Brendan Donovan
Donovan in 2023.
St. Louis Cardinals – No. 33
Utility player
Born: (1997-01-16) January 16, 1997
Würzburg, Germany
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 25, 2022, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.283
Home runs16
Runs batted in79
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Brendan Michael Donovan (born January 16, 1997) is an American professional baseball utility player for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Born in Würzburg, Germany, and raised in Enterprise, Alabama, Donovan played college baseball at the University of South Alabama before the Cardinals selected him in the seventh round of the 2018 MLB draft. He was a part of their minor league system before making his MLB debut in 2022, becoming a consistent member of their lineup as a utility player. Following the conclusion of his rookie season, he was named the first-ever recipient of the National League Gold Glove Award for a utility player and was also a finalist for National League Rookie of the Year.

Amateur career

Donovan attended and played baseball at Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Alabama, where he batted .467 with four home runs, 44 runs batted in (RBIs), 17 doubles, and six triples as a senior in 2015.[1] He attended the University of South Alabama and played college baseball for the South Alabama Jaguars.[2] In 2017, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[3] In 2018, his junior year, he batted .302 with five home runs and 55 RBIs over 57 games.[4]

Professional career

Minor leagues

Donovan in 2018

The St. Louis Cardinals selected Donovan in the seventh round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[5] He signed with St. Louis and made his professional debut with the State College Spikes of the Class A Short Season New York–Penn League, playing in four games. He spent most of the 2019 season with the Peoria Chiefs of the Class A Midwest League and played in one game with the Memphis Redbirds of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, batting .268 with eight home runs and 53 RBIs over 114 games for the season.[6]

Donovan in 2023

Donovan did not play for a minor league team during the 2020 season, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] He started 2021 with Peoria (now members of the High-A Central) before being promoted to the Springfield Cardinals of the Double-A Central in early June and to Memphis (now members of the Triple-A East) in mid-August.[7] Over 108 games between the three teams, he slashed .304/.399/.455 with 12 home runs and 66 RBIs.[8] Donovan was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs after the season where he was named to the Fall Stars Game.[9] He was selected to the 40-man roster after the season on November 19, 2021.[10] Donovan returned to Memphis to begin the 2022 season.[11]

Major leagues

On April 25, 2022, Donovan was promoted to the major leagues.[12] He made his MLB debut that night against the New York Mets as a pinch runner and scored on a single by Tyler O'Neill.[13] The next night, Donovan made his first major league start; he went 0-for-2 and was hit by a pitch in a 0–3 loss to the Mets.[14] On April 28, 2022, Donovan recorded his first career hit: a pinch-hit single against fellow rookie Tyler Holton of the Arizona Diamondbacks.[15] On May 10, he hit his first MLB home run, off Dillon Tate of the Baltimore Orioles.[16] On September 22, Donovan hit his first career grand slam off of Nick Martinez of the San Diego Padres.[17]

Donovan finished his rookie season batting .281/.394/.379 with five home runs, 45 RBIs, and 21 doubles over 126 games. Defensively, he played left field, right field, first base, second base, shortstop, and third base, and was named the first ever recipient of the National League Gold Glove Award for a utility player.[18] He was named a finalist for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, alongside Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider.[19] He finished in third place as Harris won the award.[20]

In 2023, Donovan played in 95 contests for the Cardinals. In 327 at–bats, he hit .281/.362/.419 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs. On August 2, 2023, it was announced that Donovan would undergo season–ending surgery to repair a flexor tendon injury in his throwing arm.[21]

Personal life

Donovan was born in Würzburg, Germany, when his father was stationed overseas, and represented the Germany national baseball team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic qualification.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "Enterprise's Donovan garners All-America honor".
  2. ↑ "Enterprise's Donovan makes college commitment".
  3. ↑ "#11 Brendan Donovan - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Former Wildcat baseball star drafted by Cardinals".
  5. ↑ "USA's Brendan Donovan drafted by Cardinals in 7th round". June 6, 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Former Enterprise High, University of South Alabama baseball star Brendan Donovan going 'old school' to stay in shape". 7 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "Former Enterprise star Donovan shining in AA". 11 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "Cardinals' prospect Brendan Donovan trying to 'get better' with Fall League experience". November 2021.
  9. ↑ "Cardinals announce 2021 Arizona Fall League selections". MLB.com.
  10. ↑ "Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Joins 40-man roster".
  11. ↑ "Pipeline isn't loaded, but several top-end prospects could help the Cardinals soon".
  12. ↑ "Cardinals option Nootbaar to Memphis, recall Brendan Donovan". 25 April 2022.
  13. ↑ "New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals Box Score, April 25, 2022". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  14. ↑ "New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals Box Score, April 26, 2022". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  15. ↑ "Arizona Diamondbacks at St. Louis Cardinals Box Score, April 28, 2022". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  16. ↑ "Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Homers in loss".
  17. ↑ "Quick Hits: Rookie Brendan Donovan's grand slam lifts Cardinals from shutout slump". stltoday.com. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  18. ↑ Randhawa, Manny (November 1, 2022). "2022 Gold Glove Award winners". MLB.com. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Cards' Arenado, Goldschmidt finalists for MVP; Donovan up for Rookie of the Year".
  20. ↑ "NL Rookie of the Year: Michael Harris II wins honors over Braves teammate Spencer Strider". CBSSports.com. November 15, 2022.
  21. ↑ "What Brendan Donovan's season-ending surgery means for infield, DH at-bats: Cardinals Extra". stltoday.com. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Donovan to play for Germany in World Baseball Classic".
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