Greg Pirkl

Gregory Daniel Pirkl (born August 7, 1970) is an American baseball player. He played parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball, from to , for the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox. He also played part of for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). After being drafted as a catcher, he played first base and designated hitter in the majors before converting to a pitcher in the minor leagues later in his career.

Playing career Pirkl attended Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, California. He did not play Little League Baseball and later pitched some in high school. In 1988, he was named the Orange County baseball player of the year by the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register after batting .540 with 10 home runs. He played catcher, switching from playing first base and third base earlier in his high school career. He committed to play college baseball for the USC Trojans.

The Seattle Mariners drafted Pirkl in the second round of the 1988 MLB draft, assigning him to the Class A Short Season Bellingham Mariners.

The Mariners promoted Pirkl to the majors in August 1993. He had two hits in his MLB debut, off Chuck Finley of the California Angels, and hit a home run the next day off Mark Langston. However, he went hitless in his final four games in August and was sent back to the minors, ending his first MLB season with a .175 batting average.

Pirkl hit five home runs in April 1994 but was sent down to Triple-A on May 15. In 19 games with the Mariners, he hit .264 with a career-high 6 home runs. In the minors, he led Triple-A first basemen with 13 errors. He was tabbed as a potential backup first baseman again in 1995. He played in 10 games for the Mariners that year, batting .235 with no extra base hits.

The Boston Red Sox claimed Pirkl off waivers on August 1, 1996. In his final MLB season, Pirkl batted 2-for-23 with one home run with Seattle and Boston.

Personal life Pirkl and his wife have two children. He also has a child from a previous relationship.

Pirkl had a scholarship agreement with the Mariners to pay for his college at the University of Southern California, but he did not enroll within two years of being drafted, letting his scholarship offer lapse.