Peter Robert O'Brien (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

and

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

Amateur career

O'Brien attended G. Holmes Braddock High School in

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. He played for the school's baseball team, and transitioned to

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

during his senior year. Unselected in the 2008 MLB draft, O'Brien chose to enroll at Bethune–Cookman University, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the Bethune–Cookman Wildcats team in the

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC ) is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and the Mid-A ...

(MEAC). In 2010, he was named MEAC player of the year. After the 2010 season, 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 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 1,000 forme ...

. The

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

selected O'Brien in the third round of the 2011 MLB draft, but he opted not to sign, and instead transferred to the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

for his senior year, where he played for the Miami Hurricanes baseball team in the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

(ACC). He was named All-ACC for the 2012 season.

Professional career

New York Yankees

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) Am ...

selected O'Brien in the second round of the 2012 MLB draft, and O'Brien signed with the Yankees. O'Brien started his professional career with the Gulf Coast Yankees and after four games was promoted to the Staten Island Yankees. He finished his first season hitting .212/.256/.401 with 10

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 ...

and 34

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...

. O'Brien started the 2013 season with the

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Char ...

. On June 21, 2013, he was promoted to the Tampa Yankees. After the 2013 season, he competed in the Arizona Fall League and played third base. He was a non-roster invitee to Yankees spring training before the start of the 2014 season. O'Brien began the year with 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 B ...

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

and was named to the MLB Futures Game and Eastern League All-Star Game.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Yankees traded O'Brien to the

for Martín Prado on July 31, 2014. The Diamondbacks assigned him to the Mobile BayBears of the Double–A Southern League an emphasized his role as a catcher. After the 2014 season, the Diamondbacks assigned O'Brien to the Arizona Fall League to get more reps behind the plate. The Diamondbacks assigned O'Brien to the Reno Aces of the Triple–A

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 ...

(PCL) in 2015, and converted him into an

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 catch ...

. On July 14, 2015, O'Brien participated in the Triple A Homerun Derby. He finished in second place with a total of 20 home runs. O'Brien made his major league debut on September 11, 2015, at Chase Field against 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. He went 1-for-1 and drove in his first run while pinch hitting for pitcher Enrique Burgos. His first hit was a ground ball single up the middle to center field, coming off of Ian Thomas. He drove in shortstop Nick Ahmed on the hit. He appeared in eight games as a pinch hitter and left fielder. O'Brien was called up to the big league club on June 10 after hitting .330 with 17 home runs and 52 RBI in 212 at-bats at Triple-A. However, after only seven hits in 56 at-bats with 24 strikeouts, he was sent back down on July 4. He returned to the majors on September 6 and was used sparingly as a pinch hitter. O'Brien was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on December 23, 2016.

Kansas City Royals

The Diamondbacks traded O'Brien to the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

for minor leaguer Sam Lewis. Following the Royals Spring Training camp, O'Brien was sent back to the minors and briefly played for the

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

of the PCL, before he was designated for assignment on May 10, 2017.

Cincinnati Reds

On May 16, 2017, the

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

claimed O'Brien off of waivers and assigned him to the

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

of the Triple-A

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

. He played in five games for Louisville, and was designated for assignment by Cincinnati on May 25.

Texas Rangers

On May 27, 2017, the Texas Rangers claimed O'Brien off waivers. After playing in 16 games for the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

and Double-A

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...

, O'Brien was again designated for assignment on June 17, 2017, when Ernesto Frieri was selected to the roster.

Los Angeles Dodgers

O'Brien was claimed off waivers by the

on June 18, 2017. After hitting .219/.297/.465 in 45 games for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, O'Brien was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on July 31. He was outrighted to the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their ho ...

on August 3.

Miami Marlins

On May 31, 2018, O'Brien was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. O'Brien had his contract selected on September 4, 2018. He hit 4 home runs with 10 RBI in 22 games for the Marlins in 2018. He competed for an outfield position in spring training, but was ultimately sent down to the minors before the start of the 2019 season. He was soon recalled on March 31 but was optioned again on April 12 after just three hits and 14 strikeouts in 30 at-bats. O'Brien returned to the majors on May 4 but suffered a rib injury just a few days later, sending him to the Disabled List. After hitting .167/.255/.262 in 14 games, the Marlins designated him for assignment on June 20. He was outrighted to Triple-A and spent the remainder of the season with the New Orleans Baby Cakes. O'Brien elected free agency on October 15, 2019.

Atlanta Braves

O'Brien signed a minor league contract with 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

as a non-roster invitee before the 2020 season. He played for the Dominican Republic during the 2020 Caribbean Series. However, he did not play in any MLB games that year 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. O’Brien was added to Atlanta's player pool for the 2020 season. He was released by the Braves organization on August 16, 2020.

Toros de Tijuana

On April 27, 2021, O'Brien signed with the Toros de Tijuana of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 60 games, he hit .258/.303/.554 with 16 home runs and 39 RBIs. O'Brien hit a go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the

Serie del Rey The Serie del Rey () is the annual championship series of the Mexican Baseball League (LMB), held since . The champions from the league's two divisions, the North and South Zones, compete in a best-of-seven series, with the winner being awarded ...

, which culminated in a 3–0 win and the Toros' second league championship.

Pericos de Puebla

On December 24, 2021, O'Brien signed with Pericos de Puebla of the

. O'Brien played in 85 games for Puebla in 2022, hitting .298/.375/.676 with 32 home runs and 78 RBI. In 2023, O'Brien returned to Puebla for a second season. He hit .316/.389/.601 with 20 home runs and 59 RBI in 87 games. With Puebla, O'Brien won his second

championship. O'Brien made 73 appearances for the Pericos in 2024, batting .285/.368/.559 with 16 home runs and 42 RBI. O'Brien was released by Puebla prior to the start of the season on April 16, 2025.

Personal life

O'Brien was born and raised in

Miami Gardens, Florida Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb of Miami and located north of Greater Downtown Miami, downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from Interstate 95 in Florida, I-95 and N ...

. His mother, Mercedes, immigrated from

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and was a former dancer in the Cuban National Ballet. His father, Terry, is an American former college baseball player. O'Brien is bilingual and learned Spanish as his first language.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Peter 1990 births Living people American baseball players of Cuban descent American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from Miami Major League Baseball left fielders Arizona Diamondbacks players Miami Marlins players Bethune–Cookman Wildcats baseball players Miami Hurricanes baseball players Bourne Braves players Gulf Coast Yankees players Staten Island Yankees players Charleston RiverDogs players Tampa Yankees players Trenton Thunder players Mobile BayBears players Reno Aces players Omaha Storm Chasers players Louisville Bats players Frisco RoughRiders players Round Rock Express players Tulsa Drillers players Yaquis de Obregón players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players New Orleans Baby Cakes players Toros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Toros de Tijuana players 21st-century American sportsmen Pericos de Puebla players G. Holmes Braddock Senior High School alumni Leones del Escogido players Criollos de Caguas players Tomateros de Culiacán players