Paul DeJong Bio
Paul Sterling DeJong (pronounced də-YUNG; born August 2, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop and third baseman. A native of Orlando, Florida, he has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Washington Nationals. DeJong first reached the majors with the Cardinals in 2017 and earned National League All-Star honors in 2019.
After spending his formative years as a power-hitting shortstop in the Cardinals system, DeJong bounced through five organizations in the latter half of the 2020s. He entered 2025 as a member of the Washington Nationals before returning to free agency.
Early Life and Background
DeJong was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, before his family moved to Antioch, Illinois, when he was 11 years old. His parents are Keith and Andrea DeJong, and he has a younger brother, Matthew, and a younger sister, Emma. As a child, his mother brought him to Little League games, and a coach once told her when Paul was five that he would one day play in the major leagues. He grew up an Atlanta Braves fan.
DeJong graduated from Antioch Community High School in 2011. As a senior, he batted .430 with four home runs and 30 runs batted in (RBIs), leading his team to a 21–10 record. He earned All-Area, All-Lake County First-Team, and All-North Suburban Conference First-Team honors. He then enrolled at Illinois State University (ISU), where he played college baseball for the Redbirds and majored in biochemistry with a pre-medical emphasis, finishing with a 3.74 GPA.
Path to Professional Baseball
DeJong joined Illinois State as a preferred walk-on and developed into one of the Missouri Valley Conference’s top hitters. He bulked up between his freshman and sophomore years, gaining roughly 20 pounds of muscle, and in 2014 he batted .349 with 21 doubles, nine home runs, and 48 RBIs, earning All-MVC First-Team and MVC Scholar-Athlete First-Team recognition. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 38th round of the 2014 MLB draft as a catcher, but he did not sign and returned to school.
As a junior in 2015, DeJong batted .333 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs, leading the Redbirds in hits, runs scored, doubles, home runs, and RBIs. He was named a Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball, a Midseason All-American by D1Baseball.com, and a 2015 Capital One Academic All-American. After the season, Baseball America ranked him the 108th-best prospect for the 2015 MLB draft, and the St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the fourth round (131st overall).
Paul DeJong Career
Early Career (2015–2016)
DeJong signed with the Cardinals for $200,000 and opened his professional career with the Johnson City Cardinals of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. After 10 games he was promoted to the Peoria Chiefs of the Single-A Midwest League, and he finished 2015 batting .316 with nine home runs and 41 RBIs across the two affiliates. The following year he moved up to the Springfield Cardinals of the Double-A Texas League, where he was selected as a Texas League Mid-Season All-Star.
In 132 games for Springfield, DeJong batted .260 with 22 home runs and 73 RBIs, finishing among the Texas League leaders in runs, doubles, home runs, and RBIs. He was named an MiLB Organization All-Star, and the Cardinals assigned him to the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League, where he earned AFL Rising Star honors.
St. Louis Cardinals Era (2017–2023)
DeJong opened 2017 with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds and was promoted to the majors on May 28, 2017, when Kolten Wong went on the disabled list. He homered on the first swing of his major league debut at Coors Field against Greg Holland, becoming the ninth Cardinals player to homer in his first at-bat. In July he set a Cardinals shortstop record with four extra-base hits in a single game and became the first rookie in MLB history to record seven extra-base hits in a three-game series, earning NL Rookie of the Month honors.
DeJong finished 2017 batting .285 with 25 home runs and 65 RBIs, leading all National League shortstops in home runs and placing second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Cody Bellinger. On March 5, 2018, he agreed to a six-year, $26 million contract extension with options that could push the maximum value to $51.5 million, then the largest deal for a player with less than a full year of major league service. After a 2018 season interrupted by a fractured left hand, he returned in 2019 and was selected to the National League All-Star Game in Cleveland.
In 2019, DeJong posted a .989 fielding percentage, the best among major league shortstops, and led all National League fielders in defensive Wins Above Replacement (3.3) and assists. He finished the year with 30 home runs and 78 RBIs over 159 games and was nominated for his first Gold Glove Award. The 2020 season was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and DeJong tested positive for the virus in August before returning later that month.
DeJong remained the Cardinals’ starting shortstop through 2021 and into 2022, when a slow start led to a demotion to Triple-A Memphis in May. He was recalled in late July and hit his 100th career home run on August 7 in a 12–9 win over the New York Yankees. After beginning 2023 on the injured list, he returned on April 23 and batted .233 with a .412 slugging percentage in 279 at-bats before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on August 1, 2023.
Driving Style and Strengths
DeJong built his offensive profile around plus raw power from the shortstop position, complemented by an aggressive approach at the plate that produced high exit velocities and elevated home-run totals. Defensively, his footwork, range, and arm strength made him a premium up-the-middle defender, allowing him to lead National League shortstops in fielding percentage, assists, putouts, and double plays during his 2019 All-Star campaign.
Notable Events and Milestones
DeJong’s debut home run, his four-extra-base-hit game against the Mets, and his three-homer game at PNC Park in 2019 are among the signature moments of his career. He also became just the fourth Cardinals rookie to reach 20 home runs, joined Albert Pujols as the only Cardinals rookies to top 25, and authored a franchise record by setting the largest contract ever for a player with less than one year of major league service at the time of signing.
Paul DeJong Career Wins
Across his major league career, DeJong has been a steady middle-infield contributor whose value has come more from power and defense than from batting average. His milestone home runs, including a three-homer game in 2019 and the 100th of his career in 2022, headline a resume that has included All-Star and Gold Glove recognition. Through the 2025 season, his MLB totals include 146 home runs and 423 runs batted in.
Cardinals Era Highlights
With the Cardinals, DeJong was most productive during his 2017–2019 peak, when he averaged more than 24 home runs per season and earned All-Star and Gold Glove recognition. He set a Cardinals shortstop record with four extra-base hits in one game and launched a memorable shot that knocked a neon bulb out of the ‘M’ in Big Mac Land at Busch Stadium in August 2019.
Other Wins and Performances
After leaving St. Louis, DeJong provided short-term power for Toronto, San Francisco, the Chicago White Sox, and Kansas City, highlighted by a strong Giants debut in which he matched his entire Toronto RBI total in a single game. In 2024 he combined for 24 home runs and 56 RBI between the White Sox and the Royals.
Paul DeJong Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
DeJong credits his mother, Andrea, with introducing him to baseball as a child, and his parents Keith and Andrea supported his move from Orlando to Antioch, Illinois, at age 11. He has a younger brother, Matthew, and a younger sister, Emma, and his family has remained closely tied to his career and charitable work with Illinois State University.
Personal Life
DeJong lives in Riviera Beach, Florida. In 2022, Illinois State University named its baseball hitting facility the ‘Paul DeJong Baseball Training Facility’ in recognition of his financial support of Redbird Athletics.
2025 Season Performance
DeJong signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Washington Nationals on February 16, 2025, with performance incentives that could add an additional $600,000. He was in the early stages of his Nationals tenure when, on April 15, he was hit in the face by a 93 miles per hour fastball from Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller, an injury that required surgery to repair his nose and cheekbone and a procedure in which a plate was implanted below one eye. The scary incident forced a two-and-a-half-month absence from the lineup.
DeJong returned to action on July 2, 2025, and hit his first home run of the season the following day in an 11–7 win over the Detroit Tigers. He finished the year with 57 appearances for Washington, batting .228 with six home runs, 23 RBI, and four stolen bases, providing middle-infield depth for a young Nationals roster. Looking ahead, his status as a free agent leaves open the possibility of another short-term deal as he continues his journeyman career.
