Justin De Fratus
Justin De Fratus | |
---|---|
Relief pitcher | |
Born: Oxnard, California, U.S. | October 21, 1987|
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 18, 2011, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
Last MLB appearance | |
October 3, 2015, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 7–6 |
Earned run average | 4.08 |
Strikeouts | 170 |
Teams | |
Justin Andrew De Fratus (born October 21, 1987), is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2011 to 2015.
De Fratus grew up in
De Fratus has a two-pitch repertoire that consists of a fastball and a slider, the latter of which is his
Early life
Before High School, De Fratus attended Mesa Union School District. He then attended Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, California, from which he graduated in 2005;[1] he was a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. His high school coach, David Soliz, asserted that he could pitch in the major leagues for a long time, saying, "He definitely has the stuff to pitch in the majors. Justin has the stuff, but he also has the confidence. The odds were against him being drafted in the 11th round out of Ventura College."[2] De Fratus was the first Mesa Union, and Rio Mesa player to reach the majors during Soliz's tenure. He went on to attend Ventura College where, like at Rio Mesa, he was a starting pitcher.[2][3]
Professional career
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies selected De Fratus with the 353rd overall pick in the 11th round of the
De Fratus began the 2011 season with Double-A Reading, and was promoted to
By 2013, De Fratus was a regular member of the bullpen, pitching in 58 games with the big-league club; he performed well enough to be considered likely to open the 2014 season firmly implanted in the Phillies bullpen.[1][11] He broke spring training 2014 with the major league team, but after four appearances, he was optioned back to the minor leagues to work on commanding his pitches, notwithstanding the Phillies' dearth of other right-handed relieving options.[12][13] While at Lehigh Valley, he spent a significant amount of time reviewing film from his outings in 2011 and 2012, from which he learned that he had a faster pace when pitching, a more aggressive pitching style, and a lower arm slot.[14] Just under a month later, in late May, he was recalled to the major league team, and had much success (11 consecutive scoreless appearances) as part of a Phillies' bullpen that drastically improved from the beginning of the season, and, statistically, was among the best in the major leagues in early June.[15] De Fratus' drastically improved command helped him halve his career walk rate – he walked just 5.5% of batters he faced in 2014, which contributed to a "breakout" season. Although he was overshadowed by the emergence of fellow relief pitcher Ken Giles, De Fratus established himself as a reliable late-innings reliever for the future.[13]
Seattle Mariners
A free agent following the 2015 season, De Fratus signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners on December 2.[16] He was released on March 16, 2016,[17] and re-signed to a minor league contract the following day.[18]
Texas Rangers
On June 11, 2016, De Fratus was traded to the Texas Rangers.[19]
San Diego Padres
On February 28, 2017, De Fratus signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres.[20] He was released a month later.[21]
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
On April 6, 2017, De Fratus signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Seattle Mariners (Second Stint)
On May 9, 2017, De Fratus signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On February 17, 2018, De Fratus signed a minor league contract with the
Coaching career
After the 2019 season, De Fratus chose to retire from playing to become a minor league coach in the Dodgers system.[25]
On February 23, 2024, De Fratus was announced as a pitching coach for Los Angeles' Triple–A affiliate, the
Pitching style
"That feeling at the end of that inning, that's why us relievers play baseball. That feeling – that's the feeling we chase. And the only way to get that feeling is to get out of a jam. So we invite those situations. You'd rather not deal with them. There's nothing better than a clean scoreless inning. But that feeling you get, that's what you are chasing every time, so every time you feel it, it's an amazing feeling, and you want to feel it as much as possible."
De Fratus summarizing his love for pitching[27]
A fastball and a slider comprise De Fratus's pitching repertoire; his fastball averages about 93 miles per hour (150 km/h), but occasionally touches 95 miles per hour (153 km/h), while his slider is about 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) slower than that.
Personal life
De Fratus is a devout
During the offseason preceding the 2015 season, De Fratus became involved in some controversy involving Phillies blogger Bill Baer and the Black Lives Matter campaign when he tweeted, "I'm sick of this black vs white and men vs women garbage that's been going on. We're just people. #AllLivesMatter," to which Baer responded with a scathing column on Crashburn Alley, a blog affiliated with ESPN, in which he stated that De Fratus is "complicit in perpetuating a system which inflicts violence on those who didn’t have the luxury of being born white and male and straight and in an economically-stable area."[34] Subsequently, De Fratus penned a retort to Baer via Facebook, in which he commented, "I sincerely hope that you will take the time to talk to me personally next time before you decide to hide behind your computer screen and criticize me, my upbringing and my character based on 140 characters. I do not apologize for anything I have said. I have a platform and I WILL use it for the agenda of love."[35]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Clark, Bonnie, ed. (March 2014). 2014 Philadelphia Phillies Media Guide. The Phillies. pp. 80–81.
- ^ a b Manzano, Gilberto (July 5, 2013). "Phillies with a side of mustard". Camarillo Acorn. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Dransfeldt, Jeffrey (June 1, 2013). "Rio Mesa High graduate Justin De Fratus returns to majors calm and confident". Ventura County Star. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Mandel, Ken (June 9, 2007). "Phils keep focus on size as Draft wraps". MLB.com: News. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ "Justin De Fratus Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights". Lehigh Valley IronPigs Stats. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ a b Gelb, Matt (February 23, 2011). "How Phils spell relief: C-o-n-v-e-r-t a s-t-a-r-t-e-r". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Potkey, Rhiannon (September 20, 2011). "De Fratus has a ball in major league debut". Ventura County Star. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Hagen, Paul (January 11, 2011). "RHP De Fratus auditioning for a spot in Phillies bullpen". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Bloom, Barry M. (May 11, 2013). "Phillies option Tyler Cloyd, call up Justin De Fratus for bullpen". phillies.com: News. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Burkhart, Anthony (January 26, 2013). "Golf Helps De Fratus". Republican and Herald. Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015 – via HighBeam Research.
- ^ Bingol, Spencer (November 16, 2013). "Player Review/Preview: Justin De Fratus". That Balls Outta Here. Fansided – a division of Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Zolecki, Todd (April 13, 2014). "De Fratus optioned as Phils call up fresh bullpen arm". phillies.com: News. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
- ^ a b c Landrey, Corinne (October 9, 2014). "2014 Phillies Report Card: Justin De Fratus". Crashburn Alley. SweetSpot Network, an ESPN affiliate. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Joyce, Greg (April 30, 2014). "Lehigh Valley IronPigs reliever Justin De Fratus using film to get back to form". The Express-Times. Easton, Pennsylvania: PennLive. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
- ^ Zolecki, Todd (June 19, 2014). "Bullpen a strength in Phillies' run". The Zo Zone – MLBlogs. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
- ^ "Mariners add bullpen depth, agree to 1-year deal with reliever Justin de Fratus". 2 December 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
- ^ Todd, Jeff (March 16, 2016). "Mariners Release Justin De Fratus". mlbtraderumors.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ^ "Major League Baseball Transactions in March 2016". MLB.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ^ Johns, Greg (June 11, 2016). "Reliever De Fratus dealt to Rangers". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
- ^ "Minor MLB Transactions: 2/28/17". Archived from the original on 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
- ^ Eddy, Matt (March 29, 2017). "MINOR LEAGUE TRANSACTIONS: MARCH 18-24". Baseball America. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ Polishuk, Mark (February 17, 2018). "Minor MLB Transactions: 2/17/18". mlbtraderumors.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
- ^ Lewis, Barry (June 13, 2018). "Five Drillers selected for Texas League All-Star Game". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- ^ a b "Justin De Fratus Minor, Fall, Winter and Independent League Statistics & History". Baseball Reference. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
- ^ "OKC Dodgers Announce 2020 Coaching Staff". milb.com. January 29, 2020. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Dodgers 2024 minor league coaching staffs". truebluela.com. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ The Philadelphia Daily News. Archivedfrom the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ Lee, Alex (October 2, 2013). "Phillies Player Review: Justin De Fratus". 2013 Player Reviews – Phillies Nation. Phillies Nation. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ Montemurro, Miguel (July 30, 2014). "Phillies reliever Justin De Fratus finds comfort zone". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ Carney, Patrick (October 24, 2012). "Mercy vs. Evil and the Major Leagues". FaithWorks. Catholic Relief Services. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Beattie, Trent (February 25, 2014). "Discovering Brotherly Love in Baseball". National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
- ^ Housenick, Mandy (September 19, 2011). "Phillies flat, hit into three double plays as Cole Hamels loses second consecutive start". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
- ^ "Steven DeFratus Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 2015-02-21. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- ^ Baer, Bill (February 9, 2015). "An open letter to Justin De Fratus". Crashburn Alley. SweetSpot Network, an ESPN affiliate. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
- ^ Scott, Kyle (February 11, 2015). "A Phillies pitcher destroyed an obnoxious SABR blogger on social media, and his message will inspire you". Crossing Broad. USA Today Sports Digital Properties. Archived from the original on February 22, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet