Ntema Ndungidi

{{short description|Zaire-born American minor league baseball player}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Ntema Ndungidi

|position=Outfielder

|bats=Left

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{birth date and age|1979|3|15}}

|birth_place=Kisangani, Zaire

}}

Ntema Ndungidi (born March 15, 1979) is a Zaire-born Canadian former Minor League Baseball outfielder. He played in the minor leagues in the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, and Montreal Expos organizations. He appeared in the All-Star Futures Game.

Biography

Ndungidi was born in Kisangani, in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-74141401/ndungidi-not-typical-draft.html|title=Ndungidi Not Typical Draft Pick|newspaper=Sarasota Herald Tribune|first=John|last=Brockmann|date=August 25, 1997|access-date=August 28, 2012}} His father moved to Montreal, Quebec, in 1981. The rest of the family, including him, followed the next year.{{cite web|date=June 21, 1997 |first=Ken |last=Rosenthal |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1997/06/21/os-get-world-class-draft-pick-in-pappy/ |title=O's get world-class draft pick in 'Pappy' |publisher=Baltimore Sun |access-date=August 28, 2012}} He attended Cégep Édouard-Montpetit.{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/orlandosentinel/access/78598458.html?dids=78598458:78598458&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+13%2C+1997&author=&pub=Orlando+Sentinel&desc=ANAHEIM+ANGELS&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131183250/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/orlandosentinel/access/78598458.html?dids=78598458:78598458&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+13,+1997&author=&pub=Orlando+Sentinel&desc=ANAHEIM+ANGELS&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013|title=ANAHEIM ANGELS|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel|page=C.8|date=June 13, 1997|access-date=August 28, 2012}} {{subscription required|date=August 2012}}

The Baltimore Orioles drafted Ndungidi in the first round, with the 36th overall selection, of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft, making him the highest-ranked MLB draftee from Quebec at the time. He was selected with a compensation pick received for the loss of David Wells as a free agent. The Orioles signed him with a $500,000 signing bonus. Ndungidi is the second baseball player of African descent to play for a Major League Baseball organization,{{cite news|date=July 1, 1997 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/01/sports/orioles-sign-africa-native.html |title=Orioles Sign Africa Native |work=The New York Times |access-date=August 28, 2012}} the first being Mark Miller of South Africa, who played Minor League Baseball in the 1970s. Ndungidi had a .295 batting average with the Bluefield Orioles of the Rookie-level Appalachian League in 1998. However, he struggled with the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Class A South Atlantic League and the Frederick Keys of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League in 1999.{{cite web|last=Sickels |first=John |url=http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/s/downonthefarm/000901.html |title=ESPN.com – Major League Baseball – Down on the Farm: Ntema Ndungidi |work=ESPN.com |date=September 1, 2000 |access-date=August 28, 2012}}

In 2000, while playing for Frederick, Ndungidi was selected to appear in the All-Star Futures Game.{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB72E14093B0368&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |newspaper=Miami Herald |date=June 16, 2000 |page=6D |title=FUTURES GAME LIST RELEASED |access-date=August 28, 2012}} {{Subscription required|date=August 2012}} He received a promotion to the Bowie Baysox of the Class AA Eastern League during the season. Participating in the Arizona Fall League after the 2000 season, Ndungidi left the team without permission, and was suspended.{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/64610078.html?dids=64610078:64610078&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+22%2C+2000&author=Rod+Beaton&pub=USA+TODAY&desc=Orioles+prospect+goes+AWOL&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131172449/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/64610078.html?dids=64610078:64610078&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+22,+2000&author=Rod+Beaton&pub=USA+TODAY&desc=Orioles+prospect+goes+AWOL&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 31, 2013 |title=Orioles prospect goes AWOL |publisher=USA Today |date=November 22, 2000 |access-date=August 28, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rds.ca/baseball/chroniques/109043.html |title=Ntema Ndungidi suspendu par les Orioles |date=November 22, 2000 |publisher=RDS.ca |access-date=August 28, 2012 |language=fr}} Baseball America named Ndungidi the fourth-best prospect in the Orioles organization prior to the 2001 season. After 2001, the Seattle Mariners selected Ndungidi in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/rule5results01.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020208134311/https://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/rule5results01.html|title=Rule 5 Draft Results|work=Baseball America|date=December 13, 2001|archivedate=February 8, 2002|accessdate=March 28, 2023}} After the 2002 season, he signed a minor league contract with the Montreal Expos. In 2003, he played for the Quebec Capitales of the Northeast League, an independent baseball league.{{cite web|author=nurun.com |url=http://www.journaldequebec.com/journaldequebec/sports/encoreplus/archives/2009/05/20090511-212003.html |title=Ntema Ndungidi veut renaître avec les Caps | Autres sports | Sports | Le Journal de Québec |publisher=Journaldequebec.com |access-date=August 28, 2012 |language=fr}}