Russ Canzler

Professional career

Russ Canzler began his professional baseball journey when the Chicago Cubs picked him in the 30th round of the 2004 draft, straight out of Hazleton Area School District. He spent the next seven seasons climbing through the Cubs' minor league system, from 2004 through 2010.

Tampa Bay Rays

When he became a free agent for the first time before the 2011 campaign, he inked a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, figuring that club offered his best shot at reaching the big leagues. That hunch paid off in a big way: Canzler won the International League MVP award that year, hitting .314 with an on-base percentage of .401 and a slugging mark of .530, plus 18 homers and 83 RBIs across 131 games. The Rays rewarded him with his first major league call-up on September 11, 2011.

Baltimore Orioles

Just a few months later, on January 31, 2012, Tampa Bay shipped him to the Cleveland Indians for cash. Cleveland then designated him for assignment on December 19, 2012, to clear a 40-man roster spot for Mark Reynolds. Two days after that, the Toronto Blue Jays grabbed him off waivers. But Cleveland promptly reclaimed him from Toronto on January 2, 2013, only to lose him again the very next day when the New York Yankees put in a waiver claim.

The Yankees designated him for assignment on February 1, 2013, after signing Travis Hafner, and the Baltimore Orioles scooped him up off waivers on February 5. On July 12, 2013, Baltimore traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Tim Alderson. The Pirates designated him for assignment on August 27.

Canzler returned to the Yankees on a minor league contract on November 23, 2013, and played 51 games for their Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, slashing .263/.332/.389 with two homers, 24 RBIs, and one stolen base. New York let him go on June 20, 2014. He quickly found a new home, signing a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on June 26, 2014, and reporting to their Triple-A team, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The Phillies brought him back on another minor league contract on November 13, 2014, but he chose free agency on November 6, 2015, ending his affiliated baseball journey.