Former Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey joins Hamilton police department

After spending over a decade in professional baseball, former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey has begun his post-playing career as an officer of the law.

The Mississauga, Ont., native hung up his cleats for the final time at the end of last season, spending his final year with the Guelph Royals of the Intercounty Baseball League. It marked the end of a journey that began 13 years ago when the Blue Jays drafted him in the 16th round.

With baseball now behind him, the 30-year-old is embarking on a new chapter of his life working as a Hamilton police officer, revealed by IBL play-by-play announcer Neil Srivastava.

Pompey spent five seasons in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in September 2014, appearing in 17 games with the big-league club before the campaign concluded. He hit .223/.291/.372 and swiped one bag during his brief stint with the Blue Jays.

He returned to the minors in 2015 but was recalled to the majors ahead of the club’s stretch run, helping Toronto snap its 22-year playoff drought. Primarily serving as a pinch-runner, the speedy outfielder stole four bases across the ALDS and ALCS.

Injuries played a huge role in Pompey’s tenure with the Blue Jays organization, limiting him to just 64 career games over four seasons. In that time, he registered 32 hits and went 8-for-10 in stolen base attempts.

The former top prospect was granted his free agency following the 2019 campaign, and he ultimately signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in January 2020. He was released by the franchise a few months later as the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the minor-league season.

Pompey played a year of Indy ball with the Sugar Land Lightning Sloths afterwards, returning to MLB-affiliated ball in 2021 with the Los Angeles Angels. He split time between double-A and triple-A, slashing .276/.361/.449 with five home runs and 12 RBI in 37 games.

The oft-injured outfielder hit the open market again in August 2021 after he was released by the Angels organization. Despite receiving offers from South Korea and Taiwan, he opted to return to Canada and was determined to end on a high note.

The former major leaguer knew his time was almost up. As such, he gave every ounce of effort that he could during his swan song with the Royals.

“I didn’t want to go out like that, and I decided for myself that when Guelph reached out to me that it was something I needed to do for myself,” Pompey told the Toronto Star in August 2022. “(You want to) go out, play the way you want to play and enjoy your last year of playing. I just wanted to end my career on a high note.”