Woodchucks Legends: Daniel Descalso

Daniel played college ball at UC Davis, where he had a .397 batting average. As a Woodchuck in 2006, Descalso was an infielder. He had a .277 batting average, .399 on-base percentage, and 10 stolen bases.

Daniel Descalso was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007. He played in the minors from then until 2010 when he was called up. In 2009, Descalso was named the 2009 Springfield Cardinals Player of the Year. He also played for the gold medal-winning team USA in the 2009 Baseball World Cup in Italy. He officially made his major league debut on September 18, 2010, as a pinch hitter.

Descalso secured a roster spot in 2011 and impressed as an infielder. That year, he was named a finalist for the Rawlings Golden Glove Award at third base for the National League and won the World Series. Descalso continued his success with the Cardinals from 2012-2014, joining the team in four straight postseason appearances. In 2014, Descalso became the first Cardinals player in team history to start a game at each of the four infield positions within three consecutive days and four consecutive games.

After the 2014 season, Descalso became a free agent and signed a two-year deal with the Colorado Rockies. In 2017, he signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks and has since helped lead the team wins the National League Wild Card Game vs. the Rockies with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the third inning. This is his fifth postseason appearance.

From 2015 to 2016, Descalso played for the Colorado Rockies, primarily as a utility player. He would then play for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, Descalso signed a two-year contract with the Chicago Cubs. Although he struggled at the plate during his time with the Cubs, hitting .173 over 194 plate appearances in two seasons, he continued to be used as a utility player, primarily playing second and third base. At the start of the 2020 season Descalso was shut down due to a foot injury.

In February of 2023, Daniel Descalso joined the Arizona Diamondbacks as a baseball operations assistant.