Chris Stewart, Retired

Date of Birth: 2/19/1982
Birthplace: Fontana, California
College: Riverside Community College

Chris Stewart, retired catcher, was first drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2001. He played in the minor leagues from 2002 through 2006, joining the White Sox for just six games in 2006.

The White Sox traded Stewart to the Texas Rangers in January, 2007. He played in just 17 games with the Rangers in 2007, spending the rest of the time in their minor league system.

In April, 2008, Stewart joined his third team when he signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. He played in the Yankees' minor league system that year, joining the team for just one game. He signed with the White Sox again in December, 2008, but they traded him back to the Yankees in March, 2009. He once again spent a season in the minor leagues in 2009.

Stewart signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres in December, 2009. He played in just two games with them in 2010, again spending most of the season in the minor leagues. In 2011, Stewart signed with his fifth team, the San Francisco Giants, and he finally had the chance to play in the major leagues. He batted .204 with 33 hits in 67 games in 2011.

Stewart returned to the Yankees when the Giants traded him in April, 2012. That season, he became the backup catcher to Russell Martin, playing in 55 games and finishing with a .241 batting average. He became the Yankees' primary catcher in 2013 after Francisco Cervelli was injured. In 109 games, he batted .211 with 62 hits. His strength for the Yankees was, however, behind the plate. He made 55 assists, 741 putouts, and just 2 errors with a .997 fielding percentage in 108 games.

After the Yankees signed Brian McCann in December, 2013, they traded Stewart to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2014, he was again the backup catcher to Russell Martin. He finished the season with 40 hits and a .294 batting average in 49 games.

Stewart played in 58 games with the Pirates in 2015 and he had a .289 batting average with 46 hits. As the team's backup catcher in 52 games, he made 37 assists, 328 putouts, and 9 errors. He caught players trying to steal 24.1% of the time and he had a .976 fielding percentage.

Stewart spent time on the DL in 2016, playing in just 34 games with the Pirates. He batted .214 with 21 hits.

In 2017, Stewart batted just .183 in 51 games with the Pirates. Defensively, as the Pirates' catcher in 48 games, he made 26 assists, 379 putouts, and 6 errors. He caught players trying to steal 22.9% of the time.

Stewart became a free agent on November 3, 2017. He signed with the Atlanta Braves on February 14, 2018. He was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 30, 2018. He spent most of the 2018 season in the minors, playing in just 5 games with the Braves and 3 games with the Diamondbacks.

Stewart became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the Padres on January 24, 2019. He was released on June 1st. He played only in the minors in 2019.

Stewart retired in July, 2019.

Personal Life

Stewart and his wife Lindsey have a son and a daughter.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Chris Stewart
ESPN - Chris Stewart