Daniel Ponce de Leon

Daniel Ponce de Leon is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. His inspiring baseball story includes a long, winding path from high school to the Majors, including recovering from a life-threatening skull fracture and brain injury that occurred when hit by one line drive. Daniel was born in La Mirada, California, on January 16, 1992, to Ramon and Mary Poncedeleon. In 2018, he married Jennifer Beatty, whom he met while attending Embry-Riddle University. His surname was originally spelled as one word, “Poncedeleon,” but he legally changed the spelling to three words, “Ponce de Leon.” A devout Christian and faith-driven family man, Daniel and his wife spend their offseason in their home in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. They have two young children.