Deunte Heath facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Deunte Heath |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Heath with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
|
|||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: August 28, 1985 Atlanta, Georgia |
|||
|
|||
| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: September 1, 2012, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| NPB: August 24, 2014, for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: June 19, 2013, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| NPB: September 14, 2019, for the Saitama Seibu Lions | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 0–0 | ||
| Earned run average | 10.24 | ||
| Strikeouts | 4 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 12–10 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.66 | ||
| Strikeouts | 181 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
Deunte Raymon Heath, born on August 28, 1985, is a former professional baseball pitcher from America. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox. He also played in Japan's top league, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), for teams like the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and Saitama Seibu Lions. His first game in MLB was in 2012.
Contents
Early Life and College Baseball
Deunte Heath went to Newton County High School. After high school, baseball teams could pick him to join their organization in a special event called a draft. In 2003, the New York Mets picked him as the 799th player overall. However, he chose not to sign a contract with them.
Instead, he went to Lake City Community College. In his first year, 2004, he won 6 games as a pitcher. He was even named one of the best players in his college conference. That same year, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays picked him in the draft. Again, he decided not to sign and stayed at Lake City Community College.
In his second year, he won 4 games. Experts thought he was one of the top 150 young players for the 2005 MLB Draft. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim picked him in that draft, but he still didn't sign. He then transferred to the University of Tennessee. In his junior year, he had 4 wins and 3 losses, with a 3.86 ERA. (ERA is a stat that shows how many runs a pitcher allows per game).
Professional Baseball Career
Starting with the Atlanta Braves
In 2006, the Atlanta Braves picked Deunte Heath in the 19th round of the MLB draft. This time, he signed his first professional contract. He started playing for their minor league teams. He played for the Single-A Rome Braves and then the High-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
In 2007, he had a great year with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, winning 9 games and losing only 2. This led to him moving up to the Double-A Mississippi Braves. He continued to play for the Mississippi Braves in 2008. Later, he was promoted to the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves. He played in the minor leagues for the Braves organization until April 2010.
Time with the Chicago White Sox
In April 2010, Deunte Heath signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox. He played for their Double-A team, the Birmingham Barons, as a relief pitcher. In 2011, he moved up to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. The White Sox added him to their main roster in November 2011 to protect him from being picked by other teams.
On July 4, 2012, Heath was called up to the Major League Baseball team, the Chicago White Sox. He was sent back to Charlotte a few days later without playing a game. This made him a "phantom ballplayer" for a short time. He was called up again on September 1, 2012, and played in 3 games for the White Sox.
In 2013, Heath played in 5 more games for the White Sox. He later left the White Sox organization in July 2014.
Playing in Mexico and Japan
After his time with the White Sox, Deunte Heath played for several teams. In 2016, he signed with the Vaqueros Laguna in the Mexican League. He then moved to the Pericos de Puebla, also in Mexico, where he became the team's closer. A closer is a pitcher who finishes the game, usually in the last inning, to secure a win. He played for the Pericos de Puebla again in 2017, recording 20 saves.
In 2018, Heath went to Japan and signed with the Toyama Thunderbirds, an independent team. Soon after, he was traded to the Saitama Seibu Lions in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), which is Japan's highest baseball league. He had a good season, winning 4 games and getting 13 saves. He continued to play for the Saitama Seibu Lions in 2019.
Later Career and Retirement
In 2022, Deunte Heath returned to the Mexican League and signed with the Acereros de Monclova. He pitched well for them, with a 3-0 record. In 2023, he played one game for Monclova before his rights were traded to the Saraperos de Saltillo. He had a strong season with Saltillo, winning 7 games and losing 2.
On May 15, 2024, Deunte Heath announced his retirement from professional baseball.
See also
In Spanish: Deunte Heath para niños
