James Kyle Farmer (born August 17, 1990) 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 ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

for the

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 ...

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). He has previously played in MLB for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Career

Amateur sports

Farmer graduated from the Marist School in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, where he played baseball and football. While at Marist, Farmer appeared in the major Hollywood film '' The Blind Side'' (2009), playing a high school

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. During his

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 ...

career at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

(UGA), Farmer played

, hitting for a .308

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

and recording a .968

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

, a UGA Baseball team record at the shortstop position. In 2011, he played

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 ...

with the

Bourne Braves The Bourne Braves are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Bourne, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Braves play their home games at Doran Park on the ca ...

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 ...

. Farmer was originally 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 ...

in the 35th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign. He was then drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 8th round (244th overall pick) of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft and signed a contract with the team.

Minor leagues

The Dodgers made the decision to convert Farmer into a catcher. In 2014, he made his pro baseball debut with the

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitcher ...

of the Pioneer League, then was promoted to the

Great Lakes Loons The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007. Histor ...

of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

, later that year. After 57 games with Great Lakes – where he hit .310 – Farmer was promoted again to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

, where he batted .238 in 36 games. Farmer began 2015 with the Quakes, where he was selected to the mid-season All-Star team. Farmer did not play in the game due to his subsequent promotion to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers of the

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 ...

. Farmer was selected to represent the Dodgers organization at the

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 ...

, in 2015. He played in 76 games for Tulsa and hit .272. Farmer returned to Tulsa to start the 2016 season and was selected to the mid-season all-star game. He played in 74 games for the Drillers in 2016, hitting .256 with five

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

and 31

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBI). The Dodgers added Farmer to their 40-man roster, after the season. He was promoted to the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

during the 2017 season.

Major leagues

Los Angeles Dodgers

Farmer was first called up to the big leagues, on July 28, 2017. Two days later, in his first major league

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 batt ...

, Farmer hit a walk-off two-run

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

off of Albert Suárez of the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

, in the bottom of the 11th inning, giving the Dodgers a 3–2 win. Farmer appeared in 20 games for the Dodgers in 2017, primarily as a pinch hitter, and had six hits in 20 at-bats (.300). He made the Dodgers roster for the 2017 NLDS and 2017 NLCS, having four at bats as a pinch hitter, without recording a

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

. In 2018 Farmer appeared in 24 games in the field for the Dodgers, 22 of them at

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. He posted a stat line of .235/.312/.324 in 68 at bats.

Cincinnati Reds

On December 21, 2018, the Dodgers traded Farmer to the Cincinnati Reds, along with Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood,

Matt Kemp Matthew Ryan Kemp (born September 23, 1984) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He began his professional career in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 2003, and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Dodgers fr ...

, and cash considerations in exchange for

Homer Bailey David Dewitt "Homer" Bailey Jr. (born May 3, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds from 2007 through 2018, the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics in 201 ...

Jeter Downs Jeter Deion Downs (born July 27, 1998) is a Colombian professional baseball shortstop for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox. Listed at and , he bats and throws right-handed. Ear ...

, and

Josiah Gray Josiah Gray (born December 21, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second r ...

. In 2019, Farmer hit .230 with 9 home runs and 27 RBIs in 97 games. The following season, he hit .266 in 32 games. On December 2, 2020, Farmer was nontendered by the Reds and resigned on a 1-year contract. In 2021, Farmer played in his first full season, hitting .263/.316/.416 with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs in 147 games. During the early season of 2022, Farmer had 0 hits in 34 at-bats, which is the longest streak by a Reds position player since 1954. Farmer then ended that streak with a 3-run homerun in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Minnesota Twins

On November 18, 2022, Farmer was traded to the

in exchange for

Casey Legumina Casey Davey Legumina (born June 19, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023. Career Amateur career Legumina attended Basha High School in Gilbert, Ar ...

Personal life

Farmer proposed to his girlfriend, Courtney Sayre, in July 2017, and they married in 2018. They reside in

and have one son together. Farmer grew up a fan of the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farmer, Kyle 1990 births Living people Baseball players from Atlanta Major League Baseball catchers Los Angeles Dodgers players Cincinnati Reds players Georgia Bulldogs baseball players Bourne Braves players Ogden Raptors players Great Lakes Loons players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Tulsa Drillers players Glendale Desert Dogs players Arizona League Dodgers players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Marist School (Georgia) alumni