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MLB: David Denson, First Openly Gay Player, Retires
The first openly gay player in the MLB system, David Denson, has retired.
David Denson, the first openly gay player in MLB-affiliated baseball, announced his decision to retire yesterday. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Denson's action was unexpected, but that it had nothing to do with the player's sexual orientation. Instead, Denson stated that the change in career plans was "made purely from a baseball standpoint."
The first baseman and outfielder made headlines back in 2015 when he became the first openly gay player in a league affiliated with Major League Baseball. The announcement came after the then 19-year-old had discussed the matter with teammates and gay former player Billy Bean. His public reveal occurred in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
After coming out, which is a rare and courageous act in professional sports, Denson said that his teammates treated him the same way. He refuted that his opening had turned others against him, making him want to leave the sport. Rather, the 21-year-old felt that his "feelings weren't in the game anymore." The minor leaguer reaffirmed his love for the game but decided that he simply did not wish to pursue it as a career anymore.
Denson first entered professional baseball when the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the 15th round of the 2013 amateur draft. He started out well in rookie ball, batting .244 with a healthy walk rate and solid power over 40 games. This success then carried over into 2014, when he thrived at the Single-A level.
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FanGraphs' Kiley McDaniel profiled the youngster in his pre-2015 prospect evaluation. He ranked the slugger as the 17th-best player in the Brewers' system, highlighting the value that his raw power could bring. McDaniel also commented on his highly-advanced plate discipline, which had fueled high on-base percentages in Denson's prior work, and decent speed.
The following season, however, saw David Denson's skills regress a bit. He split his time between Single-A and rookie ball, and could never really be better than league-average. The left-handed batter still managed to walk a lot, but the other batting skills were not quite there. His walk rate stayed at a healthy level, but his batting average struggled to exceed the mid to low .200s.
The first baseman's final season saw him break into High Single-A, but his play at that level was terrible. He batted just .125 with little power of which to speak in 81 plate appearances. Denson only hit one extra base hit, a double, in that stretch. Clearly, it is easy to see why the youngster might have grown frustrated with pursuing a career in baseball.
Wherever David Denson goes from here, he will always retain the honor of being the first player in the MLB system to be openly gay. His brave decision will probably live long into the future, providing other gay baseball players the confidence it takes to break a stigma.
