Kean Keanu Wong (born April 17, 1995) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

second baseman in the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

organization. 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) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

selected Wong in the fourth round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

, and he made his

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) debut with them in 2019. He has also played in MLB for the

Los Angeles Angels 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 h ...

Career

Wong attended

Waiakea High School Waiākea High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in Hilo, Hawaii. The school's mascot is the Warrior. It is part of the Hawaii State Department of Education. The school graduated its first class in 1980, and has about 1300 stud ...

in Hilo, Hawaii. He committed to play

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 p ...

at the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. The

selected Wong in the fourth round of the

Tampa Bay Rays

He signed with the Rays, receiving a $400,000 signing bonus. After he signed, he played for the

Gulf Coast Rays The Florida Complex League Rays are a minor league baseball team in Port Charlotte, Florida, competing as a Rookie-level team in the Florida Complex League as an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coa ...

of the Rookie-level

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

where he slashed .328/.377/.390 with 22 RBIs in 46 games. Wong spent 2014 with the

Bowling Green Hot Rods The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which open ...

of the Class A

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 ...

where he batted .306 with two home runs and 24 RBIs in 106 games. He was promoted to the

Charlotte Stone Crabs The Charlotte Stone Crabs were a Minor League Baseball team located in Port Charlotte, Florida, from 2009 to 2020. They competed in the Florida State League (FSL) as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

in 2015, where he posted a .274

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 ...

with one home run and 36 RBIs along with 15 stolen bases in 103 games. In 2016, Wong played for the

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

where he batted .276/.324/.368 with five home runs and 56 RBIs in 117 games. In 2017, Wong played for the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

where he batted .265/.328/.361 with five home runs and 44 RBIs in 105 games and was named the

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the

Triple-A National Championship Game The Triple-A National Championship Game is a single interleague postseason baseball game between the league champions of the two affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball (MiLB)—the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast Lea ...

. Wong returned to Durham in 2018, slashing .282/.345/.406 with nine home runs and 50 RBIs in 116 games. He returned to Durham for the 2019 season, producing a .307/.366/.464/.830 slash line with 10 home runs and 63 RBIs in 453 at bats. Kean Wong batting for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 (Cropped)

Kean Wong batting for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 (Cropped)

On September 5, 2019, the Rays selected Wong's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut that night versus the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. He had three hits in 14 at bats in 2019 for the Rays. On September 22, Wong 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 ...

Los Angeles Angels

On September 24, 2019, Wong was claimed off waivers by the

, for whom he had four at bats.

San Francisco Giants

On November 5, 2019, Wong was claimed off waivers by 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 Y ...

. On July 23, 2020, Wong was designated for assignment by San Francisco. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the 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 ...

on July 30. Wong did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.

Second stint with Angels

On November 12, 2020, Wong signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On May 29, 2021, Wong was selected to the active roster. Wong would play in 32 games for the Angels in 2021, slashing .167/.194/.233 in 66 plate appearances. Wong was designated for assignment by the team on November 22, 2021. He was released by the team on November 24. Wong would return to the Angels on a new minor league contract on March 16, 2022. He spent the year with the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark o ...

, playing in 128 games. In 497 at-bats, Wong slashed .262/.342/.332 with 3 home runs, 53 RBI, and 41 stolen bases. He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.

Seattle Mariners

On February 20, 2023, Wong signed a minor league contract with the

organization. The transaction put him in the same organization as his brother, Kolten, for the first time.

Personal life

His older brother, Kolten Wong, is also a baseball player. They have a sister, Kiani, who played

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

at Hawaii. His father, Kaha, instructed him on how to play baseball. Wong's mother, Keala Wong, died from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Kean 1995 births Living people American baseball players of Chinese descent Baseball players from Hawaii Bowling Green Hot Rods players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Durham Bulls players Gulf Coast Rays players Hawaii people of Chinese descent Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball infielders Montgomery Biscuits players People from Hilo, Hawaii Peoria Javelinas players Tampa Bay Rays players Salt Lake Bees players