| Cameron Rupp | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Rupp with the Phillies in 2016 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: September 28, 1988 Dallas, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 10, 2013, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 2017, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .234 |
| Home runs | 39 |
| Runs batted in | 124 |
| Teams | |
Cameron Arthur Rupp (born September 28, 1988) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2013 to 2017.
Rupp attended Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Rupp in the 43rd round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign with the Pirates.[citation needed]
Rupp enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin and played college baseball for the Texas Longhorns. In 54 games as a freshman, he batted .309 with four home runs and 32 runs batted in (RBIs) and had a .990 fielding percentage. He was named a Freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Louisville Slugger. That summer, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League. In 63 games as a sophomore, he hit .292 with a team-high 11 home runs and 46 RBIs during their College World Series runner-up season and was named to the All-College World Series team. That summer he played for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.[1][2][3] In 63 games as a junior, Rupp hit .304 with 10 home run and 54 RBIs.[citation needed]
The Philadelphia Phillies selected Rupp in the third round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft.[4][5] Rupp signed with the Phillies and was assigned to the Williamsport Crosscutters of the Class A-Short Season New York-Penn League. In 55 games, he hit .218 with five home runs and 28 RBIs. Rupp played for the Lakewood BlueClaws of the Class A South Atlantic League in 2011. In 99 games, he hit .272 with four home runs and 44 RBIs, and struck out 96 times.[citation needed]
Rupp played the 2012 season with the Clearwater Threshers of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, where in 104 games, he hit .267 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs. Rupp began the 2013 season with the Reading Fightin Phils of the Class AA Eastern League, where in 41 games, he hit .245 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs before being promoted to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the Class AAA International League in early June. In 53 games for the IronPigs, he hit .269 with six home runs and 24 RBIs.[citation needed]
On September 3, Rupp was promoted to the major leagues by the Phillies.[6] In his first start, he recorded his first hit, off of Andrew Cashner, and later scored his first run. He started three games at catcher, and made one appearance as a pinch hitter. He hit 4-for-13 (.308) with two RBIs. After the season, he played for the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League.[citation needed]
Rupp began the 2015 season as the Phillies' backup catcher, but by the end of June, with primary catcher Carlos Ruiz struggling and Rupp's performance starting to improve, Rupp began to see increased playing time. On June 23, 2015, Rupp hit his first major league home run off New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia.[citation needed] When Ruiz was traded in 2016, Rupp officially became the Phillies starting catcher. He batted .217 in 2017, his only full season as starting catcher.[7]
In January 2018, the Phillies and Rupp avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a salary of $2.08 million for the 2018 season.[8] Rupp was released by the Phillies on March 26, 2018.[9]
On April 3, 2018, Rupp signed a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers.[10] On June 1, he exercised the opt-out clause in his contract and was granted his release.[11]
On June 4, 2018, Rupp signed a minor-league deal with the Minnesota Twins.[12] Rupp was released on July 11, 2018.
On July 16, 2018, Rupp signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.
On December 7, 2018, Rupp signed a minor-league deal with the San Francisco Giants that included an invitation to spring training.[13]
On March 8, 2019, Rupp was traded to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for cash considerations.[14] He was released on May 13, 2019.
On May 18, 2019, Rupp signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.[15]
On February 7, 2020, Rupp signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians with an invitation to major league spring training.[16]
In July 2020, Rupp signed on to play for Team Texas of the Constellation Energy League (a makeshift 4-team independent league created as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic) for the 2020 season.[17]
Rupp signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians on August 3, 2020, joining the Indians' player pool for the 2020 season.[18] He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.
