Ntema Ndungidi

Ntema Ndungidi
Outfielder
Born: (1979-03-15) March 15, 1979
Kisangani, Zaire
Bats: Left Throws: Right

Ntema Ndungidi (born March 15, 1979) is a former Zaire-born Canadian Minor League Baseball outfielder. He played in the minor leagues in the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, and Montreal Expos organizations. He appeared in the All-Star Futures Game.

Biography

Ndungidi was born in Kisangani, in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).[1] His father moved to Montreal, Quebec, in 1981. The rest of the family, including him, followed the next year.[2] He attended Cégep Édouard-Montpetit.[3]

The Baltimore Orioles drafted Ndungidi in the first round, with the 36th overall selection, of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft, making him the highest-ranked MLB draftee from Quebec of all time.[1] He was selected with a compensation pick received for the loss of David Wells as a free agent. The Orioles signed him with a $500,000 signing bonus. Ndungidi is the second baseball player of African descent to play for a Major League Baseball organization,[4] the first being Mark Miller of South Africa, who played Minor League Baseball in the 1970s. Ndungidi had a .295 batting average with the Bluefield Orioles of the Rookie-level Appalachian League in 1998. However, he struggled with the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Class A South Atlantic League and the Frederick Keys of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League in 1999.[5]

In 2000, while playing for Frederick, Ndungidi was selected to appear in the All-Star Futures Game.[6] He received a promotion to the Bowie Baysox of the Class AA Eastern League during the season.[5] Participating in the Arizona Fall League after the 2000 season, Ndungidi left the team without permission, and was suspended.[7][8] Baseball America named Ndungidi the fourth-best prospect in the Orioles organization prior to the 2001 season. After 2001, he was released and claimed by the Seattle Mariners. After the 2002 season, he signed a minor league contract with the Montreal Expos. In 2003, he played for the Quebec Capitales of the Northeast League, an independent baseball league.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Brockmann, John (August 25, 1997). "Ndungidi Not Typical Draft Pick". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  2. ↑ Rosenthal, Ken (June 21, 1997). "O's get world-class draft pick in 'Pappy'". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  3. ↑ "ANAHEIM ANGELS". Orlando Sentinel. June 13, 1997. p. C.8. Retrieved August 28, 2012. (subscription required)
  4. ↑ "Orioles Sign Africa Native". The New York Times. July 1, 1997. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Sickels, John (September 1, 2000). "ESPN.com – Major League Baseball – Down on the Farm: Ntema Ndungidi". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  6. ↑ "FUTURES GAME LIST RELEASED". Miami Herald. June 16, 2000. p. 6D. Retrieved August 28, 2012. (subscription required)
  7. ↑ "Orioles prospect goes AWOL". USA Today. November 22, 2000. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Ntema Ndungidi suspendu par les Orioles" (in French). RDS.ca. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  9. ↑ nurun.com. "Ntema Ndungidi veut renaître avec les Caps | Autres sports | Sports | Le Journal de Québec" (in French). Journaldequebec.com. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
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