Athletes - Chris Donnels

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	Athletes - Chris Donnels

Chris Barton Donnels (Born April 21, 1966) in Los Angeles, California, is a retired Major League Baseball third baseman. He is an alumnus of Loyola Marymount University where he was a standout for the Lions baseball team.

New York Mets

Donnels was drafted out of college in the first round (24th overall pick) of the 1987 amateur draft. He would spend the next few years ascending through the Mets minor league affiliates. On May 7, 1991, Donnels made his Major League Baseball debut in a Mets uniform at 25 years of age. Over the course of his rookie year, Donnels would play in 37 games, compiling a .225 batting average. Donnels would spend only limited time with the Mets in the 1992 season. He would appear in 45 games, but struggled considerably, putting together a mere .174 batting average. At the conclusion of the 1992 season, the Mets failed to protect Donnels, and he was chosen by the Florida Marlins as the 67th pick of the 1992 expansion draft. Only a month later, the Marlins would place Donnels on waivers.

Houston Astros

Almost directly after being placed on waivers by Florida, Donnels was signed to a contract by the Houston Astros. It was with the Astros in the 1993 season that Chris would appear in the most number of games of any season throughout his career. He would appear in 88 games, playing the primary backup to third baseman Ken Caminiti. Donnels would piece together a .257 batting average and hit the first 2 homeruns of his Major League career. Chris would continue this role for the 1994 season. In 1995, after appearing in 19 games with Houston, the Astros would send Donnels to the Boston Red Sox as part of a conditional deal. The Astros had a rookie make the team in 1995 by the name of Phil Nevin who would serve as a protoge of Caminiti, thus making Donnels expendable.

Free Agency

Although Donnels finished the 1995 season with the Boston Red Sox, appearing in 40 more games, his career collapsed after the season. He would be released at the season's end, and failed to draw interest from another club, spending the entire 1996 season unsigned. The team he last saw playing time with, the Red Sox, invited Chris to attend spring training prior to the 1997 season, but was cut by the end of camp. Chris would remain out of professional baseball altogether for the 1997, 1998, and 1999 seasons.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On February 8, 2000, days before spring training for the 2000 season began, Donnels career would be resurrected, as he was invited to attend the spring camp for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Considering he had not seen Major League action in four years, Donnels had an outstanding spring, and surprised many by not being cut like many veterans in his position are every year. Although he would see limited action in 2000, only appearing in 27 games, Chris would compile a respectable a .294 batting average with 4 homeruns. This homerun total was twice as many as his previous yearly average with only a quarter of the at-bats. The 2001 season would see Chris appear in 66 games for the Dodgers, continuing as one of the primary pinch hitters off the bench. At season's end, Donnels contract with the Dodgers expired, and he became a free agent.

End of Career

When Donnels' contract with the Dodgers expired at the end of the 2001 season, the Arizona Diamondbacks offered Chris a contract, and more money. He would go on to play the 2002 season with Arizona, hitting .238 with 3 homeruns in 74 games. Although Chris contributed to his respective teams during the second stage of his career, by the end of the 2002 season his age began to catch up with him. He would be traded to the Chicago Cubs at the beginning of the 2003 season, but not see any playing time. Five weeks later the Florida Marlins would purchase Chris' contract from the Cubs. Donnels would remain in the Marlins minor league system until the end of the season when he was released. On March 8, 2004, Chris signed a free agent contract with the Colorado Rockies. Nearing forty years of age, Donnels played out the season for the Rockies Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, then retired. He played in his last official Major League game on September 29, 2002.

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