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Ryan Jeffers

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Ryan Jeffers
Jeffers with the Fort Myers Miracle
Minnesota Twins – No. 27
Catcher / Designated hitter
Born: (1997-06-03) June 3, 1997 (age 27)
Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 20, 2020, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
(through August 23, 2024)
Batting average.234
Home runs58
Runs batted in171
Teams

Ryan Michael Jeffers (born June 3, 1997) is an American professional baseball catcher and designated hitter for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020.

Amateur career

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Jeffers attended Sanderson High School in Raleigh, North Carolina.[1] In 2015, his senior year, he hit .398 with two home runs.[2] Undrafted in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where he walked-on to the UNC Wilmington Seahawks baseball team.[3]

In 2017, Jeffers' freshman year at UNC Wilmington, he appeared in only 13 games, but hit .348 with one home run and five RBIs.[4] That summer, he played in the Coastal Plain League for the Wilmington Sharks.[5] As a sophomore in 2018, he started 52 of 53 games and batted .328 with ten home runs and 32 RBIs,[6] earning First-Team All-CAA honors.[7] After the season, he played for the Upper Valley Nighthawks of the New England Collegiate Baseball League[8][9] where he earned All-Star honors.[10] In 2018, Jeffers' junior season at UNCW, he slashed .315/.460/.635 with 16 home runs and 59 RBIs over 62 starts,[11] earning a First-Team All-CAA selection for the second consecutive year.[12]

Professional career

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After his junior year, Jeffers was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round with the 59th overall selection of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19] He signed with the Twins and made his professional debut with the Elizabethton Twins before he was promoted to the Cedar Rapids Kernels in July.[3][20][21] Over 64 games between the two clubs, he slashed .344/.444/.502 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs.[3][22] In 2019, he began the year with the Fort Myers Miracle, with whom he was named a Florida State League All-Star, before being promoted to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in July, with whom he finished the season.[23][24][25] Playing in 103 total games with both teams, Jeffers batted .264/.341/.421 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs.[26]

On August 20, 2020, Jeffers’ contract was selected by the Twins to the active roster.[27] He made his major league debut that same day against the Milwaukee Brewers, recording two hits including one RBI over three at-bats in a 7–1 win.[28] He finished the season batting .273/.355/.436 with three home runs and seven RBIs over 26 games.[29] In 2021 for the Twins, Jeffers slashed .199/.270/.401 with 14 home runs and 35 RBIs over 85 games.[30]

On July 16, 2022, Jeffers was placed on the injured list with a right thumb contusion. On September 27, he was activated off of the injured list.[31] In 67 games for the Twins in 2022, Jeffers hit .208/.285/.363 with 7 home runs and 27 RBI.

Personal life

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Jeffers and his wife, Lexi, married in 2019.[32]

References

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  1. ^ "Sanderson baseball unseats Heritage from first | News & Observer News & Observer". Archived from the original on April 25, 2015.
  2. ^ "Ryan Jeffers - Baseball - UNC Wilmington Athletics". Uncwsports.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "'The work starts now': Inside the Twins' plan for second-round pick Ryan Jeffers".
  4. ^ Live, Long (November 14, 2019). "Article: Catching Up With Ryan Jeffers - Twins Minor League Talk". Twins Daily. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  5. ^ "Wilmington Sharks' Jeffers prepares to always be on the move - News - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC". Starnewsonline.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  6. ^ Alex Riley StarNews Staff. "UNCW baseball picked as CAA favorites - Sports - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC". Starnewsonline.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  7. ^ "UNCW's Golden, Royalty take home CAA top honors".
  8. ^ "Valley News - Nighthawks Notebook: Upper Valley Alumni Selected in MLB Draft". Archived from the original on August 1, 2019.
  9. ^ "Seahawks Heading To Summer Assignments - UNC Wilmington Athletics". Uncwsports.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  10. ^ MATTHEW PERRONE, Associated Press / November 18, 2019 (July 23, 2017). "Ten All-Stars On Display as Nighthawks, Mountaineers Split Twin Bill". Mychamplainvalley.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ StarNews Staff (June 5, 2018). "UNCW's Jeffers selected in MLB Draft - Sports - The Courier-Tribune - Asheboro, NC". The Courier-Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  12. ^ "Seven Seahawks earn All-CAA baseball recognition".
  13. ^ "UNCW players ready for next step".
  14. ^ "Twins select two on first day of Draft". MLB.com.
  15. ^ "Minnesota Twins draft UNCW catcher Ryan Jeffers in 2nd round".
  16. ^ "UNCW's Ryan Jeffers tabbed by Twins in second round of MLB draft". June 5, 2018.
  17. ^ "Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Lands with Twins in second round".
  18. ^ "UNCW's Jeffers selected in MLB Draft".
  19. ^ "UNCW's Jeffers selected in MLB Draft".
  20. ^ "Second-rounder Ryan Jeffers laying quick claim to Twins' 'catcher of the future'". August 2, 2018.
  21. ^ "Baseball News".
  22. ^ "Five things to know as Twins' minor league camp gets underway". March 6, 2019.
  23. ^ "Miracle lead FSL with eight All-Stars".
  24. ^ "Top Prospects Duran and Jeffers Promoted to Pensacola".
  25. ^ "Former UNCW catcher Ryan Jeffers called up to Double-A". July 27, 2019.
  26. ^ "Coastal Plain League".
  27. ^ "Twins promote catcher Ryan Jeffers to make major league debut". August 20, 2020.
  28. ^ "Former Wahoo Jeffers makes big league debut". August 22, 2020.
  29. ^ "Expanded role helps Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers settle in". March 24, 2021.
  30. ^ "Twins position breakdown: Catcher". October 29, 2021.
  31. ^ "Twins activate Ryan Jeffers with catcher Sandy Leon headed for surgery". startribune.com. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  32. ^ "Ryan Jeffers Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
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