Lee Delfino

From BR Bullpen

Lee A. Delfino

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.

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Biographical Information[edit]

Lee Delfino played five seasons in the minor leagues and also appeared with Team Canada.

Delfino hit .444 and slugged 1.056 with 10 runs and 10 RBI in the 1997 World Junior Championship to help Canada win a Bronze Medal. The Toronto Blue Jays chose him in the 5th round of the 1998 amateur draft, their third pick of the draft that year. He was the only player they selected in the top 10 rounds who did not sign, going on to college.

As a freshman at East Carolina University in 1999, Delfino hit .317 with 12 homers to earn second-team Freshman All-American honors by Baseball America, behind first-teamer Jeff Keppinger at shortstop. While Canada sent a mostly-pro squad to the 1999 Pan American Games, they included the young Delfino as their shortstop when Kevin Nicholson turned down the role. Delfino hit .348 in the event, during which Canada was the only unbeaten team in round one before falling to Cuba in the semifinals. They won Bronze, Canada's first Medal ever at a major international event.

In 2000, Lee batted .311 with 12 homers. The next year, he hit .362, 7th in the Colonial Athletic Association with 11 home runs. The Blue Jays again drafted Delfino, this time in the 6th round of the 2001 amateur draft. He split his first pro season between the Auburn Doubledays (.220/.350/.260 in 13 G) and the Charleston Alley Cats (.267/.340/.363 in 41 G).

Delfino played for Canada in the 2001 Baseball World Cup, only going 2 for 21 with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts. With Nicholson at shortstop, Delfino played mostly second base, without making any errors. In 2002, Lee produced at a .223/.339/.324 rate for Charleston and fielded .956 at second base. The lone positives were 9 steals in 10 tries and 62 walks, second on the club.

In 2003, Delfino hit just .155/.243/.193 in 62 games for the Dunedin Blue Jays, ending his time in the Toronto chain. He played in the independent leagues in 2004 with Les Capitales de Québec (.236, .357 SLG) and also was with them for 2005 (.255/.337/.378). Delfino played for Canada in the 2005 Baseball World Cup, batting .278/.458/.389 with 8 runs in 7 games as Canada's main third baseman.

He was still playing semi-pro ball with the Brantford Red Sox of the Intercounty Baseball League in 2010.

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