Background and career
Daniel Cooley Uggla (born March 11, 1980) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, and Washington Nationals. In 2010, Uggla won the Silver Slugger Award at second base. Uggla finished third in the 2006 National League Rookie of the Year voting, behind then-teammate and winner Hanley Ramírez, and future teammate Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals, but won the Players Choice and Sporting News NL ROY Awards. He is also the only second baseman in MLB history to hit at least 30 home runs in five consecutive seasons.
Uggla was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Elizabeth Armistead (née Cooley) and John Carl Uggla. He graduated from Columbia Central High School in Columbia, Tennessee, in 1998.
Uggla attended the University of Memphis where he played for the Memphis Tigers. After his junior season, he was named an All-American by Baseball America, Baseball Weekly, and Collegiate Baseball.
Drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 11th round (338th overall) of the 2001 Major League Baseball draft, Uggla spent five seasons in the Diamondbacks organization, including a year with the short season-advanced team, the Yakima Bears in Yakima, Washington. He amassed a .276 career minor league batting average, .341 on-base percentage, and .443 slugging percentage, to go along with 64 home runs, 311 runs batted in, and 62 stolen bases. Although he was 25 years old, which would make him the same age as many Triple-A players, and moderately successful in 2005, he never advanced past the Double-A level.
Uggla was left off the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster in 2005, and the Marlins selected him in the Rule 5 draft.
Uggla began the 2006 season with the Marlins and had his first Major League hit just three days later when he singled off Houston Astros pitcher Andy Pettitte. His first home run was on April 13 against San Diego Padres starter Dewon Brazelton, and his first stolen base was a steal of home plate against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 21. Uggla was named to the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 2, 2006, as a reserve; he is the first player in baseball history to be selected for the All-Star Game in the same season in which he had been a Rule 5 pick. On September 15, 2006, Uggla hit his 25th home run, breaking Joe Gordon's record for most home runs by a rookie second baseman. Because he received less publicity as a prospect than some of his fellow rookies in Major League Baseball, such as Prince Fielder, Ryan Zimmerman, and Nick Markakis, Uggla's display of power in the majors and his selection to the National League All-Star team caused him to suddenly draw more attention. Uggla finished his rookie season with 27 homers and 90 runs batted in. He won numerous rookie awards, including the Players' Choice NL ROY award and Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award. The Marlins finished Uggla's second season in last place. Uggla finished the year with a .245 batting average, caused mainly by slumps in April and September. However, he did surpass his rookie home run total, hitting 31 home runs and knocking in 88 runs. On May 10, 2008, Uggla hit his first career grand slam in the fourth inning off of Nationals pitcher Joel Hanrahan. That month, he set a Marlins record for most home runs by a Marlin in a month with 12. Uggla was named to the 2008 MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, as well as opting to take part in the 2008 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby. Uggla hit six home runs in the first round of the derby. Uggla finished fifth, tied with Grady Sizemore. In the All-Star Game, Uggla committed two consecutive errors on playable balls in the 10th inning, and a third error in the bottom of the 13th, making him the first player with three errors in a single All-Star Game. Uggla also struck out three times, and grounded into a double play. On September 28, 2008, Uggla hit the last home run ever at Shea Stadium. During the 2008 offseason, Uggla went to arbitration with the Marlins and was awarded $5.35 million; the Marlins had offered him $4.4 million. On June 5, 2009, Uggla reached 100 career home runs in his 502nd game, faster than any other second baseman. On January 18, 2010, Uggla signed a one-year, $7.8 million contract with the Marlins. He hit his 144th career home run on July 31, setting the Marlins all-time career mark. On September 13, 2010, he became the first second baseman in Major League history to hit 30 or more home runs in four seasons.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
