Wande Olabisi

Babawande (Wande) Olabisi (born March 18, 1988) is a former professional baseball player for the San Diego Padres. He played college baseball at Stanford University.[1] Olabisi is the first Nigerian-born player to be selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft and the first to play affiliated baseball.[2]

Wande Olabisi playing for the Lake Elsinore Storm in 2011

Early life

Olabisi was born in Lagos, Nigeria to Olagoke Olabisi and Juliet Olabisi. At the age of 5, the Olabisi Family moved to the ARAMCO Compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.[3] in 2000, Olabisi represented the country in the Little League World Series[4] where he was selected for the All-Star game and Home Run Derby.[5] Olabisi attended St. Stephen's Episcopal School (Austin, Texas) where he was a four-sport athlete (baseball, football, soccer, and track).[6] After high school, Olabisi attended Stanford University where he was called "probably the greatest athlete I've ever had" by head coach, Mark Marquess.[7] Olabisi graduated with an undergraduate degree in Biomechanical Engineering and a graduate degree in Management Science and Engineering.[8][9]

Professional Baseball

Olabisi was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 2009 First-year player draft. The Padres recognized Olabisi as one of the top athletes in the draft.[10] After his rookie season with the AZL Padres, Olabisi was regarded as a top prospect by MLB Prospect Guide.[11] Olabisi's final two seasons were played with the Fort Wayne TinCaps and the Lake Elsinore Storm. During his professional baseball career, Olabisi's off-season activities included the design and development of low-cost high-efficiency medical devices for use in developing countries.[12]

Subsequent Career

Since retiring from professional baseball, Olabisi has commenced a career in the business management and investing sectors, working at the esteemed consulting firm McKinsey & Company and subsequently joining Altamont Capital Partners as an Investment Professional, where he has focused on the firm's investment efforts in the food and beverage industry.

References

  1. ↑ "Wande Olabisi". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Laniyan, Kehinde. "Wande Olabisi of San Diego Padres Inspires Nigerians". International Baseball Federation. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  3. ↑ Ostler, Scott. "A kid from Africa keeps Robinson's spirit alive on Stanford team". sfgate.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  4. ↑ Callis, Jim. "Padres Draft Report Card". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "Player Bio: Wande Olabisi". www.gostanford.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Player Bio: Wande Olabisi". www.gostanford.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Wande Olabisi". CSN Bay Area.
  8. ↑ Hadorn, Christopher. "Padres prospect Olabisi toiling in classroom as much as on the field". www.utsandiego.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Wande Olabisi Public Profile". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Callis, Jim. "Padres Draft Report Card". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  11. ↑ Garrioch, Matt. "San Diego Padres Top 40 Prospects". MLB Prospect Guide.
  12. ↑ Hill, Benjamin. "Padres' Olabisi engineers innovation". www.milb.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.


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