Bobby Dalbec
Boston Red Sox – No. 29
First baseman / Third baseman
Born: (1995-06-29) June 29, 1995 (age 28)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 30, 2020, for the Boston Red Sox
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.231
Home runs46
Runs batted in134
Teams

Robert Vernon Dalbec (born June 29, 1995) is an American professional baseball corner infielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats of the University of Arizona. Listed at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and 227 pounds (103 kg), he bats and throws right-handed.

Amateur career

Dalbec attended Legend High School in Parker, Colorado, where he played for the school's baseball team as a shortstop and a pitcher.[1] He also played on the basketball team during two seasons. He was not selected in the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft due to his strong commitment to attend the University of Arizona.[2] He enrolled as a general studies major.

Dalbec enrolled at Arizona to play college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats as a third baseman, first baseman, and relief pitcher.[2] In his freshman year, he participated in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's home run derby.[3] After his freshman season in 2014, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL),[4] and participated in the league's All Star Home Run Hitting contest.[5] As a sophomore, Dalbec hit .319/.410/.601 with 15 home runs in 213 at bats.[6] Following his sophomore season in 2015, he returned to the Orleans Firebirds, batted .284 with 14 home runs in 33 games,[7] and was named to the CCBL 2015 All-League team.[8] He struggled in his junior year, but began to improve his play later in the season, as the Wildcats made the 2016 College World Series.[9][10][11]

Professional career

Minor leagues

The Boston Red Sox selected Dalbec in the fourth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft.[12] He signed with the Red Sox, receiving a $650,000 signing bonus,[13] and made his professional debut with the Class A Short Season Lowell Spinners, where he spent the whole season, posting a .386/.427/.674 slash line with seven home runs and 33 RBIs in 34 games.

Dalbec spent 2017 with the Greenville Drive of the Class A South Atlantic League,[14] slashing .246/.345/.437 with 13 home runs and 39 RBIs in 78 games as well as batting .259 in seven rehab games with the GCL Red Sox after returning from a wrist injury.[15]

In 2018, Dalbec started season with the Salem Red Sox of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League.[16][17] In 100 games with Salem, he slashed .256/.372/.573 while leading the league with 26 home runs and 85 RBIs in 344 at bats.[18] Dalbec was promoted to the Portland Sea Dogs of the Double-A Eastern League on August 3.[19][20] In September, Dalbec was named both Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the 2018 Minor League Awards announced by the Red Sox.[21] He won the Carolina League Most Valuable Player Award.[21] After the regular season, he played for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.[22]

In 2019, Dalbec began the season with Portland,[23] and was promoted to the Pawtucket Red Sox of the Triple-A International League in early August.[24] Overall during 2019, he slashed .239/.356/.460 with 27 home runs and 73 RBIs in 135 games.[15]

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox added Dalbec to their 40-man roster after the 2019 season.[25] He was optioned to Pawtucket on March 8, 2020.[26] On July 7, the team announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19; he remained asymptomatic.[27] On August 30, Dalbec was added to Boston's active roster following the trade of Mitch Moreland.[28] Dalbec made his MLB debut that day, against the Washington Nationals; his first major league hit was a third-inning home run off of Javy Guerra, coming in his second major league at bat.[29] Through his first 10 major league games, Dalbec hit six home runs, including five straight games with a home run.[30] During the shortened 2020 Red Sox season, Dalbec batted .263 with eight home runs and 16 RBIs in 23 games.[31] Following the 2020 season, Dalbec was ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox' number three prospect.[32]

The Red Sox named Dalbec their starting first baseman for Opening Day in 2021.[33] On July 29, he became the tallest player ever to make an appearance at shortstop for the Red Sox.[34] During August, he batted .339 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs, and was named the AL Rookie of the Month.[35] For the regular season, Dalbec played in 133 games for Boston, batting .240 with 25 home runs and 78 RBIs.[31] He appeared in eight postseason games, batting 0-for-12 as the Red Sox advanced to the American League Championship Series.[31]

Dalbec began 2022 as Boston's primary first baseman. Following a lack of offensive consistency at the position, the team began using outfielder Franchy Cordero at first base in May,[36] then acquired first baseman Eric Hosmer at the trade deadline in early August.[37] On September 4, with a .211 batting average for the season,[38] the team optioned Dalbec to Triple-A to clear roster space for call-up Triston Casas.[39] Dalbec was recalled to Boston on September 22, when Trevor Story was placed on the injured list.[40] For the season, Dalbec batted .215 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs in 117 games for Boston.[31] In 13 games with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, he batted .250 with five home runs and eight RBIs.[41]

In 2023, the Red Sox optioned Dalbec to Worcester for Opening Day.[42] He was recalled to Boston for a week in April,[43] and a week in May.[44][45] Through his first 40 games with Worcester, he was batting .310 with 14 home runs and 35 RBIs.[46] Dalbec was again recalled to Boston for less than a week in the second-half of June.[47][48] In mid-September, Dalbec was recalled by Boston due to an injury to Casas.[49]

International career

On October 10, 2019, Dalbec was selected for the United States national baseball team in the 2019 WBSC Premier 12.[50] He was named the best first baseman in the tournament.[51]

Personal life

Dalbec grew up in Seattle and was a fan of the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, and Oklahoma City Thunder.[52][53] He is interested in the music industry and is able to play the guitar and piano.[54]

References

  1. ^ Casey, Ryan (July 11, 2012). "Legend shortstop Bobby Dalbec commits to Arizona baseball". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Berk, Daniel. "UA baseball: Frosh star Dalbec can play corners, pitch, hit". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  3. ^ Rosenblatt, Zack. "Bobby Dalbec on unlikely College World Series spot for Arizona Wildcats". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "Bobby Dalbec - Profile". Pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  5. ^ "Mariners' Annunziata wins Home Run Hitting Contest". CCBL. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  6. ^ "Bobby Dalbec College, Amateur, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  7. ^ "Bobby Dalbec - Profile". Pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  8. ^ "2015 CCBL Award Winners". CCBL. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  9. ^ Lev, Michael. "Bobby Dalbec continues his late-season surge for Arizona". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  10. ^ Lev, Michael. "Arizona's Bobby Dalbec makes powerful statement — from the mound". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  11. ^ "It's not about Dalbec's bat for Wildcats; it's about his arm". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  12. ^ "Red Sox Draft 2016: Boston selects 3B Bobby Dalbec in fourth round (video)". The Republican. June 10, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  13. ^ "UA star Bobby Dalbec, Red Sox agree to $650K signing bonus". Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  14. ^ Gold, Jon (April 28, 2017). "Former Wildcat Bobby Dalbec knows patience, talent needed to get to The Show | Wildcats". tucson.com. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  15. ^ a b "Bobby Dalbec Stats, Highlights, Bio". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  16. ^ "Salem Red Sox report: Bobby Dalbec looking more like complete hitter | Salem Red Sox". roanoke.com. July 6, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  17. ^ "Boston Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec's 'tremendous power' leading to 400-foot homers with big league exit velocities". masslive.com. July 30, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  18. ^ "2018 Carolina League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  19. ^ Thomas, Kevin (August 3, 2018). "Red Sox power prospect Bobby Dalbec in Portland - Portland Press Herald". Pressherald.com. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  20. ^ "Why Bobby Dalbec is a potentially significant prospect for the Red Sox". Bostonglobe.com. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  21. ^ a b "Minor Notes: Instructs set to begin, award season wraps up". SoxProspects.com. September 17, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  22. ^ "Dalbec breaks out big bat for Mesa". MiLB.com. October 19, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  23. ^ Smith, Christopher (April 2, 2019). "Durbin Feltman, Boston Red Sox hard-throwing prospect, to start 2019 at Double-A Portland with Bobby Dalbec, Tanner Houck, Darwinzon Hernandez". masslive.com.
  24. ^ @alexspeier (August 3, 2019). "Bobby Dalbec has been promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket" (Tweet). Retrieved August 3, 2019 – via Twitter.
  25. ^ Hewitt, Steve (November 20, 2019). "Bobby Dalbec, C.J. Chatham among five Red Sox added to 40-man roster". Boston Herald. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  26. ^ @RedSox (March 8, 2020). "5 players were optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket" (Tweet). Retrieved March 8, 2020 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Doyle, Ricky (August 30, 2020). "Red Sox Prospect Bobby Dalbec Details His Experience With COVID-19". NESN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  28. ^ Simon, Andrew (August 30, 2020). "Sox get 2 prospects for Moreland from SD". MLB.com. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  29. ^ "Nationals vs. Red Sox". ESPN.com. August 30, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  30. ^ "Bobby Dalbec makes history with another home run". WEEI-FM. September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  31. ^ a b c d "Bobby Dalbec Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  32. ^ Speier, Alex (November 12, 2020). "Ranking the top prospects in the Red Sox' farm system". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  33. ^ "Orioles vs. Red Sox". ESPN.com. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  34. ^ Campbell, Lauren (July 29, 2021). "Bobby Dalbec Makes Red Sox History With Appearance At Shortstop". NESN. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  35. ^ Leger, Justin (September 2, 2021). "Red Sox' Bobby Dalbec named AL Rookie of the Month for August". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2021 – via Yahoo Sports.[permanent dead link]
  36. ^ McGuire, Sean T. (June 23, 2022). "Josh Bell to Red Sox? Why Nationals First Baseman Could Be Trade Fit". NESN. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  37. ^ Cotillo, Chris (August 2, 2022). "Boston Red Sox trade for Eric Hosmer from Padres in 4-player deal". masslive.com. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  38. ^ "Red Sox's Bobby Dalbec: Demoted to Triple-A". CBS Sports. September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  39. ^ Browne, Ian (September 4, 2022). "Red Sox call up No. 2 prospect Casas". MLB.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  40. ^ "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. Boston Red Sox. September 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  41. ^ "Bobby Dalbec Amateur, College, Minor & Fall League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  42. ^ "Red Sox roster: Bobby Dalbec optioned to Triple-A, Yu Chang makes team as utility man". masslive.com. January 26, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  43. ^ Deeds, Nick (April 17, 2023). "Red Sox activate RHP Brayan Bello amid series of roster moves". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via yardbarker.com.
  44. ^ "Red Sox Place Infielder Christian Arroyo on 10-Day Injured List". MLB.com (Press release). Boston Red Sox. May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  45. ^ Smith, Christopher (May 13, 2023). "Red Sox roster moves: Trade acquisition joins team, Bobby Dalbec optioned". masslive.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  46. ^ Browne, Ian (June 4, 2023). "Dalbec mashing with Triple-A Worcester". MLB.com. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  47. ^ Roche, Conor (June 23, 2023). "Alex Cora pleads patience for Bobby Dalbec, who re-joined the Red Sox on Friday". Boston.com. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  48. ^ "Red Sox's Bobby Dalbec: Sent back to Worcester". CBS Sports. June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  49. ^ McCarthy, Colin (September 16, 2023). "Red Sox place Triston Casas on 10-day injured list, recall Bobby Dalbec from Triple-A Worcester". Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  50. ^ "USA Baseball Names Premier12 Roster". USA Baseball. October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  51. ^ "Japan's Seiya Suzuki leads amazing All World Team". wbsc.org. November 17, 2019.
  52. ^ "Bobby Dalbec - Baseball".
  53. ^ "Rookie Dalbec mashes his way into Red Sox lineup". March 24, 2021.
  54. ^ "Bobby Dalbec studied videos of Jimi Hendrix, others to learn guitar during COVID shutdown". May 16, 2021.

Further reading

External links

Boston Red Sox current roster
United States roster – 2019 WBSC Premier12
Categories