Payton Anthony Henry (born June 24, 1997) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.
| Payton Henry | |
|---|---|
Henry with the Miami Marlins in 2022 | |
| Miami Marlins – No. 59 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1997-06-24) June 24, 1997 (age 25) American Fork, Utah | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 17, 2021, for the Miami Marlins | |
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
| Batting average | .186 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 4 |
| Teams | |
| |
Henry attended Pleasant Grove High School in Pleasant Grove, Utah.[1] He originally committed to play college baseball at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. But he decommitted during his junior year. He later committed to Brigham Young University.[2] As a junior in 2015, he hit .527 with nine home runs, and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Utah.[3] In 2016, his senior year, he batted .519 with seven home runs alongside pitching to a 2.91 ERA, earning Utah Gatorade Player of the Year honors for the second straight season.[4] After the season, he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.[5][6] He signed with the Brewers for $550,000.[7]
Henry made his professional debut after signing with the Rookie-level Arizona League Brewers, hitting .256 with 17 RBIs over 24 games.[8]
In 2017, Henry played with the Helena Brewers of the Rookie-level Pioneer League where he batted .242 with seven home runs and 33 RBIS over 55 games.[9] He spent the 2018 season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Class A Midwest League, with whom he was named an All-Star and slashed .234/.327/.380 with ten home runs and 41 RBIs over 98 games.[10] He was awarded a Gold Glove after the season.[11] In 2019, he spent the year with the Carolina Mudcats of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League, earning All-Star honors and batting .242/.315/.395 with 14 home runs and 75 RBIs over 121 games, as he led the league in double plays grounded into with 18, and was third in strikeouts, with 142.[12]
Henry did not play a minor league game in 2020, due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] He was not added to Milwaukee's 40-man roster. He was eligible for the 2020 Rule 5 draft, but was not selected.[14]
To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers of the Double-A South, with whom he batted .188.[15] In mid-June, he was promoted to the Nashville Sounds of the Triple-A East.[16]
On July 30, 2021, Henry was traded to the Miami Marlins in exchange for John Curtiss.[17] He was then assigned to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp of the Triple-A East.[18] Over 71 games with Biloxi, Nashville, and Jacksonville, Henry hit .266/.351/.390 with six home runs and 27 RBIs.
On September 17, Miami selected Henry's contract and promoted him to the active roster to make his MLB debut that night.[19] He started at catcher and collected one hit, a double, over four at-bats versus the Pittsburgh Pirates.[20] Henry had 15 at-bats for the Marlins in 2021 in which he collected four hits.
Henry is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[21]
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