Darren Dreifort

Darren Dreifort was a pitcher who played for the US at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He played college ball at Wichita State University, and in 1993 won the Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur player in the US. Dreifort was the 1993 first-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers, chosen second overall. He played in the major leagues from 1994-2005, all with the Dodgers, although he was injured and did not play in the 1995 and 2002 seasons, undergoing elbow reconstructive surgery in 2002. Dreifort was one of the rare players who went directly to the major leagues and did played in the minor leagues first. He was a starter most of his career but became a long reliever in his final professional year.

Dreifort finished with a career record of 48 wins and 60 losses, and a career ERA of 4.36. His best years were 1999 and 2000 when he won 13 and 12 games, respectively. After his career ended he became a Dodgers’ minor league spring training instructor. Dreifort was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.