Scott Van Slyke

1. Early Life

Scott Van Slyke's early life was marked by his family's deep connection to baseball, his upbringing in St. Louis, Missouri, and a notable childhood incident.

Scott Tyler Van Slyke was born on July 24, 1986, in Chesterfield, Missouri. He is the son of Andy Van Slyke, a former All-Star outfielder who played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1983 to 1986, and Lauri Van Slyke. Scott is of Dutch ancestry. He is the second of four children. His older brother, A. J., played in the Cardinals' minor league system from 2005 to 2008. His younger brother, Jared Van Slyke, later became a football player for the University of Michigan.

1.2. Childhood and Education

Van Slyke grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where he began playing baseball at the age of five. He attended John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri. During his time there, he excelled in baseball and was recognized as the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year in 2005, a significant achievement prior to his professional career.

1.3. Childhood Incident

At the age of seven, Scott Van Slyke was involved in a significant childhood event when he rescued his three-year-old brother, Jared, from drowning. The incident occurred in a hot tub near the Pittsburgh Pirates' spring training camp in Bradenton, Florida, where his father was playing.

2. Playing Career

Scott Van Slyke's professional baseball career encompassed his development through the minor league system, his time in Major League Baseball, and his experiences in international leagues.

2.1. Minor League Career

Van Slyke's professional journey began after being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, leading him through various minor league teams where he developed his skills and earned several accolades.

2.1.1. Draft and Debut

Scott Van Slyke was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2005 MLB Draft, as the 436th overall pick. Following his draft, he made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Dodgers in 2005, appearing in 24 games and achieving a batting average of .282.

2.1.2. Minor League Achievements

Throughout his minor league career, Van Slyke played for several teams, including the Ogden Raptors in 2006, the Great Lakes Loons in 2007 and 2008, and the Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino in 2008 and 2009. He was promoted to the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes at the end of the 2009 season and was named to the California League Post-season All-Star team in the same year.

He started the 2010 season with the Chattanooga Lookouts in the Double-A Southern League, returning to Albuquerque to conclude the season. In 2011, he continued with Chattanooga, where he began to spend more time playing first base. That year, he was selected for the mid-season All-Star game and earned the MVP award. He was also named a post-season all-star. In 130 games, he posted a batting average of .348, along with 20 home runs and 92 RBI. He led the Southern League in batting average for the 2011 season and was recognized as the Dodgers' "Minor League Player of the Year." Following this successful season, he was added to the Dodgers' 40-man roster.

2.2. Major League Baseball Career

Van Slyke's Major League Baseball career primarily unfolded with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he played a variety of roles, followed by brief stints with other teams.

2.2.1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Van Slyke received his first call-up to the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 9, 2012. He made his MLB debut on the same night as a pinch hitter, recording an RBI single in his first at-bat. This made him the first Dodger to achieve a pinch-hit RBI in his first at-bat since Carl Warwick in 1961. On May 20, 2012, he hit his first Major League home run as a pinch hitter against St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Marc Rzepczynski. This three-run home run, hit on a 3-0 count, secured a 6-5 game-winning lead for the Dodgers.

On June 1, 2012, Van Slyke was part of a historic Dodgers lineup that featured the sons of five former Major Leaguers, including Tony Gwynn Jr., Iván DeJesús Jr., Dee Gordon, and Jerry Hairston Jr.. This marked the first time in Major League history that such a lineup occurred, and also the first time for a starting infield composed entirely of sons of former major leaguers, with Van Slyke at first base, Hairston at second, De Jesus at third, and Gordon at shortstop. In total, he played in 27 games with the Dodgers in 2012, hitting .167 with 2 home runs. In 95 games with Albuquerque, he hit .327 with 18 homers and 67 RBI. After the AAA season, he played with the Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.

Van Slyke was designated for assignment on December 12, 2012, and removed from the 40-man roster. However, he started the 2013 season strong with Albuquerque, hitting .397 with 9 home runs and 30 RBI in 34 games. The Dodgers repurchased his contract on May 10, 2013, bringing him back to the Majors. He split his time between Albuquerque and Los Angeles for the remainder of the season, hitting .240 with 7 home runs and 19 RBI for the Dodgers. A significant moment in his 2013 season was a pinch-hit walk-off home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 10.

In 2014, Van Slyke served as a backup in a competitive Dodgers outfield that included prominent players like Yasiel Puig, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, and Carl Crawford. He frequently started in a platoon role against left-handed pitching, initially with Ethier and later with Crawford. He concluded the 2014 regular season with a .297 batting average, 8 home runs, and 29 RBI in 98 games. He led the team in both slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging (OPS).

In 2015, Van Slyke played in 96 games, hitting .239/.317/.383 with six home runs and 30 RBI. His performance was affected by persistent issues with his left mid-back and right wrist throughout much of the season. Following the 2015 season, he signed a one-year, 1.23 M USD contract with the Dodgers for 2016, avoiding salary arbitration.

His injury struggles continued into 2016, limiting him to just 52 games where he hit .225/.292/.314 with one home run and seven RBI. A back injury hampered him early in the season, and his right wrist injury recurred, effectively ending his season in early August. In late August, he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his wrist to address the issue. On December 1, 2016, he signed another one-year contract with the Dodgers for 1.32 M USD to avoid arbitration and remain with the team for the 2017 season.

2.2.2. Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins

On July 31, 2017, Van Slyke was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, along with minor league catcher Hendrik Clementina, in exchange for pitcher Tony Cingrani. However, his tenure with the Reds was brief. On August 9, 2017, he was designated for assignment by the Reds. He subsequently signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins on January 13, 2018, and was invited to their spring training.

2.3. International League Career

After his time in Major League Baseball, Scott Van Slyke continued his professional career in international leagues, including South Korea and Mexico.

2.3.1. KBO League (Doosan Bears)

On June 26, 2018, Van Slyke signed with the Doosan Bears of the KBO League in South Korea. He was brought in as a replacement for the struggling foreign hitter Jimmy Paredes. In his KBO League debut, Van Slyke recorded his first hit and first RBI, showing a promising start. However, his batting performance quickly declined, and he also suffered a back injury. He played in 12 games, hitting just .128 with one home run and four RBI. Due to his struggles and injury, the Doosan Bears waived him on September 20, 2018. He was subsequently replaced by Jose Miguel Fernandez.

Year	Team	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	TB	RBI	SB	CS	SH	SF	BB	IBB	HBP	SO	GDP	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
MLB Total: 6 years		355	869	760	84	184	44	1	29	317	95	11	6	2	8	85	4	14	223	20	.242	.326	.417	.744
KBO Total: 1 year		12	44	39	1	5	1	0	1	9	4	0	0	0	1	4	0	0	6	2	.128	.205	.231	.435

1. Early Life

1.1. Birth and Family