Kyle Michael Waldrop (born November 26, 1991) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the

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

Waldrop attended Riverdale High School in

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

and played American football and baseball. Waldrop was drafted by the

in the 12th round of the

2010 Major League Baseball Draft The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pic ...

. He had been offered to play

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of South Florida, but signed with the Reds for a $500,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

and the Reds agreeing to pay for four years of college. Waldrop made his professional debut that season for the

Arizona League Reds The Arizona Complex League Reds are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The team is composed m ...

Minor leagues

In 2011, Waldrop played for the

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs 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 Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Dehler ...

of the Pioneer League, and was ranked as the 21st overall prospect in the Reds' organization. In 2012, he played for the Class A Dayton Dragons. In 2013, Waldrop earned a promotion to the Advanced A Bakersfield Blaze. During the season with Bakersfield, he hit 21 home runs, which ranked second among all Reds minor leaguers. Additionally, from July 28 to August 10 of that year, Waldrop went on a 14-game hitting streak while batting .370. 2014 was a breakout year for Waldrop. He began the season in Bakersfield once again, and while there, had a great season and was named the MVP 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 ...

All-Star Game. He was then promoted to the Class AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos on June 18. Across 131 games in 2014 with Bakersfield and Pensacola, Waldrop batted .338/.385/.516 with 37 doubles, 14 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 14

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s. He was named the Reds organization's Minor League Hitter of the Year, and following the end of the season played in the Arizona Fall League where he batted .300. On November 20, he was added to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

. In 2015, in AA and AAA for the Reds he batted .235/.267/.338. In 2016, in AAA for the Reds he batted .252/.300/.363.

Major Leagues

Cincinnati Reds

Waldrop made his MLB debut on August 2, 2015. In 23 at bats between 2015 and 2016, he batted .217/.250/.261. He was made a free agent in November 2016.

Seattle Mariners

In December 2016, he signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Independent Leagues

Lancaster Barnstormers & Retirement

On March 19, 2018, Waldrop signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. Waldrop announced his retirement on May 8, 2018.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waldrop, Kyle 1991 births Living people Sportspeople from Fort Myers, Florida Baseball players from Florida Cincinnati Reds players Arizona League Reds players Billings Mustangs players Dayton Dragons players Bakersfield Blaze players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Surprise Saguaros players Louisville Bats players Arkansas Travelers players Tacoma Rainiers players Lancaster Barnstormers players