Ángel David Zerpa (born September 27, 1999) is a Venezuelan

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.

Career

Zerpa signed with the

as an international free agent in 2016 for a $100,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. Zerpa made his professional debut in 2017 with the Dominican Summer League Royals, going 3–4 with a 1.84 ERA and 39 strikeouts over innings. He spent the 2018 season with the

Arizona League Royals The Arizona Complex League Royals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The team is compos ...

, going 3–6 with a 3.88 ERA and 34 strikeouts over innings. Zerpa split the 2019 season between the

Burlington Royals The Burlington Royals were a minor league baseball team in Burlington, North Carolina, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with the Cleveland Indians from 1986 to 2006 as the Burlington I ...

and the

Idaho Falls Chukars The Idaho Falls Chukars are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and play their home games at Melaleuca ...

, going a combined 6–3 with a 3.40 ERA and 55 strikeouts over innings. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On November 20, 2020, Zerpa was added to the Royals 40–man roster. Zerpa split the 2021 minor league season between the

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, one ...

, the

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The ...

, and the

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, and play their home games at Wer ...

, going a combined 4–4 with a 4.58 ERA and 108 strikeouts over innings. Ángel_Zerpa-NWA_Naturals

On September 30, 2021, Zerpa was recalled to the active roster to make his MLB debut as the starting pitcher versus the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

. In 2022, Zerpa made 3 appearances (2 starts) for the Royals, logging a 2-1 record and 1.64 ERA with 3 strikeouts in 11.0 innings pitched. In 19 starts split between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha, Zerpa posted a 2-5 record and 4.02 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 71.2 innings of work. On March 15, 2023, Zerpa was placed on the 60-day injured list with left shoulder

tendinopathy Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow (tennis el ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zerpa, Ángel 1999 births Living people People from Valle de la Pascua Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Major League Baseball pitchers Kansas City Royals players Dominican Summer League Royals players Arizona League Royals players Burlington Royals players Idaho Falls Chukars players Quad Cities River Bandits players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States