Joshua Whitesell

A left-handed first baseman, Joshua S. Whitesell is a professional baseball player from the USA. At the Rialto High School, Whitesell made it to the All-Citrus Belt League First Team as well as the All-San Bernardino Country First Team. A 2.95 ERA and a 7-4 record ensured that he got there in style.

In 2000, his .520 batting average also meant that he was named to the First Team at the All-CIG Division, the All-Citrus Belt League and was also presented with the San Bernardino Player of the Year. He played for their All-Star team and was also selected to the CBCA Southern California All-Star team. He also represented the United States of America in the Foodwill Games against Japan.

High school out of the way, Whitesell headed to the Loyola Marymount University despite being wooed by California State, UCLA, San Diego, Nevada and Pepperdine, amongst other colleges. He played as a pitcher but after an unfortunate injury, lost his speed. He had a batting average, thereafter, of .340 with an on-base percentage of .471, a slugging percentage of .736, scored 41 runs with 19 doubles and a team high of 15 runs, on his way to the second team of the All-Western Conference. He won the collegiate league's Player of the Month for February 2003.

Round 6 it was for Whitesell at the 2003 Major League Draft, where the Washington Nationals picked him up. In the minor leagues, while with the Nationals, he played for the AA-Harrisburg Senators where he was named to the Eastern League mid-season All-Star team. He was also named to the National's 40-man roster in the winter.

Moving up to the AAA Division, the Arizona Diamondbacks claimed Whitesell off Waivers and sent him to Tucson for the AAA Division. He ended up as the Minor League Player of the Year for the Diamondbacks as well as MLB.com's pick for Organization's player of the year. He also won the Pacific Coast Rookie of the Year title with his batting average of .328 with 26 homeruns. After the All-Star break, he raised his game to bat at .399 with a .497 on-base percentage and a .696 slugging percentage.

His major league debut, with the Diamondbacks, came in 2008.