Donald Lutz
| Donald Lutz | |
|---|---|
| Free Agent - No. 23 | |
| First baseman / outfielder | |
| Born: February 6, 1989 Watertown , United States 
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| Strikes: Left | Throws: Right |
| Debut in Major League Baseball | |
| April 29, 2013 at the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics (until the end of the 2014 season) |
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| Batting average | , 211 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs Batted In | 9 |
| Teams | |
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Donald Thomas Lutz (born February 6, 1989 in Watertown , New York ) is a German - American baseball player . He plays on the field position of the first baseman or in the outfield . His contract was terminated by the Cincinnati Reds in June 2015.
Life
Donald Lutz was born in Watertown, USA, to an African American soldier and a German mother. A year later, the parents divorced, so that Lutz grew up with his mother in Friedberg, Hesse . He has been married to Larissa Lutz since 2018.
Career
2005–2008: Career in Germany
Donald Lutz didn't start playing baseball until he was 16. Together with his brother Sascha Lutz, he first played with the Friedberg Braves, then with the Bad Homburg Hornets and the Regensburg Legionnaires and was soon called the "brown Hulk" because of his powerful hits and complexion. He still bears this nickname today. Lutz entered the playoffs for the Buchbinder legionaries in 2008 and became German baseball champions with them.
2008-2013: Minor league career with the Cincinnati Reds
In 2007, the then 19-year-old Lutz was signed by the Cincinnati Reds, for whom he played in minor league baseball until 2013 , when he made the leap into the professional squad in April 2013.
2010-2011: Canberry Cavalry
In the 2010/2011 season Donald Lutz was active for the Canberra Cavalry in the Australian Baseball League .
2013–2014: Major league career with the Cincinnati Reds
On April 29, Lutz made his debut for the Reds, on May 1, 2013 he started for the first time in a game. On May 12, in the Reds game against the Milwaukee Brewers , Lutz hit his first home run in the MLB . On May 23, 2014, Lutz was called back to the team of the Cincinnati Reds to replace the injured Joey Votto . There he came to a total of 7 further appearances in the MLB. After Votto recovered, Lutz played in the Reds' Triple A team. In mid-July, Lutz was called up to the MLB for the second time in 2014 due to ongoing injuries with the Reds and was successful as a pinch hitter in his first game against the Pittsburgh Pirates .
He became the first German to play major league baseball in the regular season after a development in the minor leagues and to start a game after Kai Gronauer had previously played a game in 2010 during the pre-season, spring training . Whether Lutz was the first German ever, as various media reported, is a question of definition, since the German immigrant George Heubel, who was born in the times of the Kingdom of Prussia , played a game for the New York Mutuals of the National League in 1876 , which is still part of the major today League baseball is.
2015-2019: Brisbane Bandits
After the release of his contract by the Cincinnati Reds, Lutz played for the Brisbane Bandits in the Australian Baseball League in the 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons . There he set the season record with 16 home runs in his third season together with TJ Bennett . Despite the previous announcement of the end of his career, he was signed again with the Bandits for the 2018/19 season.
2017: Bravos de León, Kansas City T-Bones
From March 30th to April 12th, 2017 Lutz played for the Bravos de León in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol . From May 4 to 17, 2017, he was active for the Kansas City T-Bones in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.
2018 – present: Hitting Coach with the Arizona League Reds
In January 2018 Donald Lutz was hired by the Arizona League Reds as a hitting coach.
National player for Germany
Lutz is a member of the German national baseball team . His brother Sascha Lutz is also a German national baseball player. In 2012 he played for the German national team at the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Regensburg .
Web links
- Player information and statistics from MLB or ESPN or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or The Baseball Cube or Baseball Reference (Minor League) (English)
- Donald Lutz's player page at the German Baseball and Softball Association
Individual evidence
- ^ Cincinnati Reds dismiss Donald Lutz , Mittelbayerische Zeitung
- ↑ Lutz's unique journey began overseas , MILB.com
- ↑ coaching path beckons for big hitting Lutz . In: NewsComAu . ( com.au [accessed September 7, 2018]).
- ↑ Legionaere take 2-1 lead in German Baseball Finals Mister Baseball September 21, 2008, accessed on September 24, 2015
- ↑ German Baseball and Softball Association: Donald Lutz continues season in Australian Baseball League. November 1, 2010, accessed September 7, 2018 .
- ↑ Lutz's first HR backs terrific Arroyo in sweep. MLB.com, May 12, 2013, accessed December 16, 2013 .
- ↑ Donald Lutz back in the MLB. German Baseball and Softball Association, May 23, 2014, accessed on June 23, 2014 (German).
- ↑ Ehmcke and Solbach in the Pioneer League / Lutz back in Triple-A. German Baseball and Softball Association, June 12, 2014, accessed on June 23, 2014 (German).
- ↑ Donald Lutz back in the MLB. Baseball-Bundesliga.de, July 12, 2014, accessed on July 13, 2014 (German).
- ↑ Lutz gets first big league start in finale , MLB.com: "first German-developed player in the modern major leagues"
- ^ Donald Lutz celebrates historic debut , Süddeutsche Zeitung
- ^ With the 23 in the history books , DBV website
- ↑ George Heubel , baseball-reference.com
- ^ Slugger puts retirement on hold | Australian Baseball League News | The Official Site of the Australian Baseball League. Retrieved September 7, 2018 .
- ^ Slugger puts retirement on hold | Australian Baseball League News | The Official Site of the Australian Baseball League. Retrieved September 7, 2018 .
- ^ Donald Lutz signs with Bravos de Leon in the Mexican League "Mister Baseball. Retrieved September 7, 2018 (American English).
- ↑ Donald Lutz becomes hitting coach on the Cincinnati Reds farm team. German Baseball and Softball Association, January 18, 2018, accessed on January 27, 2018 .
- ↑ Donald Lutz to become first German Major Leaguer - WBSC . In: WBSC . April 29, 2013 ( wbsc.org [accessed September 7, 2018]).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lutz, Donald |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lutz, Donald Thomas (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German-American baseball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 6, 1989 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Watertown , New York |