Bats Right Throws Right Home runs 6 Height 1.93 m Salary 508,500 USD (2016) | Batting average .176 Runs batted in 12 Weight 107 kg | |
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Similar Nathan Karns, Socrates Brito, Nick Ahmed, Rajai Davis, Drew Storen | ||
Peter Robert O'Brien (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional baseball left fielder for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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Amateur career
O'Brien attended G. Holmes Braddock High School in Miami, Florida. He played for the school's baseball team, and transitioned to catcher during his senior year. Unselected in the 2008 MLB Draft, O'Brien chose to enroll at Bethune-Cookman University, where he played college baseball for the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats team in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). In 2010, he was named MEAC player of the year.
The Colorado Rockies 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 for his senior year, where he played for the Miami Hurricanes baseball team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He was named All-ACC.
Professional career
The New York Yankees 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 and 34 runs batted in. O'Brien started the 2013 season with the Charleston RiverDogs. On June 21, 2013 he was promoted to the Tampa Yankees. After the 2013 season, he competed in the Arizona Fall League.
O'Brien began the 2014 season with the Trenton Thunder of the Class AA Eastern League. The Yankees traded O'Brien to the Arizona Diamondbacks for MartÃn Prado on July 31, 2014. The Diamondbacks assigned him to the Mobile BayBears of the Class AA Southern League. After the 2014 season, the Diamondbacks assigned O'Brien to the Arizona Fall League. The Diamondbacks assigned O'Brien to the Reno Aces of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 2015, and converted him into an outfielder. On July 14, 2015, O'Brien participated in the Triple A Homerun Derby. He finished in 2nd place with a total of 20 homeruns.
O'Brien made his major league debut on September 11, 2015, at Chase Field against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 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. O'Brien was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on December 23, 2016. The Diamondbacks traded O'Brien to the Kansas City Royals for minor leaguer Sam Lewis.