Anthony Siegler is one of just two active Indigenous major league players. The other is Ryan Helsley, who is Cherokee, of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Anthony Siegler, who the Milwaukee Brewers called up from the minors on July 1, is getting attention from tribes across Wisconsin and, in particular, members of the largest Indigenous nation in the country.
That’s because Siegler, 26, is just the second-ever member of the Navajo Nation to play in major league baseball.
Paul Smith, executive director of Native American Tourism of Wisconsin and an Oneida, and Deanna Porter, president of Milwaukee Intertribal Circle and an Ojibwe, both congratulated Siegler on their Facebook pages when he got his first hit for the Brewers. Smith posted a photo of Siegler in front of the enlarged words: FIRST CAREER HIT; Porter posted: Let's GOOOOOOOO!!! followed by emojis of four hearts in Brewers colors, a baseball, and a feather.
Siegler appears to remain deeply connected to his roots. The Navajo Nation is the largest tribe in the U.S., both in terms of land mass and enrolled population, with nearly 400,000 members and a reservation covering parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Siegler was born on the reservation in 1999 in Fort Defiance, Arizona.
When he was part of an American team that won gold at the Under-18 World Cup, he gained Indigenous esteem for waving the Navajo Nation flag alongside his mother, Alysia, according to Native News Online.
In an upcoming Journal Sentinel podcast, "Milwaukee Brewers Microbrew," he talks about his Navajo heritage.
"It's very big in my life, especially my mom being full-blood Navajo," Siegler says in the podcast. "I still have grandparents who live on the Navajo reservation. It's pretty amazing. They talk to me a lot about the influence I can have over there and I want to have (it)."
The last Navajo player to make the major leagues was Jacoby Ellsbury, who played for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees from 2007 to 2017.
Siegler is the 53rd Indigenous person to play in the majors, according to baseball-almanac.com. Today, there is only one other Indigenous major league player: Ryan Helsley, who is Cherokee and pitches for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Louis Sockalexis, of the Penobscot tribe, was the first Indigenous player in the majors in 1897. He played for the Cleveland Spiders in the National League. Charles "Chief" Bender, of the Ojibwe tribe, was the first Indigenous player in the American League. He started with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1903, then played later in his career for several other teams. He is the first Indigenous player, and still one of only two, inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Siegler is valued for his versatility. Coming out of high school, he attracted attention because he could hit and throw both right- and left-handed, and play catcher, infield and outfield. He's been on his journey to the majors since being drafter by the New York Yankees with the 23rd overall pick in 2018.
He started this season at the AAA Nashville Sound, where he split time between catcher, second-base and third-base. He throws right-handed at those positions.
Siegler has been off to a slow start so far for the Brewers. But the team’s manager, Pat Murphy, has said he hopes Siegler’s utility will give the team an edge as the season wears on.
Murphy's not the only one.
"As a lifelong Brewer fan, I have seen many players get called up to the show from the minors," said Smith, who is also vice president of the Milwaukee Intertribal Circle. "But any time I get news that the player has an affiliation with an Indigenous nation, it gets my attention. The story of his switch-hitting and throwing gives him some extra depth. Ultimately, I hope he gets some at bats and the opportunity to showcase his skills."
Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at [email protected] or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers recent addition from minors is second-ever Navajo in majors
Category: General Sports