Nate Schierholtz

[Brandon Glick]

Nate Schierholtz is an eight-year MLB veteran who played the outfield for four teams, including parts of two seasons with the Chicago Cubs.

Schierholtz was a prep star, serving as captain at San Ramon Valley High School before spending one season at Chabot College (a community college), where he was named an All-American. The San Francisco Giants thought highly enough of his production to draft him in the second round (63rd overall) of the 2003 MLB Draft, selecting him as a third baseman.

It wasn't long before Schierholtz converted to the outfield, and he emerged as one of the best prospects in the Giants' system. He would end up making his MLB debut in 2007, though San Francisco continued to shuttle him despite solid results. In 198 plate appearances between 2007-08, the right fielder hit .310/.338/439 (100 OPS+), which earned him a more permanent position on the team going forward. He would play 114+ games for the Giants over each of the next three seasons (winning the World Series in 2010), though he never quite lived up to his early-career production.

Then, Schierholtz was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at the 2012 trade deadline in the deal that brought Hunter Pence to San Francisco. He struggled in his half-season there, and was non-tendered the following offseason.

Thus, the outfielder was left to his own devices in free agency, and he ultimately signed a one-year, $2.25 million deal in December 2012 with the Cubs. He proceeded to have the best season of his career in 2013, batting .251/.301/.470 in a career-high 503 plate appearances as Chicago's everyday right fielder. His 21 home runs were also a career-best, and he was a low-key All-Star candidate on the strength of his .286 batting average and 11 home runs through June. At just 29 years old, he appeared to be one of the team's outfielders of the future, and the Cubs showed their faith in him by extending Schierholtz on a one-year, $5 million contract for the 2014 season.

Unfortunately, that's when the wheels fell off. Schierholtz hit .192/.240/.300 in 99 games with the Cubs in the first half of 2014, and he lost playing time as the season progressed. The front office couldn't find a taker for him at the trade deadline, and ultimately, the team designated him for assignment on Aug. 6. No one claimed the outfielder, and the Cubs let him go.

After being released by the Cubs, Schierholtz signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals, and he got a late-season cup of coffee with them as a defensive replacement and pinch hitter. His tenure there came to an end when his old team, the Giants, eliminated the Nationals in the NLDS. He then had stints overseas and in the minor leagues with various other teams, though an 80-game suspension in August 2016 for taking performance-enhancing drugs effectively ended his career. 

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