Ben Paulsen
Paulsen with the Colorado Rockies in 2015
First baseman / Left fielder
Born: (1987-10-27) October 27, 1987
Plymouth, Wisconsin, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 21, 2014, for the Colorado Rockies
Last MLB appearance
August 24, 2016, for the Colorado Rockies
MLB statistics
Batting average.274
Home runs16
Runs batted in70
Teams

Benjamin Michael Paulsen (born October 27, 1987) is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman and left fielder who played for the Colorado Rockies from 2014 to 2016.

Amateur career

Born in Plymouth, Wisconsin, but raised in Alabama and Georgia, Paulsen attended Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia. Paulsen attended Clemson University alongside future major league teammate Kyle Parker. In 2008, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.[1][2][3] Paulsen's performance and play improved dramatically during his time at Clemson. 6'3 and weighing only 180 lbs. during his freshman season, Paulsen batted .258 and hit five home runs. However, by the time he was a junior and in his final season, a bigger and stronger Paulsen hit .368 with 11 home runs.[4]

Professional career

Colorado Rockies

Paulsen was drafted by the Colorado Rockies as a first baseman in the third round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.[5] Paulsen was an Arizona Fall League Rising Star in 2011.[6]

Paulsen during his tenure with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, triple-A affiliates of the Rockies, in 2014

In 2014, while playing for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL), Paulsen was named to the PCL team for the Triple-A All-Star Game.[7] The Rockies promoted Paulsen to the majors for the first time on July 21, 2014, and he made his debut that day.[8] However, MLB recognizes Paulsen's official debut as May 22, 2014, as he entered a game against the San Francisco Giants that started that day but was suspended due to rain and resumed on September 1, collecting a single (which counts as his first big league hit) in his only at-bat. Paulsen finished the 2014 season with a slash line of .317/.348/.571 in 66 plate appearances, hitting 4 home runs and driving in 10.

Minnesota Twins

He signed with the Minnesota Twins for the 2017 season. He was released by the Twins on May 15, 2017.

Post-playing career

In July 2017, Paulsen returned to Clemson to finish his degree, also joining the baseball team as an assistant coach. Paulsen shared a house with former Rockies teammate Kyle Parker while finishing his degree.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  2. ↑ "2008 Hyannis Mets". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  3. ↑ "West All-Star Roster: All-Star Game 2008". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Baseball has brought Paulsen closer to his father - Post and Courier". www.postandcourier.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-10.
  5. ↑ "Tigers' Paulsen drafted by Rockies". Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
  6. ↑ "Ben Paulsen Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights | Tulsa Drillers Stats". Milb.com. October 27, 1987. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Ben Paulsen is hitting his stride with Colorado Springs Sky Sox". 11 July 2014.
  8. ↑ Justin Morneau placed on DL by Rockies; Ben Paulsen to make MLB debut
  9. ↑ "Parker excited to be coming home to Clemson". 11 July 2017.
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