Wande Olabisi

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Wande Olabisi
Olabisi playing for the Lake Elsinore Storm in 2011
San Diego Padres
Outfielder
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Babawande Onaolapo Olabisi 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]

Early life[edit]

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 Kirby.[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]

Professional baseball[edit]

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.[9] After his rookie season with the AZL Padres, Olabisi was regarded as a top prospect by MLB Prospect Guide.[10] 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.[11]

Subsequent career[edit]

Since retiring from professional baseball, Olabisi has attended and graduated from Harvard Business School.[12] He has commenced a career in the business management and investing sectors, working at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company and subsequently joined Altamont Capital Partners as an Investment Professional.[13]

References[edit]

  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. ^ Callis, Jim. "Padres Draft Report Card". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  10. ^ Garrioch, Matt. "San Diego Padres Top 40 Prospects". MLB Prospect Guide.
  11. ^ Hill, Benjamin. "Padres' Olabisi engineers innovation". www.milb.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Inspiring! Former Baseball Superstar Fulfills Promise He made to His Parents as a Child - BellaNaija". www.bellanaija.com. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  13. ^ "Wande Olabisi Public Profile". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.