About Derek Norris
Derek Russell Norris (born February 14, 1989) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Tampa Bay Rays. Prior to playing professionally, Norris attended Goddard High School. After signing and spending a few seasons in the Washington Nationals' minor-league system, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics at the end of the 2011 season. He made his MLB debut in 2012 for the Athletics before making his sole All-Star appearance two seasons later. The Athletics traded Norris to the San Diego Padres at the end of the season. He spent two seasons with the Padres, reaching career high statistics in runs, RBI, and home runs in 2015. The Nationals acquired Norris at the end of the 2016 season. Norris was granted free agency by the Nationals with the Tampa Bay Rays signing him. He was designated for assignment midway through the 2017 season, and after being released, he was suspended for the rest of the season due to domestic violence allegations. Norris signed a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers after the end of the 2017 season before being released a few months later. In April 2018, he signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters, an independent league team. He became a free agent at the end of the season. At Goddard High, Norris played third base before transitioning to catcher, and also won a Class 6A Championship title. On June 24, 2012, the Athletics were trailing 2-1 against the San Francisco Giants when Norris hit his first career home run, and first career walk-off home run. Norris was selected to play in the 2014 MLB All-Star Game, his first and only career appearance in an All-Star game. When Suzuki was traded to the Washington Nationals on August 3, Norris became the primary catcher for the team, backed up by the newly acquired George Kottaras.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.