Donnie Hart

Donnie Scott Hart

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.
• School Texas State University
• High School Seven Lakes High School
• Debut July 17, 2016
• Final Game August 4, 2019
• Born September 6, 1990 in Bedford, TX USA

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Biographical Information

Relief pitcher Donnie Hart began his professional career in 2013 after being taken by the Baltimore Orioles in the 27th round of the 2013 amateur draft. He was the first player from that round to make the major leagues.

With the Aberdeen IronBirds his first year, he was 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 19 games, striking out 26 batters in 24 innings. The next year, he was 1-3, 3.68 in 24 games for the Delmarva Shorebirds, though he still averaged more than a strikeout per inning. In 2015, he played for the Shorebirds (1-1, 2.12 ERA), Frederick Keys (5-1, 1.03 ERA) and Bowie Baysox (0-0, 3.86 ERA). Between the clubs, he was 6-2 with 13 saves and a 1.49 ERA in 49 games, though his strikeout rate slipped. He played for the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League after the regular season, posting a 4.82 mark in 8 games. He was an AFL Rising Star in 2015.

He began 2016 with Bowie, but after starting the campaign well, he was promoted to the majors without ever playing at Triple-A. He was an Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star however. On July 17th, he made his big league debut with Baltimore, tossing two-thirds of an inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. He struck out the second batter he faced, Kevin Kiermaier. After making three appearances without allowing a run, he was demoted back to Bowie on July 24th. However, he was soon back, and ended up with a minuscule ERA of 0.49 in 22 games. He was used as a LOOGY, logging just 18 1/3 innings without a decision, and it was in that same role that he faced one batter in the Wild Card Game, facing Melvin Upton with two on and no one out in a 2-2 game in the bottom of the 7th. He got Upton to fly out to left field to end the inning, then gave way to Brad Brach to start the 8th.

In 2017, he pitched 51 times as the Orioles sank in the standings. He went 2-0, 3.71, again averaging less than an inning per appearance with 43 2/3 innings pitched. He struggled in 2018, by which time the Orioles were downright terrible, pitching 20 times and giving up 31 hits and 12 walks in 19 1/3 innings to end up with an ERA of 5.59. He pitched well for the AAA Norfolk Tides, though, going 3-2, 2.41 in 32 games with 6 saves. He then spent 2019 on the waiver wire, being claimed three different times by as many teams off waivers during the year. Just as spring training was getting under way, the Los Angeles Dodgers plucked him from the Orioles' nest on March 7th, then on April 4th, after he failed to make the Dodgers' roster, he was picked up by the Milwaukee Brewers. He was sent to the AAA San Antonio Missions, where he went 4-3, 4.10 in 40 games, once again being used as a lefty specialist as he pitched just 37 1/3 innings. He was called up to Milwaukee for a couple of weeks at the end of April and did well, allowing no runs in 6 innings over 4 appearances. He was back on waivers at the start of August, and this time the New York Mets gave him a look, first in AAA with the Syracuse Mets, then with the major league team, where he added one more scoreless appearance to his season's ledger. The following February, he was signed as a free agent by the Oakland Athletics and went to spring training with them in 2020.

He also played for the East Texas Pump Jacks of the Texas Collegiate League in 2011, going 3-1 with a 1.36 ERA in 8 games (6 starts).

Related Sites

• Donnie Hart on mlb.com