games, was promoted to the

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

. Carlson finished the year with Palm Beach, slashing .247/.345/.386 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs in 99 games. Carlson began the 2019 season with the

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

. He was named a

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

All-Star and participated in the Home Run Derby. In July, he represented the Cardinals in the 2019

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

alongside

Nolan Gorman Nolan Brian Gorman (born May 10, 2000) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Gorman was drafted by the Cardinals out of high school i ...

. After slashing .281/.364/.518 with 21 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases over 108 games with Springfield, he was promoted to the

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

in August. Following his promotion, Carlson was named the Texas League Player of the Year. He played in 18 games with Memphis, batting .361 with five home runs and nine RBIs. Over a total of 126 games between Springfield and Memphis, Carlson slashed .292/.372/.542 with 26 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. He was originally selected to play in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

for the

Glendale Desert Dogs The Glendale Desert Dogs are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility of the Chicago White ...

following the season, but it was later announced he would not be participating.

St. Louis Cardinals (2020–present)

The Cardinals promoted Carlson to the major leagues on August 15, 2020, and he made his MLB debut that day against the

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 p ...

. On August 23, 2020, he hit his first MLB career home run. He finished the 2020 season slashing .200/.252/.364 with three home runs and 16 RBIs over 35 games. Carlson returned in 2021 as St. Louis' starting center fielder, taking over for the injured

Harrison Bader Harrison Joseph Bader (born June 3, 1994), nicknamed "Tots," is an American professional baseball center fielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals. Born and raise ...

. When Bader returned from the injured list, Carlson moved to

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

. On April 7, 2021, he hit his first career

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

against

Zach Pop Zachery Michael Pop (born September 20, 1996) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Miami Marlins. Career Amateur Pop attended Notre Dame Ca ...

of the

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 ...

LoanDepot Park LoanDepot Park is a retractable roof stadium located in Miami, Florida. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. It is located on on the site of the former Miami Orange Bowl in Little Havana about west of Downtown Miami. Const ...

. Carlson finished the 2021 season with 542

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a bat ...

s over 149 games, slashing .266/.343/.437 with 18 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 31 doubles. He was a finalist for the

National League Rookie of the Year Award In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

, alongside

Jonathan India Jonathan Joseph India (born December 15, 1996) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). India starred in baseball for American Heritage School. While playing for the Florida Gators, ...

and Trevor Rogers. Carlson opened the 2022 season as the club's starting right fielder. In late May, he was placed on the injured list with a hamstring injury. He was activated in early June. Carlson hit the final of a record-tying four consecutive home runs between teammates on July 2, 2022, the 11th such occurrence in major league history. At

Citizens Bank Park Citizens Bank Park is a baseball stadium located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the city's South Philadelphia Sports Complex. It is the home playing field of the Philadelphia Phillies, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise. The stad ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Nolan Arenado Nolan James Arenado (; born April 16, 1991) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Arenado is widely recognized as an elite third baseman, both offensively and defensively. ...

, Juan Yepez and Carlson all homered off

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) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citizen ...

starter

Kyle Gibson Kyle Benjamin Gibson (born October 23, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillie ...

with two outs in the first inning. It was the first time that the Cardinals had accomplished the feat, and the first time that it occurred in the first inning. In early September, Carlson was placed on the injured list with a thumb sprain before being activated a little over a week later. Over 432 at-bats in 128 games, he slashed .236/.316/.380 with eight home runs, 42 RBIs, and thirty doubles.

Personal life

Carlson's younger brother, Tanner, plays

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 ...

Long Beach State University California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlson, Dylan 1998 births Living people Baseball players from California Gulf Coast Cardinals players Major League Baseball outfielders Memphis Redbirds players Palm Beach Cardinals players Peoria Chiefs players Sportspeople from Elk Grove, California Springfield Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals players