Troy Neel | |
---|---|
Designated hitter / First baseman | |
Born: Freeport, Texas, U.S. | September 14, 1965|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
Professional debut | |
MLB: May 30, 1992, for the Oakland Athletics | |
NPB: April 1, 1995, for the Orix BlueWave | |
Last appearance | |
MLB: August 11, 1994, for the Oakland Athletics | |
NPB: August 24, 2000, for the Orix BlueWave | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .280 |
Home runs | 37 |
Runs batted in | 120 |
NPB statistics | |
Batting average | .262 |
Home runs | 137 |
Runs batted in | 438 |
KBO statistics | |
Batting average | .193 |
Home runs | 1 |
Runs batted in | 3 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Troy Lee Neel (born September 14,1965) is an American former professional baseball player. After a solid start in Major League Baseball (MLB),Neel moved to Japan and compiled strong numbers in six seasons playing in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). In 2022,Neel came 11,682 out of 669,173 people in the Australian ESPN AFL tipping contest.
Neel was born in Freeport,Texas. He attended Texas A&M University before his professional baseball career. At the time,Neel was playing basketball. He did not play organized baseball before the age of 20,but his ability was good enough that he was able to switch to Howard College from Texas A&M. [1]
Initially,Neel was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 9th round of the 1986 MLB draft,before being traded to Oakland in 1991,where he made his Major League debut.
Neel played in the major leagues for the Oakland Athletics primarily as a first baseman and designated hitter from 1992 to 1994. He made his debut on May 30 against the Baltimore Orioles,hitting second in the lineup and playing the entire game in left field. He went 0 for 4 with 2 strike outs. His first Major League hit was as a pinch hitter off reliever Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox on June 5 and his first career home run came on July 6 against Jeff Muttis of the Cleveland Indians. That game was his best of the year,going 3 for 5 with a 2-run home run,a double and 3 runs scored. By the end of the season he saw action in 24 games,hitting for a .264 batting average (14 hits in 53 at bats),with 3 home runs and 9 runs batted in,playing first base,left field and designated hitter. In 1993 Neel became a first-string player,belting 19 home runs with 63 RBI's on a solid .290 average. The following year his playing time was a bit reduced to 83 games,yet he still provided punch with 15 HR and 48 RBI's. Unexpectedly that would turn out to be his last year in the majors. He finished with a career .280 average in 758 at bats.
Moving to Japan alongside teammate Doug Jennings,he had a successful baseball career for the Orix BlueWave,playing with them for six seasons from 1995 until 1998,before signing with the Anaheim Angels and being assigned to the Triple-A Vancouver Canadians in that year,before returning to Japan on April 30 the same year and playing there until 2000. He also was able to make fast friends with then future MLB stars Ichiro Suzuki and So Taguchi.
Neel was the Most Valuable Player in the 1996 Japan Series,as the BlueWave defeated the Yomiuri Giants 4-games-to-1. Neel had 6 RBI in the Series.
Neel finished his professional baseball career in 2001 playing with the Doosan Bears in Korea. He was cut midway through the season after both putting up bad numbers,and a barfight that involved him getting arrested. [2] The Bears would end up winning that year's Korean Series without him. [3]
Neel has been married at least two times.
Like another NPB foreigner before him,Ralph Bryant,he had been a player considered by fans to have been talented thanks to the so called,"magic" of manager Akira Ohgi.
In 2000,Neel was ordered by the State of Texas to pay $5,000 a month in child support to his ex-wife who is the mother of his two children,a son and daughter. [2] Instead of paying,Neel fled the country then rejoined his former team in Japan,the Orix BlueWave.
After retiring from baseball after being cut midway through the 2001 season,the remarried Neel purchased a 16-acre 700,000 sq ft (65,000 m2) island in Vanuatu in the South Pacific,where he and his wife ran a 21-room resort which cost a reported $1.5 million [4] overlooking a lagoon. He chose to live there because since Vanuatu did not have any extradition treaties with the United States,this would allow him to stay there for at least five years,then gain citizenship there so he would not have to pay his ex-wife anything. [3] [2] Called "the worst dead beat dad in 'the history of Texas'", [4] he owed over $725,000 in child support, [5] ultimately determined to be $778,000. [4] In 2005,a grand jury in San Antonio indicted Neel on a charge of foreign travel to evade child support obligations. [6] They were not able to do much about it,since Neel was still living in Vanuatu at the time,but this allowed the authorities on the island to not give him a Vanuatuan passport,and therefore,proper citizenship into the island.
His passport expired in 2008,and Vanuatu authorities forced him to leave the country. On December 11,2008,Neel was arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport by US Health and Human Services investigators after he exited a plane from Sydney,Australia;he awaited trial in San Antonio,Texas. [2] On May 7,2009,Neel was scheduled to plead guilty in court to avoiding child support payments. Neel faced as much as two years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. [1] [7]
Neel reached a one-lump settlement with his ex-wife,for $116,000 and not the $778,000 he owed, [4] a reduction of 85%. He received no jail time sentence,only probation. [4]
Alexander Alberto Cabrera is a Venezuelan first baseman and right-handed batter who played in 2000 for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball and for 12 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He also played several seasons in the LVBP in his native Venezuela.
Karl Derrick "Tuffy" Rhodes is a retired American professional baseball player. He played six years in Major League Baseball in the US,and thirteen years in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. Rhodes is the all-time NPB home run leader among foreign-born players,and he is 13th overall with 464 home runs in Japan. He hit 55 home runs in 2001,tying the NPB single-season mark set by Sadaharu Oh in 1964.
Alexander Ramón Ramírez Quiñónez,nicknamed Ramichan,is a Venezuelan-born Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who had a long career in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He is the first foreign-born player to record 2,000 hits while playing in NPB.
Norihiro Nakamura is a Japanese former professional baseball third baseman. Nakamura spent almost all of his professional career in Japan with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. Nakamura had a .266 career batting average,404 home runs and 1348 RBI,and was an eight-time All-Star and four-time Golden Glove winner. Nakamura is one of only 16 players to have hit 400 or more home runs in NPB.
Leon Lee is an American former professional baseball player and manager,primarily known for his career in Japan. He played first base,third base,and catcher during his career,batting and throwing right-handed. Lee had a ten-year career in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). At the conclusion of his playing career,he was considered one of the greatest foreign players to have played in the NPB. Later,he became the first African-American manager in Japanese baseball history.
Hiroyuki Nakajima,nicknamed "Nakaji",is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Saitama Seibu Lions,Orix Buffaloes and Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and the Oakland Athletics organization.
Dae-ho Lee is a South Korean professional baseball player who played as a first baseman. During his career,he played for the Lotte Giants of the KBO League,Orix Buffaloes and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB),and the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Takashi Toritani is a Japanese former professional baseball player,baseball commentator,baseball critic,coach.
Marwin Javier González is a Venezuelan professional baseball utility player for the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). González was signed as an international free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 2005. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2012. He has played 11 seasons in MLB for the Houston Astros,Minnesota Twins,Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. González has appeared at every position in MLB except for catcher.
Matthew Terry Clark is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Chunichi Dragons and Orix Buffaloes (NPB). Prior to beginning his professional career,he played college baseball at UC Santa Barbara and Louisiana State University. Clark also competed for the United States national baseball team and the Mexico national baseball team.
Stefen Daniel Romero is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and Orix Buffaloes.
Joseph Frank Butler is an American former professional baseball designated hitter and left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers,Tampa Bay Rays,and St. Louis Cardinals,and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Orix Buffaloes.
Steven Moya is a Puerto Rico born-Dominican Republic professional baseball outfielder for the TSG Hawks of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chunichi Dragons and Orix Buffaloes.
Rangel Ravelo is a Cuban professional baseball first baseman and outfielder in the Seattle Mariners organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Orix Buffaloes.
American expatriate baseball players in Japan have been a feature of the Japanese professional leagues since 1934. American expatriate players began to steadily find spots on Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) rosters in the 1960s. More than 600 Americans have played NPB,although very few last more than a single season in Japan.
Masataka Yoshida is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He started his professional career with Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Orix Buffaloes. Yamamoto is a three-time Pacific League Most Valuable Player,Eiji Sawamura Award,and a three-time Triple Crown winner. Yamamoto is the first player in the history of professional baseball to win the Triple Crown in three consecutive years.
Aderlin Rodríguez,nicknamed "A-Rod",is a Dominican Republic professional baseball corner infielder for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He previously played for the New York Mets,Seattle Mariners,Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers organizations,and for the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Francisco Daniel Caraballo is a Venezuelan former professional baseball first baseman. He played for the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
David C. MacKinnon is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Samsung Lions of the KBO League. He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Saitama Seibu Lions and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics. MacKinnon played college baseball at the University of Hartford and was selected by the Angels in the 32nd round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.