Speed Demon Delino Deshields Jr. Reunites With His MLB Dad On Cincinnati Reds

Speed Demon Delino Deshields Jr. Reunites With His MLB Dad On Cincinnati Reds

by | Sep 1, 2021 | THE THREE SPOT

Newly acquired outfielder Delino Deshields Jr. is being reunited with his father who is the first base coach for the Cincinnati Reds after being traded from Boston.

There will be a family reunion held in Ohio soon for the Deshields family as both senior and junior are now members of the Cincinnati Reds organization after the Red Sox traded Deshields for cash considerations Tuesday.

 

 

“I’m excited, nervous, proud- the whole gamut,” said Deshields Sr.  when asked about the new reality where he is now his son’s first base coach.

Deshields Sr. also known as “Bop” played 13 seasons in the Majors with five different teams.  In his Major League debut, Deshields became one of what is now 12 players to record four hits.  For his career he hit .268 with and 463 stolen bases.

 

 

Delino’s sister Diamond may be the best athlete in the family.  She was the third overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft and was named to the All-Star game in 2019 where she also won the Skills Challenge.

When it comes to pure speed, there is a short list of players in any sport who may be able to keep up with Delino Deshields Jr.  Deshields was the eighth overall selection by the Houston Astros in the 2010 draft.

 

 

His time in H-Town was summed up by him getting hit in the face with a 90MPH fastball in April of 2014.  He was then selected by the Texas Rangers after the 2014 Winter Meetings in the Rule 5 Draft and was on the Opening Day roster to begin the year.

 

 

During his time patrolling center field in Arlington, Deshields was constantly making great catch after great catch.  His speed allows him to turn plays nobody would ever make into web gems.

In December of 2019, Deshields was traded to the Cleveland Guardians in a deal that sent Cory Klueber back to Texas.  This was the last time we saw him in the Big Leagues as in just 37 games that year Deshields hit .252 with no home runs, seven RBI and three doubles.

 

 

Before the 2021 season, Deshields signed a Minor League contract to return to the Rangers but would not end up making the 40-man roster as he was sent to Triple A Round Rock for 66 games where he stole 16 bases and posted a batting average of .263 before he was again traded at the beginning of August, this time to the Boston Red Sox.

In Triple A this season Deshields has been successful on over 87 percent of his stolen base attempts and has a batting average of .252 with a .385 on base percentage.

 

 

Deshields was eligible to be traded after the July 31st trade deadline because he was not on the Red Sox 40-man roster and played this season on a minor league deal.  He will be sent to the Reds Triple A affiliate, the Louisville Bats but with Major League rosters expanding to 40 players in September, Deshields should have a spot on the team for their playoff run.  

 

 

The speed factor Deshields adds to the roster could play a major role in the Reds winning or losing the one game wild card match they are fighting to play in.  The Reds rank dead last out of 30 Major League teams with only 27 stolen bases this year, and they trail the next team by six.  Delino was 21-24 when stealing bases this season.

That extra base or even just a few steps can be the difference in whether or not we get to see the 2021 version of the Big Red Machine late in October.