The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Welch in November 2011.[4] He began the season with the Bradenton Marauders. In his first game with the Marauders, which was against St. Lucie, Welch was hit by a Ryan Fraser pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning, to score Gift Ngoepe and give the Marauders a walk-off win.[5] Welch's first promotion to Double-A came in June 2012, when he was promoted to the Double-A Altoona Curve.[6] In November 2012, Welch re-signed with the Pirates.[7]
Boston Red Sox
Welch was traded to the Boston Red Sox in early June 2013, starting with the High A Salem Red Sox.[8] He then got promoted to AA in March 2014 and played the season in Portland, Maine.
Adelaide Bite
Welch played for the Adelaide Bite of the Australian Baseball League (ABL) from 2010 to 2017. After missing the 2017-18 season, Welch returned to the Bite for the 2018-19 season. After the conclusion of the season, Welch announced his retirement, leading the club in all time in games (284), hits (258), runs (160), home runs (35) and RBI (169) [9]
Personal
Stefan attended Norwood Morialta High School and graduated in 2006[10] He also played cricket, football, and basketball for local Adelaide clubs and school teams. He still currently plays Division 1 Baseball for the Goodwood Indians[11]