Shane Victorino

Los Angeles Dodgers

When the Los Angeles Dodgers selected Shane Victorino in the sixth round of the 1999 MLB Draft, Shane deferred going to college and went straight to professional baseball. After 4 seasons in the Dodgers minor league system, the San Diego Padres selected him in the 2002 Rule 5 draft. This secondary draft allows teams to draft players who are not on another MLB team’s major league roster if enough time has passed since they were signed as rookies. Since Shane had spent his first 4 seasons in the minors, the San Diego Padres were able to select him. He then made his Major League debut for the Padres on April 2, 2003. Later that season, the Padres waived Shane thereby returning him to the Dodgers.

Philadelphia Phillies

After playing two more seasons in the Dodgers farm system, Shane was again selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2004. While he did not manage to stay with the major league roster, the Phillies retained his contract and assigned him to their Triple-A minor league club, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. With the Red Barons, Shane earned All-Star, International League Most Valuable Player, and Phillies Minor League Player of the Year honors. 

Then in 2005, Shane received a September call-up to the Phillies and hit his first MLB home run. Eventually, he became a starting player for the Phillies in 2006.

World Series Champion

Then, in 2008, Shane received the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, which is given annually to the player who best exhibits the character and integrity of Lou Gehrig, both on and off the field. He also received his first Golden Glove Award for his fielding capabilities. That same year, during the National League Divisional Series, Shane hit the Phillies’ first postseason grand slam. Additionally, he became the first player in postseason history to have a home run, a double, and two steals in a single game. Supported by Shane’s success, the Phillies went on to win the 2008 World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays.

More Success

The following year, Shane won the All-Star Game Final Vote with a record-breaking 15.6 million votes and was named the 33rd member of the National League’s 2009 All-Star team. He became the first Hawaiian-born positional player named to an All-Star team. For the 2009 season, Victorino’s 13 triples led the majors and he won his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award in the outfield. After the season, the Phillies and Victorino agreed to a three-year contract extension, avoiding salary arbitration and buying out his first year of free agency. In 2010, Victorino set career highs with 18 home runs and 69 RBIs. He also led all National League outfielders with 11 assists and won his third consecutive Gold Glove Award.

The Boston Red Sox

Then in 2012, with his contract expiring, Shane was traded to the Dodgers. However, his time there was short. In his first free agency appearance, Shane signed a three-year, $39 million contract with the Boston Red Sox.

In his first year with the Red Sox, Shane continued his success. He earned his fourth Golden Glove Award and made a momentous postseason play. During Game 6 of the ALCS, he hit a grand slam to send the Red Sox to the World Series. With this, Shane joined Jim Thome as the only two players to hit two postseason grand slams. The Red Sox would go on to win the World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals. In the final game, Shane drove in four of the team’s six runs.

Retirement

Again, during the final year of his contract, Shane was traded from the Red Sox to the Los Angeles Angels. After free agency, he had a brief stint with the Chicago Cubs’s minor league team before formally announcing his retirement. On August 3, 2018, he signed a one-day contract with Philadelphia so he could retire as a member of the Phillies.