Jeffrey Darrin "J. D." Closser (born January 15, 1980 in Beech Grove, Indiana) is a Major League Baseball catcher, who is currently a free agent. Closser and his wife, Holley, have two daughters, Isabelle and Callie McKenna. He attended Alexandria Monroe High School in Indiana.

[edit] Baseball career

Closser was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 5th round of the 1998 MLB Draft and played in their minor league system through 2001. In 1999 he was named to the Short Season A All-Star team and Pioneer League All-Star team while playing for the South Bend Silver Hawks. The Diamondbacks traded him to the Colorado Rockies on January 2, 2002 (along with Jack Cust) for Mike Myers. With the Tulsa Drillers in 2003, Closser hit .283 with 13 home runs and 54 RBI, earning a spot on the Texas League All-Star team.

Closser made his debut midway through the 2004 season. He posted very impressive statistics in his rookie year. J.D. walked into the 2005 season as the starting catcher for the Colorado Rockies. However, his offensive doldrums coupled with his near-complete inability to throw-out potential base stealers cost him. The second half of the 2005 campaign, he lost his starting role to backup catcher Danny Ardoin. Closser was up and down from the minors to the majors in the 2006 season with the Rockies. He was claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers on October 13, 2006.

On May 4, 2007, he was traded to the Athletics for outfielder Charles Thomas.

On April 10, 2008, Closser was released from the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A team for the Chicago Cubs and signed with New York Yankees, who assigned him to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, their Triple-A affiliate. He was released by the Yankees on August 6 and signed with the Portland Beavers, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres.

In February 2009, Closser signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He started play for the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Los Angeles Dodgers Double-A affiliate. On Jun. 15, Closser was called up to the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Los Angeles Dodgers Triple-A affiliate. With the Isotopes, Closser batted .295 with 2 homers and 31 RBI while alternating time at catcher and first base, sharing the catching duties with AJ Ellis.

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube