Stefan Robert Welch (born 12 August 1988 in Adelaide, Australia) is an Australian professional baseball first baseman for the Adelaide Bite of the Australian Baseball League. He Had played for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox organisations.
| Stefan Welch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Adelaide Bite – No. 26 | |
| Third baseman / First baseman | |
| Born: 12 August 1988 Adelaide, Australia | |
Bats: Left Throws: Right |
Professional career
editNew York Mets
editHe was scouted by Australian national coach Tony Harris in 2005 and eventually signed with the New York Mets in 2005 at the age of 16. In 2006, Welch made his Claxton Shield debut for the South Australia Bite where he went 0 for 1 with 3 walks.[1] He made his pro debut in 2007 for the GCL Mets where he batted .288 in his first season. In 2009, he was twice selected for the Australia national baseball team; in March for the 2009 World Baseball Classic,[2] and again in September for the 2009 Baseball World Cup.[3] Welch spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the Class A-Advanced St. Lucie Mets.
Pittsburgh Pirates
editThe Pittsburgh Pirates signed Welch in November 2011.[4] He began the season with the Bradenton Marauders. In his first game with the Marauders, which was against St. Lucie, Welch was hit by a Ryan Fraser pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning, to score Gift Ngoepe and give the Marauders a walk-off win.[5] Welch's first promotion to Double-A came in June 2012, when he was promoted to the Double-A Altoona Curve.[6] In November 2012, Welch re-signed with the Pirates.[7]
Boston Red Sox
editWelch was traded to the Boston Red Sox in early June 2013, starting with the High A Salem Red Sox.[8] He then got promoted to AA in March 2014 and played the season in Portland, Maine.
Adelaide Bite
editWelch played for the Adelaide Bite of the Australian Baseball League (ABL) from 2010 to 2017. After missing the 2017-18 season, Welch returned to the Bite for the 2018-19 season. After the conclusion of the season, Welch announced his retirement, leading the club in all time in games (284), hits (258), runs (160), home runs (35) and RBI (169) [9]
Personal
editStefan attended Norwood Morialta High School and graduated in 2006[10] He also played cricket, football, and basketball for local Adelaide clubs and school teams. He still currently plays Division 1 Baseball for the Goodwood Indians[11]
References
edit- ^ Dominitz, N (10 July 2009) Welch comes from a land down under Archived 14 July 2012 at archive.today. Savannah Morning News
- ^ "WBC 2009 Roster". Major League Baseball. February 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ Sedgman, Cassandra (3 September 2009). "ABF Announce 2009 World Cup Team". Australian Baseball Federation. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
- ^ Langosch, Jenifer (23 November 2011). "Pirates sign six players to Minor League deals". Archived from the original on 29 December 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- ^ Lembo, John (6 April 2012). "Bradenton Marauders win 'heart-pumper' opener in 11 innings". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ Williams, Tim (14 June 2012). "Maggi and Chambers Promoted to Altoona, Plus Other Moves".
- ^ Williams, Tim (7 November 2012). "Pirates Re-Sign Anderson Hernández, Stefan Welch".
- ^ Adelaide Star Stefan Welch Adds Bite To Boston Red SoxThe Advertiser Archived 13 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Welch farewelled in marathon doubleheader". Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "The Norwood Morialta High School". Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ^ "Home". Goodwood Baseball Club. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Stefan Welch – Baseball America
- Minor League Baseball