Dean Hartgraves

Dean Charles Hartgraves (born August 12, 1966) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played in 1995, 1996, and 1998 with the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants. He threw left-handed but batted right-handed. Hartgraves attended Crater High School in Central Point, Oregon before attending Fresno State University and Portland State University.[1]

Hartgraves was selected by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft.[2] He did not sign that time, but when he was drafted by the Astros in the 20th round of the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft, he did.[3] Between 1987 and 1995, Hartgraves spent his time in the Astros farm system, mostly with Triple-A Tucson and Double-A Jackson. Perhaps his best minor league season was 1992 with Jackson, where he went 9–6 with a 2.76 ERA.[4]

On May 3, 1995, he made his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs at the age of 28. His rookie season was his best wherein 40 games he had a 3.22 ERA.[5] Overall in his career, he would appear in 84 games, with a 4.41 ERA and a 3–0 record. As a batter, he hit .000 in 3 at-bats.[6] He was flawless on the field, committing zero errors.

Hartgraves played his final game in the major leagues on July 23, 1998, against the St. Louis Cardinals.[7] Afterwards, he played in Japan's Pacific League for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 1999.[8]