Age: 41
Dana Eveland
Age: 41
Dana James Eveland (born October 29, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves and in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the Hanwha Eagles.
Eveland throws a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball. As of 2014, Eveland began throwing more sliders and substituted his four-seam fastball with a two-seam fastball.
Early life
Eveland attended Palmdale High School in Palmdale, California, graduating in 2001. After one year at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas, he transferred to College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California.
Baseball career
Milwaukee Brewers
Eveland was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 16th round (469th overall) of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. On July 16, 2005, Eveland made his Major League debut against the Washington Nationals. He would ultimately pitch out of the bullpen, appearing in 27 games, while posting a record of 1-1. The following season he would appear in nine games, with five starts. Eveland's record in 2006 was 0-3, with a 8.13 ERA.
Arizona Diamondbacks
After two seasons with the Brewers, Eveland was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on November 26, 2006 along with Doug Davis and Dave Krynzel in exchange for Greg Aquino, Johnny Estrada, and Claudio Vargas. He appeared in only five games for the Diamondbacks.
Oakland Athletics
On December 14, 2007, Eveland was dealt again as part of a six-player trade to the Oakland Athletics for Dan Haren and Connor Robertson.
In 2008 he made 29 starts for the Athletics, the most of his career. His record was 9-9 with a 4.34 ERA. He also gave up 27 four-pitch walks, the most in the majors.
The following season, Eveland finished 2-4 in 13 games, with nine starts and a 7.16 ERA. He was designated for assignment on February 1, 2010.
Toronto Blue Jays
On February 6, 2010, Eveland was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays, in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
He started nine games, in which he went 3-4 with a 6.45 ERA, and was designated for assignment on May 24, 2010.
Pittsburgh Pirates
On June 1, 2010, Eveland was traded from the Blue Jays to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Ronald Uviedo. He appeared in only 3 games for the Pirates, 1 of which was a start. On June 24, 2010, he was designated for assignment.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On November 22, 2010, Eveland agreed to a minor league split contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was assigned to the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes. He was selected to both the Pacific Coast League mid-season and post-season all-star teams. He made 25 starts for the Isotopes in 2011, with a 12-8 record and 4.38 ERA.
On September 1, 2011, The Dodgers called him up to the Major League team to start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In that game he picked up the win while allowing only one run in eight innings. He wound up making 5 starts with the Dodgers in September, with a 3-2 record, 3.03 ERA and 16 strikeouts. He had extreme splits in his short time with the Dodgers. In 3 road starts he was 3-0 with an 0.44 ERA but in his two starts at Dodger Stadium he was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA.
Baltimore Orioles
He was traded from the Dodgers to the Baltimore Orioles on December 8, 2011. Eveland was designated for assignment on March 29, 2012. He was called up from Triple-A Norfolk on July 26.
Hanwha Eagles
He signed with the Hanwha Eagles in the Korea Baseball Organization for 2013.
New York Mets
He signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets on February 18, 2014.
Boston Red Sox
Eveland agreed to a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox on January 21, 2015. The deal was officially announced eight days later. On June 5, Eveland opted out of his minor league deal.
Atlanta Braves
Eveland signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves on June 7, 2015. He was assigned to the AAA Gwinnett Braves. He was designated for assignment along with Nick Masset on July 5 to create room for David Carpenter whose contract was purchased and Arodys Vizcaíno who was activated from the restricted list.
2nd Stint with Baltimore
On July 17, 2015, Eveland signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles for a second time.
Tampa Bay Rays
On December 14, 2015, Eveland signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays with an invitation to spring training.
Family
Eveland's brother, Kyle, was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 43rd round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft.