Jacob Dwayne Goebbert (born September 24, 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 ...

. He played for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

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) in 2014.

Career

Amateur

Goebbert attended Hampshire High School in

Hampshire, Illinois Hampshire is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 5,563, and as of 2018 the estimated population was 6,324. Geography Hampshire is located in northwestern Kane County at . Most of the vi ...

, where he played for the school's

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

teams. He then attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, where he 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 ...

for the

Northwestern Wildcats baseball The Northwestern Wildcats baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, United States. The team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I and are membe ...

team in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

. During his collegiate career, Goebbert played for the Southern Ohio Copperheads of the

Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL) is a collegiate summer baseball league in the Great Lakes region of the United States. It is affiliated with the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball and comprises teams with college baseb ...

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

. In 2009, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Harwich Mariners The Harwich Mariners are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Harwich, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Mariners play their home games at Whitehouse Fiel ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball 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 ...

Houston Astros

The

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

drafted Goebbert in the 13th round (401st overall) of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. Playing in Minor League Baseball, the Astros promoted Goebbert from Class A to

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 ...

during the 2011 season. They invited him to

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 ...

in 2012. He finished the 2012 season with the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by ...

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 ...

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 ...

Oakland Athletics

At the end of spring training in 2013, the Astros assigned Goebbert to the

Oklahoma City RedHawks Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. Before he could play for Oklahoma City, the Astros traded Goebbert to the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

for

Travis Blackley Travis Jarred Blackley (born 4 November 1982) is an Australian former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. ...

. He played for the Double-A

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, whic ...

of the Texas League and Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...

of the

in 2013.

San Diego Padres

On May 15, 2014, the Athletics traded Goebbert to the Padres for

Kyle Blanks Kyle Nathaniel Blanks (born September 11, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and Texas Rangers. Blanks wore the unu ...

and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

, later identified as

Ronald Herrera Ronald José Herrera Aular (born May 3, 1995) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Professional career Oakland ...

. On June 19, 2014, Goebbert was called up from Triple-A

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

to replace the injured first baseman

Yonder Alonso Yonder Alonso (born April 8, 1987) is a Cuban former professional baseball first baseman and current MLB Network analyst. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Cl ...

. Goebbert was primarily an outfielder in the minor leagues after having played first base at Northwestern University, but El Paso had been occasionally playing him at first base after his acquisition by the Padres. At the time of his call-up, Goebbert was hitting .270 with 5 HR and 18 RBI at El Paso. Goebbert had a pinch-hit RBI single in his first Major League plate appearance on June 20 and made his first start in left field the next day. He was optioned back to El Paso on July 25 when Alonso returned. Goebbert returned to the Padres on August 12 when

Everth Cabrera Everth Cabrera (born November 17, 1986) is a Nicaraguan professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles. He led the National League (NL) in stolen bases in 2012, and was an ...

went to the disabled list, and he remained with the team for the rest of the season. Goebbert batted .218 with one home run in 101 at-bats, starting 19 games at first base and 4 in left field. He was designated for assignment by the Padres on January 7, 2015, but remained with the club, attending Padres spring training in 2015 as a non-roster invitee.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On November 25, 2015, Goebbert signed to a major league contract with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. He was designated for assignment on April 3, 2016.

Tampa Bay Rays

He was claimed off waivers by 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) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

on April 6. He became a free agent after the 2016 season.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 27, 2017, Goebbert signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was released on March 28, 2017.

Personal life

Goebbert and his wife, Heather, reside in

Pingree Grove, Illinois Pingree Grove ( ) is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 124 at the 2000 census. However, with rapid development in the following years, the 2010 census indicated 4,532 residents, and the 2020 census was 10,365. G ...

during the offseason. When he is not playing, Goebbert hosts youth baseball clinics and works on the family farm in Hampshire. Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch includes exotic animals and a train ride. Goebbert delivered the

commencement address A commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, although the term is also used for secondary education institutions and in similar institutions around the world. The commencement ...

Judson University Judson University is a private Baptist university in Elgin, Illinois. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Judson was formed out of the liberal arts component of Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. When the seminary moved ...

in December 2013.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goebbert, Jake 1987 births Living people Sportspeople from Kane County, Illinois Baseball players from Illinois Major League Baseball outfielders San Diego Padres players Northwestern Wildcats baseball players Harwich Mariners players Tri-City ValleyCats players Lexington Legends players Lancaster JetHawks players Corpus Christi Hooks players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Midland RockHounds players Salt River Rafters players Sacramento River Cats players El Paso Chihuahuas players Caribes de Anzoátegui players People from Hampshire, Illinois American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Toros del Este players