Didi Gregorius

At 34 years old, Didi Gregorius has this physical status:

Mariekson Julius "Didi" Gregorius, OON, was born on February 18, 1990, and she was a Dutch professional baseball shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB).

He appeared for the Cincinnati Reds (2012), Arizona Diamondbacks (2013–14), and the New York Yankees (2015–2019).

Family and early life

Gregorius was born in Amsterdam on February 18, 1990. Johannes Gregorius Sr.'s father competed and pitched for the Amsterdam Pirates of the Dutch professional baseball league, while his mother, Sheritsa Stroop, had previously competed for the Netherlands women's national softball team. Antonio, Gregorius' paternal grandfather, was also a baseball player, pitching in four games for the Netherlands Antilles at the 1955 Pan American Games.

In 1995, the Gregorius family moved from Amsterdam to Curaçao to follow Gregorius Sr.'s baseball career. Gregorius, who was inspired by his older brother Johannes Jr.'s death, began playing tee-ball and Little League Baseball in the Netherlands and took up drawing in his spare time. Gregorius played soccer and basketball throughout his youth, but not as involved in those other sports as he was.

Personal life

When his American colleagues had trouble pronouncing the word "Mariekson," Gregorius adopted the word "didi" in 2009. His father and brother also go by "Didi." Gregorius, as many Curaçao natives, is fluent in four languages: English, Spanish, Dutch, and Papiamento. He likes photography in his spare time, and he started tattooing after the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the 2020 MLB season.

Gregorius began posting "victory tweets" after every winning game, often accompanied by the hashtag "#startspreadingthenews." These tweets would often feature specific emojis that Gregorius had assigned to various teammates. During the 2019 season, Gregorius briefly stopped posting because he was recovering from Tommy John surgery because he "didn't want to make [the wins] all about me," but he returned after being activated from the injured list. After signing with the Philadelphia Phillies, he continued the tradition by boasting that he'll "have new emojis" for his new teammates.

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Professional career

After watching him play an under-18 tournament with the Dutch Antilles in 2006, Jim Stoeckel, a scout for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB), became curious in Gregorius. The Reds signed Gregorius as an international free agent two years ago, at the behest of Stoeckel, who received a $50,000 compensation. Gregorius had previously expressed interest in him, but the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres had opted to sign with the Reds because they gave him the opportunity to play competitive baseball in the United States rather than in the Venezuelan or Dominican Summer Leagues. He made his professional baseball debut with the Gulf Coast Reds in 2008, a Rookie League team. His rookie outing was mainly uneventful, with a.155 batting average in 109 plate appearances, as well as 10 strikeouts and 12 errors in 134 attempts.

Gregorius played for the Rookie-level Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League in 2009, batting.314 in 50 games, but he also played for the Sarasota Reds in the Class A-Advanced Florida State League. Gregorius batted.254 in 22 games with Sarasota, with eight runs, four doubles, and two RBIs. The Reds' farm system noticed Gregorius' strong infield arm, as well as his quick base speed: he dropped one triple short of the club's record with 11 bases, in comparison to the team's record of five home runs. After Miguel Rojas was promoted to Double-A, Gregorius joined the Lynchburg Hillcats as the team's starting shortstop on August 31. He appeared in seven games with Lynchburg, batting.240 with six hits and four runs. Gregorius played with the Canberra Cavalry in the Australian Baseball League, where he was named the ABL's Defensive Player of the Year following the regular season. Despite batting just.189, he loved his time in Australia and said that playing against major league veterans helped him when he returned to the United States.

Gregorius had elevated blood cholesterol and proteins, as well as hypertension during a routine examination in 2011. He had been initially suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs, but further investigation revealed a kidney malfunction. After two months of recovery, Gregorius was not allowed to play baseball and to adopt a vegetarian diet; these lifestyle changes, as well as a medication regimen, enabled him to return to the field. It was with the Class A-Advanced Bakersfield Blaze when he returned to the field, just like the Double-A Carolina Mudcats in mid-season. Gregorius batted.289 on the season, with seven home runs, 44 RBIs, and 48 runs in 84 games and 363 plate appearances. Gregorius, one of six players drafted by the Reds in November to shield him from the Rule 5 draft, and he was one of six players to be able to distinguish him from the Rule 5 draft.

Gregorius, a 2012 member of Pensacola's Pensacola Blue Wahooos, made a promising Double-A recruit. He batted.282 in the first 80 games of the season, with one home run, 31 RBIs, 45 runs, and three stolen bases, enough to earn Mid-Star recognition from the Southern League. The Reds promoted Gregorius from the Triple-A Louisville Bats of the International League after 81 games in Pensacola. He batted.243, 23 RBIs, and 25 runs in 202 plate appearances in 48 games.

Gregorius made his major league debut on September 5, 2012, starting in place of Zack Cozart in the Philadelphia Phillies' 6–2 loss. Gregorius batted.300 with two RBIs in eight games at the end of the season. Gregorius was a member of the Phoenix Fall League from 2002-2004, leading the Peoria Javelinas to a championship title by hitting.278 with one home run and eight RBIs in 74 at bats.

Gregorius' future with the Reds was stymied by Cozart, a more experienced shortstop who was supposed to have greater offensive power, and he's since been a favorite trade target for Cincinnati after the 2012 season. Gregorius was part of a three-team trade for Cincinnati in exchange for outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and infielder Jason Donald, but the Cleveland Indians did not get to them until the Indians knew they had an established shortstop in Asdrubal Cabrera.

Gregorius sustained his elbow while playing catch later this month, but he was unable to return to throwing until spring training had started. The Diamondbacks decided to start Gregorius with the Triple-A Reno Aces until his rehab assignment was complete, but after Aaron Hill was injured with a fractured hand, Gregorius was called up to start at second base. Gregorius scored his first major league home run off of New York Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes in the first pitch of his first at-bat on April 18, 2013. In his first at-bat with the team, he was the seventh Diamondback to do so on the first pitch. Gregorius was struck by a pitch from Colorado Rockies reliever Josh Outman on April 27 and collapsed to the ground; eventually, Gregorius was able to leave the plate on his own, and Cliff Pennington played as a pinch runner; but Gregorius stayed in the game at shortstop. After the game, he was put on the seven-day concussion list and was reinstated on May 4. Gregorius had a decent.252 average in 103 games but began to lose playing time against left-handed pitchers early in the season, averaging.267 with a.267 on-base percentage.

Gregorius started training in 2014 in spring competition with prospect Chris Owings for the Diamondbacks' starting shortstop position. Eventually, Owings was added to the Diamondbacks' opening day roster, with Gregorius sent to Triple-A in the season's most contentious roster pick. Owings and Gregorius will both make the 25-man roster and split time in the middle infield, especially outfielder Cody Ross, but Towers instead ordered Gregorius to the minors and told reporters that in case of injury, he would be called up. Pennington, the team's backup shortstop, sustained an injury in June that required Arizona to call up Gregorius. Gibson wanted to keep Owings as the starting infielder but decided not to divide his playing time with Gregorius more than Owings. In 1984, Gregorius batted in 80 major league games, scoring.226 in 270 at bats, with six home runs, 27 RBIs, and 35 runs. He appeared in 67 of those games at shortstop, with 11 on second base and two others at third base.

Derek Jeter, the long-serving shortstop for the New York Yankees, announced in February 2014 that he would retire at the end of the year, leaving the team with a good replacement. Hanley Ramirez, Troy Tulowitzki, and J. J. Hardy were among the team's acquisition targets, who ultimately concentrated on buying Gregorius. Gregorius went from Arizona to New York in a three-team trade with Arizona and the Detroit Tigers, while Shane Greene went from Arizona to Detroit, and Robbie Ray and Domingo Leyba went from Detroit to Arizona.

Gregorius, the Yankees' opening day shortstop, told reporters that he was less concerned about having to replace Jeter and that he was more concerned about his own results than any comparisons to the previous infielder. He struggled through the first half of the season, making six errors before the end of May and batting just.222, but in June, he found his stride, batting only.260 in the same time. In a 15–4 victory over the Atlanta Braves on August 28, Gregorius went 4-for-5 with just one home run and a career-high six RBIs. His first-inning home run was his seventh of the season, and it came just a day after his sixth. Gregorius appeared in 155 games for the Yankees in his rookie season, batting.265 with a career-high nine home runs and 56 RBIs. Gregorius was selected as a finalist for the American League (AL) Gold Glove Award at shortstop, an honor that went to Alcides Escobar of the Kansas City Royals, who was later named a finalist.

Gregorius, who made his batting debut in the 2016 season as a rookie, 32 doubles, 20 home runs, and 70 RBIs, had a breakout year, leading to career highs with a.447 slugging percentage, 32 doubles, 20 home runs, and 70 RBIs. He told reporters that he was not focusing on home runs and that he was actually running on line drives, but that "if they go out, they will be out." He spent the offseason with fellow Curaçao native Hensley Meulens, San Francisco's hitting coach. Meulens concentrated on increasing Gregorius' durability against left-handed pitchers, and his.366 average against southpaws was the highest in the league among left-handed hitters by mid-July. Gregorius' first walk-off home run of his major league career, a two-run blast against the Texas Rangers, the team's first run-off record in the AL. The 2016 Yankees season was regarded as a complete loss, but Gregorius' performance positioned him as a key piece in the team's transition to rebuilding during the offseason.

Gregorius sustained a shoulder injury while playing a double-play in the 2017 World Baseball Classic prior to the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He was expected to spend two weeks without playing in no baseball, followed by four weeks of rehab, leaving the Yankees without a starting day shortstop. On April 22, he began a series of rehab stints for the Tampa Yankees, with an estimated major league return date of May 1. Gregorius was activated on April 28, leading to a 14–11 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Gregorius said he felt "locked in" at the plate on his return to the sport in mid-July, finishing with eight-game hitting streak in three separate games. He had been a finalist for a spot in the 2017 MLB All-Star Game, but the Royals' Mike Moustakas won the fan vote. Gregorius scored his 20th home run of the year on September 4, 2017, becoming the first Yankee shortstop to record 20 or more home runs in back-to-back seasons. Gregorius's 25th home run of the season came on September 20, beating Jeter's record for most single-season home runs by a Yankees shortstop. Gregorius batted.287 for the regular season, limited to 136 games due to his shoulder injury.

Gregorius played a game-tying three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning for the Minnesota Twins in the 2017 American League Wild Card Game, assisting the Yankees in winning the game 8–4 and advance to the 2017 American League Division Series (ALDS). Gregorius scored two home runs against Indians ace Corey Kluber in Game 5 of the ALDS series. During a winner-take-all postseason match, the Yankees defeated the Indians 5–2 and advanced to the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS), while Gregorius became the second Yankee to reach two home runs in a winner-take-all double-season match. In seven games, the Yankees lost the ALCS to the Houston Astros in the ALCS.

Gregorius opened the 2018 season with a career-high eight-RBI appearance in the Yankee's home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 3, leading to the team's 11–4 victory. Gregorius led the league in April with ten home runs, 30 RBIs, and a.766 slugging percentage, and he received both AL Player of the Week and Player of the Month awards at the end of the month. His results in April and June were followed by a slew of May and June, during which Gregorius batted.177 and scored just one home run. On June 12, he snapped this dry spell with two home runs against the Washington Nationals. In addition to returning Gregorius to 20 home runs in a season, he also became the first Yankee shortstop to have three multi-home run games in a season. With 86 RBIs and 89 runs in 504 at bats, Gregorius batted.268 for the regular season. On September 29, he defeated the Seattle Mariners' record of single-season runs, but Gleyber Torres had the honor of the Yankees' 265th home run of the year.

Gregorius' game-winning run against the Orioles on September 23, 2018, helped the Yankees secure a Wild Card berth, but he tore the cartilage in his wrist while sliding home, leaving it uncertain if he'd be healthy for the postseason. On September 28, he fired a cortisone shot and returned to the lineup for the final game of the season, an 11–6 win over the Red Sox. In the Wild Card game, the Yankees defeated the Oakland Athletics 7-2, with Gregorius scoring an RBI on a sacrifice fly that brought home Luke Voit. In the 2018 ALDS, Gregorius struggled defensively against the Red Sox, notably missing throws in Games 3 and 4. In four games, the Red Sox continued the series.

Gregorius, who had already suffered a "asymptomatic" partial ulnar collateral ligament 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. He had been able to continue through the remainder of the Yankees' playoff run, but Tommy John surgery was required to fix the elbow after the season. Gregorius later started the 2019 season on the 60-day injured list, and was activated on June 7, 2019, after eight months of rehabilitation. Gregorius batted a perfect 5-for-5 against the Minnesota Twins on July 23, totaling seven RBIs for the Yankees' victory over 14-21-12 in extra innings. It was the second time Gregorius had gone 4-for-4 or higher in a game, joining Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio as the only Yankees to accomplish the feat several times. Gregorius scored his 100th home run in the sixth inning of the same game, off of Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson. He had a.238 average in 324 at bats, with 16 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 47 runs in 324 at bats. In Game 2 of the 2019 ALDS, the Yankees faced the Twins for the first time in history, with Gregorius slaming by a Yankee shortstop in Game 2. The Yankees advanced to the 2019 ALCS, but the Houston Astros defeated them in six games. On November 4, 2019, the Yankees decided not to extend a $17.8 million qualifying bid to Gregorius, making him a free agent.

On December 16, 2019, the Philadelphia Phillies announced Gregorius to a one-year, $14 million contract; he and pitcher Zack Wheeler were deemed the team's most important free agent signings for the 2019-20-20 offseason. The 2020 MLB season was postponed until July and reduced to 60 regular-season games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Gregorius' kidney disease made him "high risk" for the virus, and he had a chance to stop playing during the pandemic and receive a protracted paycheck. Gregorius, on the other hand, chose to remain the team's starting shortstop and wear a face mask at all times on the track. Gregorius was a offensive force for the Philadelphia Phillies in the pandemic-shortened season: among all MLB shortstops, he was third in RBIs (40), fifth in hits (61) and home runs (10) and sixth in batting average (2.86). In addition, he hit.345 for the season with runners in scoring positions.

On February 10, 2021, the Phillies announced that Gregorius had resigned to a two-year, $28 million contract. Gregorius was one of seven Phillies who ran into visa difficulties and reported late to 2021 spring training due to the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Girardi was unconcerned about Gregorius' late arrival to training camp, telling reporters, "I would expect that Didi is in good shape because that's who he is and that's what I'm used to seeing." Gregorius was named as the Philadelphia Phillies' starting shortstop for the 2021 season on March 29, splitting the middle infield with Jean Segura. Gregorius made an over-the-shoulder catch on the first day to stop Ozzie Albies and help the game reach extra innings, where the Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves 3–2. Gregorius sustained his elbow while making a catch in mid-April and missed three games due to local swelling. He started off being on the injured list as doctors drained the elbow, but a persistent swelling in mid-May forced him to drop out of the lineup once more. The elbow injury continued to hinder Gregorius through a number of Lehigh Valley IronPigs rehab assignments, and on June 16, he was diagnosed with pseudogout and was able to begin an appropriate therapy program. After missing a total of 41 games due to the injury, he returned to the lineup on July 2nd. Gregorius scored in a solo home run in the fifth inning of a 4–3 extra innings victory over the San Diego Padres in his first game off the injured list. Gregorius went on to have his worst season in his MLB career, batting.210 with a.667 on-base plus slugging (OPS) in his first 200 at bats following his stint on the injured list. The shortstop attributed his offensive difficulties to the COVID-19 vaccine, which he said caused his bout with pseudogout, to his victory over pseudogout, which was a conclusion that doctors at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia disagreed with. In 103 games for the Phillies, Gregorius batted.209, with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs in 368 at bats. He was released by the Phillies on August 4, 2022.

International career

When playing for the Dutch national baseball team at the 2009 Baseball World Cup, Gregorius first represented the Netherlands internationally. Gregorius and his colleagues were knighted under the Order of Orange-Nassau, 5th class, at the 2011 Baseball World Cup, after the Netherlands defeated Cuba 2–1 in the final game. Since then, Gregorius' official name has been "Sir," which he has integrated into his Twitter handle.

Gregorius suffered a strained ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow while playing out for the Netherlands in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, limiting him from the tournament and much of spring preparation. Gregorius did participate in the 2017 tournament, primarily as a designated hitter on a Dutch national team with a large selection of MLB shortstops. He was an offensive success, batting.348 with one home run and eight RBIs, leading the Dutch team to the semifinals, but his shoulder injury forced him to leave early in the season.

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