Poison Ngoepe

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Poison Ngoepe
Richmond Flying Squirrels vs. Altoona Curve (8678487333) (cropped) .jpg
Shortstop / Second Baseman
Born: January 18, 1990
Polokwane , South AfricaSouth AfricaSouth Africa 
Strikes: Right Throws: Right
Debut in Major League Baseball
April 26,  2017  at the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB stats
(through April 19, 2018)
Games    41
Batting average    , 181
RBI    6th
MR    0
Hits    13
SLG    , 236
Teams

Mpho 'Gift Ngoepe (born January 18, 1990 in Polokwane , Limpopo ) is a South African baseball player on the positions of shortstop and second baseman . He plays for the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League (ABL). In 2017, he became the first continental African-born baseball player to make the leap to Major League Baseball (MLB). There he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Toronto Blue Jays .

Life

Ngoepe grew up with his younger brother Victor and later his older brother Chris and his mother Maureen Ngoepe in Randburg , about 10 kilometers from Johannesburg city ​​center . His mother worked in the clubhouse of the local baseball club, the Randburg Mets . The family lived there under simple circumstances in a room in the clubhouse.

Ngoepe's younger brother Victor is also a professional baseball player.

Career

Pittsburgh Pirates

In October 2008, Ngoepe signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was only the sixth South African baseball player to sign a professional baseball contract in the United States. In 2009 Ngoepe played for the rookie Gulf Coast League Pirates, where he had a batting average of .238 with a home run and 9 batted in (RBI) runs in 47 games. At the World Baseball Classic 2009 he played for the South African national team. There he hit two triples in a game against Mexico. On August 10, 2009, Sports Illustrated published an article about him entitled "A Gift From Africa," which discussed his rise to professional baseball and his path to becoming the Pirates. From 2010 to 2013 he played for the State College Spikes and the Bradenton Marauders at single-A level before being promoted to the Altoona Curve , a double-A team for the Pittsburgh Pirates, in 2013 . In 2016 he finally played at triple A level for the Indianapolis Indians.

On April 26, 2017, he made his MLB debut playing a Pirates game against the Chicago Cubs . He got his first hit in the MLB, a single against pitcher Jon Lester .

Toronto Blue Jays

On November 20, 2017, Ngoepe was traded by the Pirates to the Toronto Blue Jays . However, he was appointed to the Triple-A of the Buffalo Bisons on April 20, 2018 . On August 13, 2018, he was released from the organization.

Sydney Blue Sox

About two weeks after being released by the Toronto Blue Jays on August 30, 2018, Ngoepe signed a contract with the Sydney Blue Sox for the 2018/19 season in the ABL.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Meet the history-making MLB player from Africa, Pittsburgh Pirates' Gift Ngoepe | Fox Sports. Retrieved October 3, 2018 (Australian English).
  2. ^ Meet the history-making MLB player from Africa . In: NewsComAu . ( com.au [accessed October 3, 2018]).
  3. ↑ Ngoepe brothers back together with Pirates. Retrieved October 3, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Gift Ngoepe Minor Leagues & Fall Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Gift Ngoepe Minor Leagues & Fall Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018 .
  6. ↑ An African Player Reaches the Majors . ( nytimes.com [accessed October 3, 2018]).
  7. ↑ Bucs' Gift Ngoepe makes history in MLB debut. Retrieved October 3, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Pirates' Ngoepe, 1st African in MLB, gets 1st hit . In: ESPN.com . ( espn.com [accessed October 3, 2018]).
  9. ↑ Blue Jays trade for Pirates' Gift Ngoepe. Retrieved October 3, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Blue Jays call up Gurriel Jr., option Mayza and Ngoepe - Sportsnet.ca . In: Sportsnet.ca . ( sportsnet.ca [accessed October 3, 2018]).
  11. ↑ Blue Sox land former MLB shortstop | Australian Baseball League News | The Official Site of the Australian Baseball League. Retrieved October 3, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Ngoepe, poison
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ngoepe, Mpho 'Poison (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African baseball player in the positions of shortstop and second baseman
DATE OF BIRTH January 18, 1990
PLACE OF BIRTH Polokwane , Limpopo