Ryan Jeffers
Ryan Michael Jeffers (born June 3, 1997) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Ryan Jeffers | |
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![]() Jeffers with the Fort Myers Miracle | |
Minnesota Twins – No. 27 | |
Catcher | |
Born: Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. | June 3, 1997|
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
MLB debut | |
August 20, 2020, for the Minnesota Twins | |
MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |
Batting average | .233 |
Home runs | 38 |
Runs batted in | 112 |
Teams | |
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Amateur career
Jeffers attended Sanderson High School in Raleigh, North Carolina.[1] In 2016, his senior year, he hit .398 with two home runs.[2] Undrafted in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where he walked-on their baseball team.
In 2017, Jeffers' freshman year at UNCW, he appeared in only 13 games, but hit .348 with one home run and five RBIs.[3] That summer, he played in the Coastal Plain League for the Wilmington Sharks.[4] As a sophomore in 2018, he started 52 of 53 games and batted .328 with ten home runs and 32 RBIs,[5] earning First-Team All-CAA honors.[6] After the season, he played for the Upper Valley Nighthawks of the New England Collegiate Baseball League[7][8] where he earned All-Star honors.[9] In 2018, Jeffers' junior season at UNCW, he slashed .315/.460/.635 with 16 home runs and 59 RBIs over 62 starts,[10] earning a First-Team All-CAA selection for the second consecutive year.[11]
Professional career
After his junior year, Jeffers was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round with the 59th overall selection of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18] He signed with the Twins and made his professional debut with the Elizabethton Twins before he was promoted to the Cedar Rapids Kernels in July.[19][20][21] Over 64 games between the two clubs, he slashed .344/.444/.502 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs.[19][22] In 2019, he began the year with the Fort Myers Miracle, with whom he was named a Florida State League All-Star, before being promoted to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in July, with whom he finished the season.[23][24][25] Playing in 103 total games with both teams, Jeffers batted .264/.341/.421 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs.[26]
On August 20, 2020, Jeffers’ contract was selected by the Twins to the active roster.[27] He made his major league debut that same day against the Milwaukee Brewers, recording two hits including one RBI over three at-bats in a 7–1 win.[28] He finished the season batting .273/.355/.436 with three home runs and seven RBIs over 26 games.[29] In 2021 for the Twins, Jeffers slashed .199/.270/.401 with 14 home runs and 35 RBIs over 85 games.[30]
On July 16, 2022, Jeffers was placed on the injured list with a right thumb confusion. On September 27, he was activated off of the injured list.[31] In 67 games for the Twins in 2022, Jeffers hit .208/.285/.363 with 7 home runs and 27 RBI.
Personal life
Jeffers and his wife, Lexi, married in 2019.[32]
References
- "Sanderson baseball unseats Heritage from first | News & Observer News & Observer". Archived from the original on April 25, 2015.
- "Ryan Jeffers - Baseball - UNC Wilmington Athletics". Uncwsports.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- Live, Long (November 14, 2019). "Article: Catching Up With Ryan Jeffers - Twins Minor League Talk". Twins Daily. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- "Wilmington Sharks' Jeffers prepares to always be on the move - News - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC". Starnewsonline.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- Alex Riley StarNews Staff. "UNCW baseball picked as CAA favorites - Sports - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC". Starnewsonline.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- "UNCW's Golden, Royalty take home CAA top honors".
- "Valley News - Nighthawks Notebook: Upper Valley Alumni Selected in MLB Draft". Archived from the original on August 1, 2019.
- "Seahawks Heading To Summer Assignments - UNC Wilmington Athletics". Uncwsports.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- MATTHEW PERRONE, Associated Press / November 18, 2019 (July 23, 2017). "Ten All-Stars On Display as Nighthawks, Mountaineers Split Twin Bill". Mychamplainvalley.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - StarNews Staff (June 5, 2018). "UNCW's Jeffers selected in MLB Draft - Sports - The Courier-Tribune - Asheboro, NC". The Courier-Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- "Seven Seahawks earn All-CAA baseball recognition".
- "UNCW players ready for next step".
- "Twins select two on first day of Draft". MLB.com.
- "Minnesota Twins draft UNCW catcher Ryan Jeffers in 2nd round".
- "UNCW's Ryan Jeffers tabbed by Twins in second round of MLB draft". June 5, 2018.
- "Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Lands with Twins in second round".
- "UNCW's Jeffers selected in MLB Draft".
- "UNCW's Jeffers selected in MLB Draft".
- "'The work starts now': Inside the Twins' plan for second-round pick Ryan Jeffers".
- "Second-rounder Ryan Jeffers laying quick claim to Twins' 'catcher of the future'". August 2, 2018.
- "Baseball News".
- "Five things to know as Twins' minor league camp gets underway". March 6, 2019.
- "Miracle lead FSL with eight All-Stars".
- "Top Prospects Duran and Jeffers Promoted to Pensacola".
- "Former UNCW catcher Ryan Jeffers called up to Double-A". July 27, 2019.
- "Coastal Plain League".
- "Twins promote catcher Ryan Jeffers to make major league debut". August 20, 2020.
- "Former Wahoo Jeffers makes big league debut". August 22, 2020.
- "Expanded role helps Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers settle in". March 24, 2021.
- "Twins position breakdown: Catcher". October 29, 2021.
- "Twins activate Ryan Jeffers with catcher Sandy Leon headed for surgery". startribune.com. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- "Ryan Jeffers Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet