Erik Jordan Komatsu (born October 1, 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 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 ...

who 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

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 ...

and

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

Career

After graduating from

Adolfo Camarillo High School Adolfo Camarillo High School (ACHS) is a public high school in Camarillo, California established 1956. The school is part of the Oxnard Union High School District and serves students in grades 9–12 in east Camarillo, Somis, and the Santa Rosa V ...

, Komatsu played college baseball for

Cal State 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) ...

Oxnard College Oxnard College is a public community college in Oxnard, California. It was established in 1975 by the Ventura County Community College District. It serves the Oxnard Plain cities of Oxnard, Camarillo, and Port Hueneme. Oxnard College offers both ...

and

Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University of Southern California is a private Christian university in Costa Mesa, California. It was the first four-year college in Orange County. The university offers over 39 undergraduate degrees and emphases in 15 different depart ...

New York Yankees

In 2007 Komatsu was drafted by 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 ...

, but did not sign.

Milwaukee Brewers

In 2008, Komatsu was signed by the

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 ...

. He climbed his way from the Rookie League to AA in three years. He was named the Brewers' Minor League Player of the Year in 2010 after slashing .323/.413/.442 with five home runs, 63 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases over 130 games with the

Brevard County Manatees The Brevard County Manatees were a minor league baseball team of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League from 1994 to 2016. They were based in Viera, Florida, and played their home games at Space Coast Stadium. The team left Brevard County afte ...

Washington Nationals

In 2011, Komatsu first played for the

Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1985 to 2014. They competed in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics from 1985 to 1998 and Mil ...

and mid-year began playing for the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

after he was traded from the Brewers to 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 ...

for Jerry Hairston, Jr.

St. Louis Cardinals

Komatsu was chosen by the Cardinals in the minor league phase of the 2011 Rule 5 draft. On April 6,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, Komatsu collected an

infield hit An infield hit is an outcome in baseball in which the batted ball stays in the infield, but neither the batter nor any runners are put out. If the batter and runners reach safely due to an error, it is not considered an infield hit. Runners norma ...

in first Major League at-bat against the

. As a Rule 5 draft pick, he 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 ...

after

Allen Craig Allen Thomas Craig (born July 18, 1984) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. The Cardinals drafted Craig from the Uni ...

came off the disabled list on May 1. In 15 games with the Cardinals, he collected four hits 19 at bats with three runs and two walks.

Minnesota Twins

The

claimed Komatsu off waivers on May 4. On May 7, Komatsu got his first Twins hit against

Jered Weaver Jered David Weaver (born October 4, 1982) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres. Weaver was drafted in the first round (12th overall ...

of the

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

. On May 27, the Twins designated Komatsu for assignment to make room for

Jeff Manship Jeffrey Michael Manship (born January 16, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cleveland Indians. Manship ha ...

Second stint with Nationals

Komatsu was returned to the Nationals organization two days later. In 15 games with the Twins, he amassed seven hits in 32 AB with two runs and an RBI. Playing with Triple-A

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

after being returned, he was placed on the disabled list with an injury on July 7 and missed the rest of the season. In 31 games with Syracuse, he hit .269 with three HR and 14 RBI. Komatsu began 2013 on the disabled list, and made his season debut on April 23 with Harrisburg. After seven games with the Senators, he was promoted to Syracuse on May 2, where he played in nine games before being placed on the disabled list on May 14. In 16 games in 2013, he collected nine hits in 54 AB with one RBI and six walks.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Komatsu signed a minor league deal with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 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 ha ...

in May 2014.

Second stint with Brewers

Komatsu signed a minor league deal with the

on June 27, 2014.

Personal life

Komatsu was born and raised in California and is of Japanese descent; his paternal grandmother came to the U.S. from Japan as a military bride.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Komatsu, Erik 1987 births American baseball players of Japanese descent Arizona League Brewers players Baseball players from California Brevard County Manatees players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players Harrisburg Senators players Helena Brewers players Huntsville Stars players Living people Long Island Ducks players Minnesota Twins players Oxnard Condors baseball players St. Louis Cardinals players Syracuse Chiefs players Vanguard Lions baseball players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players Sportspeople from Ventura County, California