Mark David Gilbert (born August 22, 1956) is an American former outfielder in Major League Baseball who served as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa from 2015 to 2017.

[4][5] He was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his younger brother and sister until 1973, when they moved to Pompano Beach, Florida, where his father and grandfather owned a furniture store.

[10] In his senior year at Florida State, he batted .322 for the Seminoles baseball team, with 48 stolen bases.

[15] He became a free agent due to his length of service in the minor leagues on October 11, 1984, and that December 25, he was signed by the Chicago White Sox.

[17] After a week with the White Sox, Gilbert dove for a line drive, injured his right knee, and was sent back to the minor leagues.

[18] In 1992, Gilbert reflected on his baseball career to Holtzman, saying, "I think everybody thought I would flip out after I was told I couldn't play anymore.

Ambassador in 2013, his former major league manager, Tony La Russa, told the Associated Press: "Sure, I remember him.

"[19] After baseball, Gilbert worked as an investment banker at Drexel Burnham Lambert in Boca Raton, Florida from 1986 until 1989 and then as a senior vice president in the equities division at Goldman Sachs in Miami from 1989 until 1996.

[10][7] Gilbert then joined Lehman Brothers in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1996, and remained with the firm as it became Barclays Wealth.

[10][20][7] In 2004, Gilbert was a trustee on the national finance committee for the presidential campaign of John Kerry.

[22] On October 30, 2013, Obama nominated Gilbert to be United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

[19] While Dennis Martínez, Cal Ripken Jr., and Barry Larkin have served the State Department in roles such as diplomacy envoys, goodwill ambassadors, and baseball sports envoys, Gilbert is the first credentialed ambassador who is a veteran of major league baseball.