KIVLEHAN Patrick

General
CLUB JOURNEY
He was selected by the Seattle Marines in the fourth round, 131st overall pick, of the 2012 MLB Draft. He moved through the Mariners' minor league system and was traded to the Texas Rangers in late 2015, then back to the Mariners before being acquired by the San Diego Padres in mid-2016. He made his MLB debut for the Padres on 20 August 2016 and hit a 461-foot home run for his first big league hit. In late 2016 he was acquired by the Cincinnati Reds and played in 115 games for the Reds in 2017. In 2018 he signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets, who traded him to Arizona Diamondbacks for whom he made nine MLB appearances in 2018. He spent most of 2018 and 2019 playing in the minors for affiliate teams of the Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays, before re-signing with the Padres in 2021 where he made several major league appearances in 2021. "Ever since 2016, it's been living out of suitcase. This team for a little bit, this team for a little bit, that team, then a trade here and a release here, a call-up here, a send-down there. It's certainly humbled me." (mlb.com, 01 Jul 2021; baseballclinics.com, 01 Dec 2020; sandiegouniontribune.com, 03 Jul 2021)

FROM AMERICAN FOOTBALL TO BASEBALL
Growing up his first sport was American football. He played baseball at high school but stopped playing when he arrived as a student at Rutgers University, where he played American football on special teams and as a reserve safety. It wasn't until his senior year in 2012 that he decided to take up baseball again, after approaching one of the coaches and requesting a tryout. "I missed baseball a lot from high school, so I figured why not give it a shot here. It definitely worked out in the end. I'm thankful for the experience I had in football. I think it did a lot for me that other baseball players don't get to experience.'' (nj.com, 15 May 2019)