Scott Van Slyke

Scott Tyler Van Slyke (born July 24, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and in the KBO League for the Doosan Bears.

The son of All-Star outfielder Andy Van Slyke, he was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2005 MLB Draft out of John Burroughs School in Missouri.

Scott Van Slyke was born on July 24, 1986, in Chesterfield, Missouri, to Andy and Lauri Van Slyke. He is of Dutch ancestry and grew up in St. Louis, where his father, Andy, played with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1983 to 1986. Scott is the second of four children; his older brother, A. J., played in the Cardinals' minor league system from 2005 to 2008. At the age of seven, he rescued his three-year-old brother Jared from drowning in a hot tub near the Pittsburgh Pirates' spring training camp in Bradenton, Florida.

Van Slyke began playing baseball at age five. He attended John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri, where he was named Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year in 2005.

Van Slyke was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2005 amateur draft. Van Slyke made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Dodgers in 2005, appearing in 24 games and hitting .282.

Van Slyke played for the Ogden Raptors in 2006, the Great Lakes Loons in 2007 and 2008 and the Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino in 2008–09 before he was promoted to the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes at the end of the 2009 season. He was named to the California League Post-season All-Star team in 2009. He began 2010 with the Chattanooga Lookouts in the Double-A Southern League, and again returned to Albuquerque to finish the season.

He started 2011 with Chattanooga, where he began spending more time at first base. He was selected to the mid-season All-Star game, and won the MVP award in the game. He was later also selected as a post-season all-star. In 130 games, he hit .348 with 20 home runs and 92 RBI. He led the Southern League in batting average for the 2011 season, and was selected as the Dodgers "Minor League Player of the Year". He was added to the Dodgers' 40-man roster after the season.

Van Slyke was called up to the Dodgers on May 9, 2012. He made his debut that night as a pinch hitter and recorded an RBI single in his first at-bat. He was the first Dodger to get a pinch RBI in his first at-bat since Carl Warwick on April 11, 1961. Van Slyke hit his first Major League home run on May 20, 2012, as a pinch hitter against St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Marc Rzepczynski when he was given the green light to swing on a 3–0 count. The three-run home run gave the Dodgers the game-winning 6–5 lead.