Garth Cale Iorg (born September 6,1985) is a Canadian-born American former professional baseball player. He is the son of former Major League Baseball (MLB) player Garth Iorg and nephew of former MLB player Dane Iorg.[1] Iorg played college baseball for the Alabama Crimson Tide.[2] After his freshman season at Alabama,Iorg put his baseball career on hold to go on a Mormonmission to Lisbon,Portugal.[3] He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers shortly before he returned from the mission.[4] Iorg was ranked as the third best prospect in the Tigers organization by Baseball America following the 2008 season.[5]
Iorg was a four-year starter at Karns High School near Knoxville,Tennessee. As a junior,he batted .489 with 20 RBI and 19 stolen bases. In his senior season,he batted .495 with 15 home runs and 57 RBI,while compiling a .698 on-base percentage and a 1.131 slugging mark. He also scored 52 runs and stole 34 of 36 bases.[2] In his freshman and only season at Alabama,Iorg batted .280 with an on-base percentage of .331 and slugging percentage of .415 as the Crimson Tide's starting shortstop.[6]
Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
After his freshman season at Alabama,Iorg served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Lisbon,Portugal. He told The Birmingham News that leaving Alabama had nothing to do with baseball. It was a matter of faith.[7] While in Portugal,Iorg had little time for baseball. He had time to work out for about 30 minutes per day during the mission and once a week he had additional free time in which he often played soccer.[3] While on the mission,Iorg was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the sixth round (211th overall) of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. He returned from Portugal on July 14,2007.[8]
At the end of the 2013 spring training season,the Tigers attempted to trade Iorg to the Baltimore Orioles,and when that fell through the Tigers released him.[13] The Orioles signed him to a minor league contract on April 9,and assigned him to the Double-A Bowie Baysox.[14]
On June 6,2013,he announced his retirement from baseball.[15]
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