Dalton Pompey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dalton Pompey |
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Pompey with the Toronto Blue Jays
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| Free agent | |||
| Centre fielder | |||
| Born: December 11, 1992 Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
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| debut | |||
| September 2, 2014, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2018 season) |
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| Batting average | .221 | ||
| Home runs | 3 | ||
| Runs batted in | 10 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Dalton Kenrick Pompey (born December 11, 1992) is a Canadian professional baseball player. He plays as a centre fielder. Dalton has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays. He is currently a free agent.
After playing for five seasons in the minor leagues, Dalton made his MLB debut on September 2, 2014. He was one of the few players born in Ontario to play for the Blue Jays. He left the team in 2019. Dalton played for several other teams before he stopped playing baseball in 2022. However, he started playing again for the Guelph Royals in 2024.
Contents
Professional Baseball Journey
Starting with the Toronto Blue Jays
Dalton Pompey was chosen by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2010 MLB draft. He was drafted from John Fraser Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario. He started his professional career with the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays that same year.
In his first professional games, he hit .191 with two home runs. He also had five runs batted in (RBI). In 2011, Dalton continued to play in the Gulf Coast League. He also played for the Bluefield Blue Jays. That year, he played 60 games. He hit .239 with five home runs and 17 RBI. He also stole 23 bases.
In 2012, Dalton played in only 20 games because he broke his left hand. He played for Bluefield, the Vancouver Canadians, and the Lansing Lugnuts. He hit .286 with eight RBI and five stolen bases. He returned to Lansing in 2013 and played 115 games. He finished the year hitting .261 with six home runs. He also had 40 RBI and 38 stolen bases. After the season, he won a minor league Gold Glove Award. This award is for excellent fielding, and he played the whole season without making an error.
Rising Through the Ranks
Dalton started the 2014 season with the Dunedin Blue Jays. He was chosen for the 2014 All-Star Futures Game on June 24, 2014. Before this, he had a great batting average of .313 in 67 games. He also had six home runs and 27 stolen bases.
Dalton was promoted to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats on June 27, 2014. Later, on August 20, he moved up to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. The Blue Jays also announced that Dalton would play in the Arizona Fall League after the 2014 season. He finished the 2014 minor league season with a .313 batting average. He also had nine home runs, 52 RBI, and 43 stolen bases in 112 games. On September 3, 2014, he was named to Baseball America's Second Team All-Stars.
Major League Debut
On September 1, 2014, Dalton was called up to the Blue Jays' main team. He made his MLB debut on September 2 against the Tampa Bay Rays. He entered the game as a pinch-runner. After a few more times as a pinch-runner, Dalton had his first turn at bat on September 10. This was against the Chicago Cubs, and he got an RBI.
On September 19, Dalton got his first Major League hit. It was a single against New York Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda. Three days later, he had his first MLB game with multiple hits and a run. This was in a big 14–4 win over the Seattle Mariners. The next day, Dalton hit his first career home run. It was a solo shot off Mariners star pitcher Félix Hernández.
On September 26, Dalton had one of his best games against the Baltimore Orioles. He scored two runs and had two RBI. He hit his first double and two triples. He became the third Blue Jays rookie to hit two triples in one game.
Playing in the Big Leagues
Before the 2015 season, MLB ranked Dalton as a top prospect. He was the number two prospect for the Blue Jays. He was also the 7th best outfield prospect and 43rd overall prospect in baseball. Dalton started the 2015 season as the main centre fielder for the Blue Jays.
He had a tough start to the season, hitting only .193 in 23 games. So, on May 2, he was sent back to Triple-A Buffalo. He continued to struggle there and was sent to Double-A New Hampshire on June 6. On September 1, Dalton was called back up to the Blue Jays. He played in 34 games in the 2015 regular season. He hit .223 with two home runs, six RBI, and five stolen bases. Dalton was on the Blue Jays' team for the playoffs. He mostly played as a pinch runner. In five playoff games, he got one hit and stole four bases.
Dalton went to spring training in 2016. He was sent to the minor league camp on March 18. He played with the Buffalo Bisons until September 1. Then, he was called up by the Blue Jays again. Dalton played in eight games for the Blue Jays in 2016. He was mostly a pinch runner. He scored three runs and stole two bases. He was on the team for the 2016 American League Wild Card Game but did not play. He was later added to the 2016 American League Championship Series roster.
Injuries and Other Teams
During the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Dalton got a concussion while sliding into second base. He was placed on the disabled list by the Blue Jays. He did not play for Toronto during the 2017 season.
On May 4, 2018, Dalton returned to the major leagues for the first time since 2016. This was in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. On May 12, he was sent back to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. In a game for Buffalo on May 29, 2018, Dalton hurt his left thumb. He did not play in the majors again that year as he recovered.
Before a spring training game on March 21, 2019, Dalton hit his head on some bats in his locker. He was diagnosed with another concussion and placed on the injured list. On July 23, 2019, Dalton was removed from the team's main roster. He spent the rest of 2019 in the minor leagues. On November 4, 2019, Dalton became a free agent.
After the Blue Jays
Dalton signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks on February 24, 2020. He did not play any games for them because the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 22, the Diamondbacks released him.
In July 2020, Dalton played for the Sugar Land Lightning Sloths. This was a special independent league created because of the pandemic. He played in 4 games and got only 1 hit.
On April 21, 2021, Dalton signed with the Québec Capitales. However, before their season started, he signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels. In 2021, Dalton played for the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas and the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. He hit .276 with 5 home runs and 12 RBI. On August 25, the Angels released him.
Playing for the Guelph Royals
On March 25, 2022, Dalton signed with the Guelph Royals. In 30 games for the team, he hit .381 with five home runs. He also had 22 RBI and 13 stolen bases. Dalton announced he was stopping baseball after the 2022 season. He wanted to start a career in emergency services.
However, on July 24, 2024, Dalton decided to play baseball again. He re-signed with the Royals. He became a free agent after that season.
Playing for Canada
Dalton has played for the Canada national baseball team several times. He played in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He also played in the 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier and the 2019 WBSC Premier12.
About Dalton's Life
Dalton's parents are Ken and Valerie Pompey. They taught him how to switch-hit when he was only three years old. He has a brother named Tristan and a sister named Kayla. Tristan is also a professional baseball player and has played for the Guelph Royals.
Dalton's father, Ken, was known as the dancing cowboy on a Canadian TV show called Electric Circus. A brewery even made a special drink called Electric Circus Tropical Pale Ale in his honor.
In 2023, Dalton Pompey joined the Hamilton Police Service. He now works as a police officer.
