Daniel Mengden Bio: Kia Tigers, Contract, Wife & News

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!” As Kelly Clarkson sings in her hit single.

Likewise, injuries are unavoidable when it comes to sports; they don’t kill you but hinder you nonetheless. 

Daniel Mengeden‘s injury has definitely interrupted him, but he just returned being more enthusiastic than ever. 

Originally from the states, Mengden currently plays for the Kansas City Royals organization in the pitcher position.

Before this, Daniel played in the “Korean Baseball Championship (KBO)” League for the “Kia Tigers.” 

Previously, he has also played for the professional team Oakland Athletics in Major League Baseball (MLB). 

Despite the change in time and place, Daniel has never shied away from opportunities. Instead, his enthusiasm and love for baseball have grown even more extensive. 

Here, we will talk more about his career, what made him sign with the Royals, and many more. So, stick with us till the end! 

Quick Facts:

Daniel Mengden | Early Life, Family, and Education

Daniel Mengden was born on February 19, 1993, in Houston, Texas, United States.

He was raised by his parents, Joe Mengden and Beth Mengden. Along with his parents, Daniel grew up with his four siblings, Victoria, Micheal, Rachel, and Gabrielle.

His father, Joe, used to be ITcian in the financial field while his mother, Beth, was a homemaker for her five children.

Talking about his siblings, Victoria is a teacher and his younger siblings, Michael and Gabrielle, are professional dancers.

Growing up, Daniel was very interested in baseball. Since childhood, Mengden’s parents always supported his interest and encouraged him to work hard.

Moreover, Daniel was homeschooled through eighth grade. But, later, his parents ultimately decided to place him in high school in order to improve his baseball career.

Education

Daniel attended Westside High School for his high school education. After graduating, he joined Texas A&M University and started playing college baseball from 2012 to 2014.

During his three years at college, he appeared in 54 games with 36 starts. 

Daniel Mengden | Professional Career

Daniel started his professional career as an American baseball pitcher for Houston Astros in 2014. He became a fourth-round draft pick by the Astros out of Texas A&M. 

In the 2015 season, Daniel played with the Quad Cities River Bandits and was later promoted to the Lancaster JetHawks. 

During the 2015 trade deadline, Daniel was traded to Oakland Athletic. Further, he debuted with the team by playing against the Cincinnati Reds on June 11, 2016.

Meanwhile, on June 27, 2016, Mengden won his first major league game battle against the San Francisco Giants.

Likewise, in 2017, Daniel spent the majority of the season in the minors, pitching 7 starts for Oakland. While for the 2018 season, he was 7-6 with an ERA of 4.05 in 22 games.

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Save in blowout 

Starting from winning over the Astros, Mengden was notified, earning two runs on four hits and two walks over three innings. He recorded strikeout there.

Additionally, Daniel pitched three innings without even blowing his team’s sizable advantage.

Since then, Daniel became pretty effective with his moves in his first appearance, including being called up from Triple-A.

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Daniel Mengden | Effective Injury 

Arthroscopic Surgery 

According to Mark Feinsand of ML.com reports, Daniel underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. His surgery involves shaving off a small spur in Mengden’s olecranon.

Due to surgery, it was not possible for Daniel to return to the field. As a reason, he missed around 6-10 weeks of the season.

After some time, it was reported that Mengden was healthy and would return to the baseball field soon, but later his elbow again acted up.

Meanwhile, Daniel had to leave for a whole season, including the regular season’s first month.

Admitted as a 60-day injured list 

According to Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News reports, Daniel was admitted to the 60-day injured list.

And the particular reason for the circumstance likely made him work as a middle reliever back again after he’s healthy.

Healthily Back 

After the whole season was delayed because of the covid-19 pandemic, Daniel got more time for his elbow to recover.

Despite all, the league’s ongoing hiatus allowed him to join to make his full recovery.

But he was still expected to be on the outside looking in for a rotation spot for the specific purpose of settlement for a long-relief role activating from the IL.

Player Pool 

Just after the announcement of being 100 percent healthy, Daniel was offered to being a versatile player and saved up for the 2020 season.

During that occasion, Daniel got a chance to make his case on the expanded opening day in the three weeks of summer camp. 

New Moves 

After recovering, Mengden worked with specific pitching coach Scott Emerson to modify his delivery style involving more fluid with not as much movement back and forward.

Daniel tried his best to keep it smooth and repeatable. He was even interested in slide steps to work quicker keeping the release point steady, which were issues for him in the past. 

Effective COVID-19

Within time, Daniel Mengden tested positive for Covid-19. He stayed in quarantine for some instances, adding Mike Minor to the active roster in a corresponding move.

Later on September 18, Mengden tested negative and made his availability for game action.

More Suffering Covid-19

Further, just being able to be on the team, after being on the list of COVID-19 injured list, it becomes unclear if the right-hander will be included in the Athletics’ player pool heading into the postseason.

To sum up, Mengden posted a 3.65 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 12.1 innings in all of his four appearances in 2020. The MLB player came back strong in the postseason. 

Learn more about his scouting report and pitching motion on Fangraphs and Fantasy Pros respectively. 

Contract with South Korea Baseball Team

Mengden signed a one-year contract of $725,0000 with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kia Tigers on December 25, 2020.

Despite dealing with the uncertainty of the 2021 minor-league season, Daniel was heading overseas with a guaranteed and preferable contract in hand.

Kansas City Royals

Mengden signed a minor league deal with the professional team Kansas City Royals on March 8, 2022.

You can find the latest stats, news, highlights, scores, and much more information about Daniel Mengden on the BaseballReference website.

Daniel Mengden | Personal Life, Wife, and Marriage

Talking about Daniels’ love life, he has always been open about it in public. He is happily married to his long-term girlfriend, now wife, Danielle Bishop.

The couple got married on November 9, 2020, amid the covid-19 pandemic. According to sources, they have been in a love relationship since 2016.

Despite having a long-distance relationship, both Daniel and Danielle make up free time to spend with each other by surprising or going to refreshing places.

They are even spotted at events and programs. Talking about Danielle, she used to be a student at Texas A&M University-College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

As of now, Danielle is a marketing & communications manager. Moreover, the lovely couple welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in 2021.

Daniel Mengden | Net worth, Salary, and Contracts

Daniel has had a successful career as a professional baseball player.

With his incredible performances on the field, Mengden has accumulated a handsome amount of wealth from his baseball career.

“As of 2024, Daniel Mengden’s net worth is estimated at around $1 million.”

In 2019 when Daniel signed one year contract with Oakland Athletics, he received $555,000 guaranteed money.

Likewise, in the 2021 season, Mengden signed a $425K contract with the Kia Tigers of the KBO League. Furthermore, Daniel also earns $555,000 as an annual salary.

Moreover, the talented player still has many years left to play with different professional teams’ and earn even more cash in the future.

With his outstanding performance, Daniel will surely earn thousands of dollars in the coming days. 

Contracts

Houston Astros: 2014

Oakland Athletics: 2016-2019

Kia Tigers: 2020

Kansas City Royals: 2022

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Social Media Presence:

Daniel Mengden is quite active on social media. You can follow him on his social media handles via these links.

Instagram: 8.5k followers 

Twitter: 5.1k followers

Facebook

Some FAQs:

What is Daniel Menden’s run average?

According to reports, Daniel Menden’s run average is 4.96.

Has Daniel Mengden sustained a foot injury?

No, there are no new reports regarding a foot injury related to Mengden. However, he did sprain his foot in 2018 while playing for the Athletics.

Did Daniel Mengden shave his mustache?

Yes, the baseballer shaved his mustache in late 2019, which resulted in many clamors among fans who loved his old-time mustache.

Likewise, many media outlets tweeted how they were not okay with Mengden’s decision to shave off his mustache. 

Nevertheless, the fans and the media said that they would always remember the mustache even though it’s gone now.

Due to his mustache, he was often compared with former pitcher Rollie Fingers. 

Where was Daniel Mengden actually injured?

Daniel Mengdon was injured on his right elbow, for which he had to undergo surgery, being on a 60-day injured list.