Didi Gregorius
Mariekson Julius "Didi" Gregorius is a Curaçaoan professional baseball shortstop for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies.
Gregorius was born in Amsterdam to Johannes Gregorius Sr., a Dutch professional baseball player. His family moved to Curaçao 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 signed with the Reds in 2007 after they offered to bring him to the United States. 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. After the 2012 season, with Gregorius' path to the majors blocked by starting shortstop Zack Cozart, Cincinnati traded him to Arizona, where he split his playing time with Chris Owings and Cliff Pennington.
The Yankees, needing a shortstop to replace the recently retired Derek Jeter, acquired Gregorius in December 2014, and he played the next five seasons for the team. His batting improved 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. Despite missing several weeks of the 2019 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Gregorius continued to hit for power upon his return, with a postseason grand slam securing the Yankees' place in the 2019 American League Championship Series.
The Yankees chose not to extend his contract at the end of the season, and the Phillies signed Gregorius as a free agent that winter. Gregorius' first two seasons with the Phillies were hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, associated visa issues, and a battle with pseudogout, and he batted a career low.209 in 2021. The Phillies released him in August 2022, and he has since played in the Mexican League.
Gregorius has represented the Dutch national baseball team at several international tournaments, including the Baseball World Cup and World Baseball Classic. At the 2011 Baseball World Cup, he and his teammates received honorary knighthood after defeating Cuba in the gold medal match. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2025 European Championship.
Family and early life
Gregorius was born in Amsterdam on February 18, 1990. His father, Johannes Gregorius Sr., worked as a carpenter and pitched for the Amsterdam Pirates of the Honkbal Hoofdklasse, the Dutch professional baseball league, while his mother, Sheritsa Stroop, had played for the Netherlands women's national softball team. Gregorius' paternal grandfather, Antonio, was also a baseball player, pitching in four games for the Netherlands Antilles at the 1955 Pan American Games.The Gregorius family moved from Amsterdam to Curaçao in 1995, to follow Gregorius Sr.'s baseball career. Gregorius, inspired by his older brother Johannes Jr., began playing tee-ball and Little League Baseball in the Netherlands and took up drawing in his free time. Gregorius, his brother, and his father played together on a semi-pro team that won its league in 2006 and 2007. In addition to baseball, Gregorius played soccer and basketball throughout his childhood, but he was not as invested in those other sports.
Professional career
Cincinnati Reds
Minor leagues
Jim Stoeckel, a scout for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball, became interested in Gregorius after watching him play an under-18 tournament with the Dutch Antilles in 2006. The Reds signed Gregorius as an international free agent two years later at the behest of Stoeckel, for a signing bonus of $50,000. The Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres had also expressed interest in Gregorius, but he chose to sign with the Reds because they offered him an opportunity to begin playing professional baseball in the United States rather than in the Venezuelan or Dominican Summer Leagues. He made his professional baseball debut in 2008 with the Gulf Coast Reds, a Rookie League team. His rookie outing was mostly unremarkable, with a.155 batting average in 109 plate appearances, as well as 10 strikeouts and 12 errors in 134 chances.In 2009, Gregorius primarily appeared with the rookie-level Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League, batting.314 in 50 games, but he also played in the High-A Florida State League for the Sarasota Reds. In 22 games with Sarasota, Gregorius batted.254, with eight runs, four doubles, and two RBI. The following year, while playing with the Single-A Dayton Dragons, the Reds' farm system took notice of Gregorius' powerful infield arm, as well as his speed on the base path: he fell one triple short of the club record with 11, and stole 16 bases, in addition to hitting.273 with five home runs. On August 31, after Miguel Rojas was promoted to Double-A, Gregorius joined the High-A Lynchburg Hillcats to serve as that team's starting shortstop. He played seven games with Lynchburg, batting.240 with six hits and four runs. After the regular season, Gregorius played in the Australian Baseball League with the Canberra Cavalry, where he was named as the ABL's Defensive Player of the Year. Despite batting only.189, he enjoyed his time in Australia, and said that playing against major league veterans helped him when he returned to the United States.
During a routine test in the spring of 2011, doctors found that Gregorius had elevated blood levels of cholesterol and proteins, as well as hypertension. He was initially suspected of using performance-enhancing substances, but further tests revealed a kidney malfunction. 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. When he returned to the field, it was with the High-A Bakersfield Blaze, before a midseason promotion to the Double-A Carolina Mudcats. Between the two teams, Gregorius batted.289 for the season, with seven home runs, 44 RBI, and 48 runs in 84 games and 363 plate appearances. That November, Gregorius was one of six players that the Reds added to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Gregorius entered the 2012 season as a top Double-A prospect with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Through the first 80 games of the season, he batted.282 with one home run, 31 RBI, 45 runs, and three stolen bases, enough to receive midseason All-Star honors from the Southern League. After 81 games in Pensacola, the Reds promoted Gregorius to the Triple-A Louisville Bats of the International League. In 48 games there, he batted.243 with six home runs, 23 RBI, and 25 runs in 202 plate appearances.
Major leagues
A September call-up for the Reds, Gregorius made his major league debut on September 5, 2012, starting in place of Zack Cozart for a 6–2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. In eight games at the end of the season, Gregorius batted.300 with two RBI. After the season, Gregorius played in the Arizona Fall League, helping take the Peoria Javelinas to a championship title by batting.278 with one home run and eight RBIs in 74 at bats.Arizona Diamondbacks
Gregorius' future with the Reds was hindered by Cozart, a more experienced shortstop who was presumed to have more offensive power, and thus he became an attractive trade target for Cincinnati after the 2012 season. On December 11, 2012, 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 Gregorius to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Trevor Bauer.Later that month, Gregorius injured his elbow while playing catch, and he was unable to resume throwing until spring training had already begun. The Diamondbacks agreed to start Gregorius with the Triple-A Reno Aces until his rehab assignment was completed, but after Aaron Hill was sidelined with a fractured hand, Gregorius was called up to start at second base. In the first pitch of his first at-bat on April 18, 2013, Gregorius hit his first major league home run off of New York Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes. He 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. On April 27, Gregorius was hit by a pitch from Colorado Rockies reliever Josh Outman. He was struck in the right temple with a fastball and fell to the ground; ultimately, Gregorius was able to leave the plate on his own, and Cliff Pennington filled in as a pinch runner. He was placed on the seven-day concussion list after the game and was reinstated on May 4. Gregorius put up a sturdy.252 average in 103 games, but began to lose playing time towards the end of the season due to his inefficiency against left-handed pitchers, averaging only.200 with a.267 on-base percentage.
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 Gregorius sent to Triple-A in the most controversial roster decision of the season. Previously, general manager Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson had suggested that Owings and Gregorius would both make the 25-man roster and split time in the middle infield, especially as outfielder Cody Ross was starting the season on the disabled list, but Towers instead optioned Gregorius to the minors and told reporters that he would be called up in case of injury. That June, Pennington, serving as the team's backup shortstop, suffered an injury that forced Arizona to call up Gregorius. Gibson wanted to keep Owings as the starting infielder but intended to split his playing time with Gregorius more equitably than Owings had split with Pennington. Gregorius played in 80 major league games in 2014, batting.226 in 270 at bats, with six home runs, 27 RBIs, and 35 runs. He played 67 of those games at shortstop, 11 at second base, and two at third base.