Travis Demeritte

Travis Timothy Demeritte (born September 30, 1994) is an American professional baseball second baseman and outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves.

Travis Demeritte
Free agent
Second baseman / Outfielder
Born: (1994-09-30) September 30, 1994
New York City, New York, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 3, 2019, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
(through 2022 season)
Batting average.216
Home runs6
Runs batted in20
Teams

Career

Texas Rangers

Demeritte was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft out of Winder-Barrow High School in Winder, Georgia.[1][2] Demeritte made his professional debut with the Arizona League Rangers and spent all of 2013 there, batting .285 with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 39 games.[3] In 2014, he played for the Hickory Crawdads where he batted .211 with 25 home runs and 66 RBIs in 118 games, and began playing second base regularly, having moved from his natural position as shortstop.[4][5] In 2015, Demeritte returned to Hickory. That June, he tested positive for Furosemide, and was suspended for eighty games.[6] While serving the suspension, Demeritte played in the Dominican Republic and for the Adelaide Bite of the Australian Baseball League, setting the league's single season record for games played (56) and strikeouts (60).[7] Upon his return to Minor League Baseball, Demeritte was demoted to the Spokane Indians, where he finished the season.[3] In 53 games between Hickory and Spokane he batted .232 with five home runs and 19 RBIs. Demeritte began 2016 with the High Desert Mavericks.[8][9] In a June 2016 game, against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Demeritte was hit by a pitch, an action which caused a bench-clearing brawl.[10] The next month, he appeared in the All-Star Futures Game.[3]

Atlanta Braves

On July 27, 2016, the Rangers traded Demeritte to the Braves for Lucas Harrell and Darío Álvarez.[11][12] He was assigned to the Carolina Mudcats.[13] In 123 games between High Desert and Carolina he slashed .266/.361/.554 with 28 home runs and 70 RBIs.[14] During the 2016 offseason, Demeritte was assigned to the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League.[15][16] He spent 2017 with the Mississippi Braves where he compiled a .231 batting average with 15 home runs and 45 RBIs in 124 games,[14][17] and he returned to Mississippi in 2018,[18][19] slashing .222/.316/.416 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 128 games.[14] During the 2018 season, Demeritte began playing the outfield.[20] At the end of the season, Demeritte was named the Mississippi Braves player of the year.[21] He began 2019 with the Gwinnett Stripers.[22][23] At midseason, Demeritte was selected to the Triple-A All-Star Game.[24]

Detroit Tigers

On July 31, 2019, Demeritte and pitcher Joey Wentz were traded to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Shane Greene.[25][26] At the time of the trade, he was hitting .286 with 24 home runs and 74 RBI for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. On August 1, the Tigers selected Demeritte's contract and promoted him to the major leagues to take the place of outfielder Nicholas Castellanos, who was also traded on July 31.[27]

2019

Demeritte made his major league debut on August 2 versus the Texas Rangers, hitting a triple off Lance Lynn for his first MLB hit.[28] On August 8 against the Kansas City Royals, Demeritte hit his first major league home run off Josh Staumont.[29] In 169 at-bats for the 2019 Tigers, Demeritte hit .225 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI.

2020

Demeritte started the 2020 season in the Tigers’ alternate training site, which replaced the minor leagues in the COVID-19 shortened season.[30] He was called up from the training site on July 31, 2020, to replace an injured player.[31] Overall with the 2020 Detroit Tigers, Demeritte batted .172 with no home runs and 4 RBIs in 18 games.[32]

2021

On February 5, 2021, Demeritte was designated for assignment following the signing of Jonathan Schoop.[33]

Atlanta Braves (second stint)

On February 12, 2021, Demeritte was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves.[34] On February 21, 2021, Demeritte was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and assigned to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers.[35] Demeritte hit .282/.363/.575 with 21 home runs and 57 RBI in 81 games for Triple-A Gwinnett.

On November 6, 2021, the Braves selected Demeritte's contract to the 40-man roster,[36] and on April 20, 2022, the Braves called Demeritte up from the minors.[37] On April 29, Demeritte hit an inside-the-park home run against the Texas Rangers, the first inside-the-park home run in Globe Life Field history.[38]

On August 16, 2022, Demeritte was designated for assignment.[39] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett on August 19.[40] On October 17, Demeritte elected free agency.

Personal life

Demeritte's parents, Trent Demeritte and Felecia Rodgers, live in Winder, Georgia.[41]

References
  1. Durrett, Richard (7 June 2013). "3B Travis Demeritte picked by Rangers at 30". Espn.go.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  2. Wills, Todd (2013-06-11). "Rangers sign 1st-rounders Gonzalez, Demeritte". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  3. "Travis Demeritte Impresses at Futures Game". MILB.com. July 21, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  4. Pope, Ben (August 5, 2016). "Trade sends Demeritte back to familiar territory". News & Observer. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  5. Cox, Aaron (March 26, 2014). "'Dads 2014 Opening Day Roster Released". MILB.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  6. Wild, Danny (June 4, 2015). "Rangers' Demeritte suspended 80 games". MILB.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  7. Wilson, Jeff (July 10, 2016). "Rangers prospect Travis Demeritte remaking himself after ban". Star-Telegram. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  8. "Texas Rangers release 2016 High Desert Mavericks roster". MILB.com. March 29, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  9. Jackson, Josh (June 18, 2016). "Deuces wild for Mavericks' Demeritte". MILB.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  10. Spratling, Shotgun (June 26, 2016). "Dodgers minor league team gets in benches-clearing brawl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  11. Bowman, Mark (July 28, 2016). "Braves thrilled to reel in power prospect". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  12. Tripodi, Chris (July 27, 2016). "Braves acquire Demeritte for Harrell, Alvarez". MILB.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  13. "Mudcats stifled by Bacus and P-Nats". MILB.com. July 29, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  14. "Travis Demeritte Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  15. Eddy, Matt (October 17, 2016). "Minor League Transactions: Oct. 8-13". Baseball America. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  16. Vasquez, Nicole (October 31, 2016). "Demeritte's home run powers Salt River in rout". MLB.com. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  17. Hudgens, Chris (April 4, 2017). "Mississippi Braves reveal 2017 Opening Day roster". WLBT. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  18. "M-Braves announce Opening Day roster". MILB.com. April 5, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  19. Cleveland, Tyler (April 3, 2018). "M-Braves skipper Chris Maloney's career comes full-circle in Pearl". Clarion Ledger. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  20. Friedlander, David (April 13, 2019). "Early results indicate happy homecoming for Stripers' Travis Demeritte in 2019". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  21. "Demeritte and Toussaint named M-Braves Players of the Year". MILB.com. September 18, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  22. Lezotte, Dave (April 3, 2019). "Gwinnett Stripers announce 2019 opening night roster". Gwinnett Daily Post. MILB.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019. Alt URL
  23. "Stripers stun Bats on Travis Demeritte's ninth-inning double". Gwinnett Daily Post. April 13, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  24. "Gwinnett's Demeritte, Rowen selected for Triple-A All-Star Game". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. June 27, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  25. "Braves add closer Greene, Melancon to fortify pen". ESPN.com. July 31, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  26. Bowman, Mark (July 31, 2019). "Braves bolster bullpen with Greene, Melancon". MLB.com. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  27. "Tigers' Travis Demeritte: Summoned to majors". cbssports.com. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  28. Fenech, Anthony (August 2, 2019). "Detroit Tigers observations: Travis Demeritte triples in debut". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  29. Beck, Jason (August 8, 2019). "Mercer's 1st walk-off HR caps slugfest with KC". MLB.com. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  30. "Tigers' Travis Demeritte: Optioned to alternate camp". CBSSports.com. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  31. "Tigers recall outfielder Travis Demeritte from Toledo". mlive. 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  32. "Travis Demeritte Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  33. Woodbery, Evan (February 5, 2021). "Tigers confirm signing of Jonathan Schoop, drop outfielder". Booth Newspapers. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  34. Burns, Gabriel (February 12, 2021). "Braves claim INF/OF Travis Demeritte off waivers". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  35. Burns, Gabriel (February 21, 2021). "Braves signing Jake Lamb to bolster bench". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  36. "Braves decline 2022 options on Josh Tomlins,make other moves". Yardbreaker.com. 6 November 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  37. "Braves' Travis Demeritte: Moves up to big club". CBSSports.com. April 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  38. Vedia, Arianna (April 30, 2022). "Braves' win is perfect birthday gift for Wash". MLB.com. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  39. "Atlanta Braves recall pitching prospect Freddy Tarnok, veteran infielder Ryan Goins". ESPN.com. August 16, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  40. "Outrights: Demeritte, Walker". mlbtraderumors.com. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  41. Torres, Maria (April 22, 2022). "Braves notebook: Travis Demeritte's long-awaited Atlanta debut, Kyle Wright's dominant curve and more". The Athletic. Retrieved November 14, 2022. Demeritte's parents, who are from nearby Winder, Ga., each wore a white Braves jersey with his last name on the back. It was almost too easy to draw the right conclusion. But the usher almost certainly would have been able to recognize the proud parents if they'd worn other attire; they were focusing their phones on Demeritte's every move, after all. "Not many kids make it," Demeritte's mother, Felecia Rodgers, said after her son hit that earlier double and flashed the Braves' signature sword-slashing gesture at the home dugout. "(For him) to be one of those, yeah. I'm very proud of him. ... You gotta think about it. As a parent, you're supporting their dreams and you're giving up a lot. When they make it, it's like you've done something."..."He just knew that if he kept doing what he was doing, (another opportunity to play in the big leagues) would have to come," said Trent, Demeritte's father.
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