Danny Jansen

American baseball player (born 1995)

Baseball player
Danny Jansen
Jansen at the 2018 All-Star Futures Game
Boston Red Sox – No. 28
Catcher
Born: (1995-04-15) April 15, 1995 (age 29)
Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 13, 2018, for the Toronto Blue Jays
MLB statistics
(through August 23, 2024)
Batting average.222
Home runs73
Runs batted in219
Teams
  • Toronto Blue Jays (2018–2024)
  • Boston Red Sox (2024–present)

Daniel Robert Jansen (born April 15, 1995) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays, making his MLB debut with them in 2018.

Professional career

Minor leagues

Jansen attended Appleton West High School in Appleton, Wisconsin, and was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 16th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.[1] He had committed to play college baseball at Jacksonville University, but signed with the Blue Jays instead.[2] He was assigned to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays for the season, appearing in 36 games and hitting .246 with 18 runs batted in (RBI). He showed above-average plate discipline that season, walking 21 times while striking out only 10 times.[1] In 2014, Jansen was promoted to the Rookie Advanced Bluefield Blue Jays. In 38 games, he batted .282 with five home runs and 17 RBI.[1] Jansen was assigned to the Class-A Lansing Lugnuts in 2015, but spent more than half the season on the disabled list.[3] After a seven-game rehab stint in the Gulf Coast League, Jansen rejoined the Lugnuts in August. In 53 total games, he hit .210 with five home runs and 30 RBI.[1]

Jansen was invited to Major League spring training on January 12, 2016,[4] and reassigned to minor league camp on March 12.[5] He was assigned to the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays for the 2016 minor league season.[6] In 57 total games, Jansen hit .218 with one home run and 25 RBI in 2016.[1] After the 2016 season, the Blue Jays assigned Jansen to the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.[7] He appeared in 20 games for the Sox and hit .282 with 11 RBI and the first two triples of his professional career.[8][9]

Prior to the start of the 2017 season, Jansen found he was having vision problems, and began wearing glasses on and off the field.[10] The glasses paid immediate dividends, as Jansen hit .369 with five home runs and 18 RBI in 31 games for Dunedin before being promoted to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He played in 52 games for New Hampshire and hit .291 before being promoted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in August.[1][10] With Buffalo, Jansen hit .328 with three home runs and 10 RBI in 21 games.[1] On November 20, 2017, Jansen was added to Toronto's 40-man roster.[11] Heading into the 2018 season, Jansen was named the eighth-best catching prospect by MLB.[12] He played in the All-Star Futures Game in July, during which he hit a home run.[13]

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays promoted Jansen to the major leagues on August 12, 2018.[14] He made his debut the following night, recording two singles in a 3–1 loss to the Kansas City Royals. He and Sean Reid-Foley became the first batterymates to debut in the same American League game since Billy Rohr and Russ Gibson did so in April 1967.[15] Jansen hit his first major league home run on August 14 off Royals pitcher Heath Fillmyer, breaking a 3–3 tie in a game the Blue Jays would end up winning 6–5.[16] He finished the season hitting .247 in 31 games.

Overall with the 2020 Blue Jays, Jansen batted .182 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in 43 games.[17] During Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Jansen became the second Blue Jays player in franchise history with a multi-home run game in the post-season.[18]

The 2021 season saw Jansen playing 70 games, splitting playing time with catcher Reese McGuire. Jansen spent time on the injured list in July and August with a right hamstring strain, but returned to the lineup to play the last 21 games of the season with a .322 batting average and 7 home runs.[19]

Jansen's 2022 season began strong before a left oblique injury in April sidelined him for over a month. On June 6, Jansen was again placed on the IL after suffering a fracture in his left pinky finger after being hit by a 96mph pitch during a game against the Kansas City Royals.[20]

On July 22, 2022, the Blue Jays set a franchise record for runs scored in a game with a 28-5 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Jansen hit 2 home runs over the Green Monster in left field, scored 4 times, and contributed 6 RBIs.[21]

On January 13, 2023, Jansen signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Blue Jays, avoiding salary arbitration.[22] On September 1, Jansen suffered a fractured right middle finger after he was hit by a foul tip.[23] On September 8, he underwent surgery to insert a pin into his finger, ending his season.[24] Jansen finished the year playing in 86 games and hitting .228/.312/.474 with career–highs in home runs (17) and RBI (53).[25]

Jansen's again avoided arbitration prior to the 2024 season, as he agreed to a one-year deal for $5.2 million.[26][27]

Boston Red Sox

On July 27, 2024, Jansen was traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor-leaguers Cutter Coffey, Eddinson Paulino, and Gilberto Batista.[28][29] Jansen was added to Boston's active roster the next day.[30]

The June 26 game between the Blue Jays and Red Sox had been suspended due to rain, with Jansen batting for the Blue Jays at the time.[31][32] With the game scheduled to resume on August 26, Jansen, as a member of the Red Sox active roster, is set to become the first player in major-league history to play for both teams in the same game.[33]

Personal life

Jansen is the younger son of parents Steve and Kathy.[34] His older brother is Matthew.[35][36] In his youth, Jansen's family hosted players for the then-Seattle Mariners Class-A affiliate Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. In 2004, Adam Jones was housed by the Jansen family.[37]

Jansen and his wife Alexis were married in January 2022 [38] with former teammate Rowdy Tellez as the officiant.[39] Their first child, a son, was born in October 2022.[40]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Danny Jansen Register Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  2. ^ "dan jansen Class of 2013 - Player Profile | Perfect Game USA". Perfect Game.
  3. ^ "Danny Jansen Stats, Highlights, Bio". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  4. ^ "Blue Jays Invite 14 to Spring Training". bluebirdbanter.com. January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  5. ^ "Ben Nicholson-Smith on Twitter". Twitter. March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  6. ^ Rosenbaum, Mike (April 7, 2016). "Where the Blue Jays' Top 30 prospects are starting the season". MLB.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  7. ^ "2016 Arizona Fall League Rosters". baseballamerica.com. August 31, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  8. ^ Holmyard, Braydon (November 21, 2016). "Arizona Fall League wrap: Alford among top Blue Jays performers". Sportsnet. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  9. ^ "Winter Leagues: Arizona Fall League: Statistics". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Rutherford, Kristina (August 22, 2017). "Blue Jays' Danny Jansen keeps hitting at every stop of 'whirlwind' season". Sportsnet. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  11. ^ Davidi, Shi (November 20, 2017). "Jansen, Tellez among players added to Blue Jays' 40-man roster". Sportsnet. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  12. ^ Chisholm, Gregor (January 18, 2018). "Jansen among top 10 catching prospects". MLB.com. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  13. ^ Arguello, Ricardo (July 17, 2018). "Appleton's Jansen shines in MLB Futures Game". postcrescent.com. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  14. ^ Arguello, Ricardo (August 12, 2018). "Appleton West grad Danny Jansen called up to major leagues with Blue Jays". postcrescent.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  15. ^ Falkoff, Robert (August 14, 2018). "Reid-Foley has learning curve in loss to KC". MLB.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  16. ^ Falkoff, Robert (August 15, 2018). "Jansen belts 1st career homer against Royals". MLB.com. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  17. ^ "Danny Jansen Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  18. ^ "Danny Jansen's two-homer game". MLB.com. September 30, 2020.
  19. ^ "Jansen, pulling more, is unleashing his power". MLB.com. June 2, 2022.
  20. ^ "Blue Jays' Jansen placed on IL with broken finger after being hit by pitch". June 7, 2022.
  21. ^ "Blue Jays set franchise record for runs". MLB.com. June 22, 2022.
  22. ^ "Blue Jays avoid arbitration with 10 players, including Jansen, Romano, Varsho". Sportsnet. January 13, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  23. ^ "Blue Jays' Danny Jansen: Suffers broken finger". cbssports.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  24. ^ "Danny Jansen injury update: Blue Jays catcher on IL with fractured finger, out for rest of regular season". cbssports.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  25. ^ "Blue Jays' Danny Jansen: Undergoes surgery". cbssports.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  26. ^ "Toronto Blue Jays reach deals with 11 of 12 players ahead of arbitration. Guerrero is the lone exception". CTV News. Associated Press. January 11, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  27. ^ "Blue Jays sign Kirk, Romano and nine others to avoid arbitration". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. January 11, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  28. ^ Browne, Ian (July 27, 2024). "Red Sox trade for Blue Jays catcher Jansen". mlb.com. MLB. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  29. ^ Passan, Jeff (July 27, 2024). "Red Sox acquire catcher Danny Jansen from Blue Jays". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  30. ^ Touri, Amin (July 28, 2024). "Game 104: Yankees at Red Sox lineups and notes". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  31. ^ "New Red Sox Catcher Faces Strange Scenario From Suspended Game". NESN. July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  32. ^ Browne, Ian (August 23, 2024). "Historic switcheroo: Jansen officially set to play for two teams in one game". MLB.com. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  33. ^ Abraham, Peter (August 12, 2024). "Danny Jansen can make baseball history at Fenway, and other Red Sox thoughts". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  34. ^ "A salute to mom from a member of every club". MLB.com. May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  35. ^ Brudnicki, Alexis (May 10, 2020). "Danny Jansen's mom makes many feel at home". MLB.com. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  36. ^ Arguello, Ricardo (May 25, 2019). "Danny Jansen's family, friends relish opportunity to watch him chase his baseball dream". Post Crescent. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  37. ^ Davidi, Shi (July 15, 2018). "Blue Jays prospect Danny Jansen pushing to prove he's worth the wait". Sportsnet. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  38. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/CYW3JuIr5Lg/?hl=en&img_index=1 [bare URL]
  39. ^ McCalvy, Adam; Matheson, Keegan (March 25, 2022). "Ex-teammate Tellez helps Jansen tie the knot". MLB.com. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  40. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/CkYuDItLClG/?hl=en&img_index=1 [bare URL]
  • Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
  • Danny Jansen on Instagram
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