36 Facts About Didi Gregorius

Mariekson Julius "Didi" Gregorius was born on February 18,1990 and is a Dutch professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent.

Didi Gregorius has played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies.

Didi Gregorius's family moved to Curacao when Gregorius was five years old, at which point he began playing tee-ball and youth baseball.

MLB scouts began taking notice of Gregorius when he was a teenager, and he chose to sign with the Reds in 2007 after they offered to bring him to the United States.

Didi Gregorius' rise through the Reds' farm system was hindered in 2011, when a chronic kidney malfunction caused him to miss two months of the season, but he made his major league debut in September 2012.

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Didi Gregorius improved his batting with the Yankees: in addition to breaking Jeter's single-season home run record in 2017, he put up 20 or more home runs in three consecutive seasons.

Didi Gregorius' paternal grandfather, Antonio, was a baseball player, pitching in four games for the Netherlands Antilles at the 1955 Pan American Games.

Didi Gregorius family moved from Amsterdam to Curacao in 1995, to follow Didi Gregorius Sr.

Jim Stoeckel, a scout for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball, became interested in Didi Gregorius after watching him play an under-18 tournament with the Dutch Antilles in 2006.

Didi Gregorius made his professional baseball debut in 2008 with the Gulf Coast Reds, a Rookie League team.

In 2009, Didi Gregorius primarily appeared with the Rookie-level Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League, batting.

Didi Gregorius was initially suspected of using performance-enhancing substances, but further tests revealed a kidney malfunction.

Didi Gregorius was ordered not to play baseball and to adopt a vegetarian diet; these lifestyle changes, combined with a medication regimen, allowed him to return to the field after two months of recovery.

Didi Gregorius entered the 2012 season as a top Double-A prospect with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

On December 11,2012, Didi Gregorius was part of a three-team trade for Cincinnati: initially, he and Drew Stubbs were sent to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and infielder Jason Donald, but, as the Indians already had an established shortstop in Asdrubal Cabrera, they traded Didi Gregorius to the Arizona Diamondbacks to acquire pitcher Trevor Bauer.

Later that month, Didi Gregorius injured his elbow while playing catch, and he was unable to resume throwing until spring training had already begun.

Didi Gregorius was the seventh Diamondback to hit a home run in his first at-bat with the team, and the first to do so on the first pitch.

Didi Gregorius entered spring training in 2014 in competition with prospect Chris Owings for the starting shortstop role within the Diamondbacks organization.

Owings was ultimately named to the Diamondbacks' opening day roster, with Didi Gregorius sent to Triple-A in the most controversial roster decision of the season.

Didi Gregorius played 67 of those games at shortstop, with 11 at second base and two at third base.

Didi Gregorius, who was named the opening day shortstop for the Yankees, told reporters that he was not worried about having to replace Jeter, and that he was more focused on his own performance than any comparisons to the previous infielder.

The 2016 Yankees season was considered an overall disappointment, but Didi Gregorius' performance established him as a central piece as the team looked ahead towards rebuilding during the offseason.

Didi Gregorius was required to spend two weeks engaging in no baseball activity, followed by an estimated four weeks of rehab assignments, leaving the Yankees without an opening day shortstop.

Didi Gregorius was a finalist for a position in the 2017 MLB All-Star Game, but the fan vote ultimately went to Mike Moustakas of the Royals.

On September 4,2017, Didi Gregorius hit his 20th home run of the year, becoming the first Yankees shortstop to knock in 20 or more home runs in back-to-back seasons.

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On September 23,2018, Didi Gregorius' game-winning run against the Orioles helped the Yankees clinch a Wild Card berth, but he tore the cartilage in his wrist while sliding home, leaving it in question whether he would be healthy for the postseason.

Didi Gregorius struggled defensively against the Red Sox in the 2018 ALDS, uncharacteristically missing throws in Games 3 and 4.

Didi Gregorius, who had already suffered an "asymptomatic" partial ulnar collateral ligament tear when he was acquired by the Yankees in 2014, aggravated his injury when he made a throw from the outfield in Game 2 of the ALCS.

Didi Gregorius had been able to push through the rest of the Yankees' playoff run, but required Tommy John surgery after the season to repair the elbow.

Didi Gregorius subsequently began the 2019 season on the 60-day injured list, and was activated on June 7,2019, after eight months of rehab.

The Yankees faced the Twins again in the 2019 ALDS, and in Game 2, Didi Gregorius hit the first ever postseason grand slam by a Yankees shortstop.

Didi Gregorius proceeded to have the worst season of his MLB career, batting only.

Didi Gregorius first represented the Netherlands internationally while playing for the Dutch national baseball team at the 2009 Baseball World Cup.

Didi Gregorius did participate in the 2017 tournament, serving primarily as a designated hitter on a Dutch national team with an ample selection of MLB shortstops.

Didi Gregorius briefly stopped posting during the start of the 2019 season, while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, because he "didn't want to make [the wins] all about me", but resumed when he was activated from the injured list.

Didi Gregorius continued the tradition after signing with the Philadelphia Phillies, telling reporters that he would "have new emojis" for his new teammates.