Bruce Billings (born November 18, 1985) is an American former

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 ...

. He played in

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) for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

, and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. He also pitched in the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL) for the

Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...

and

Fubon Guardians The Fubon Guardians () are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. The team is owned by Fubon Financial Holding Co. and play their home games at Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City. ...

Early life and college

Billings is the son of Bruce and Emily. Billings attended the

San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, known as SDSCPA, is an audition-only public arts magnet school in southeastern San Diego, California, US. The San Diego SCPA is a non-tuition, public, dedicated magnet school in the San Dieg ...

(SDSCPA) and

Samuel F. B. Morse High School Samuel F. B. Morse High School is an urban public high school located in southeastern San Diego in the neighborhood of Skyline Hills serving grades 9–12 in the American K-12 education system. Morse, which serves a predominantly socioeconomical ...

and

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

who played for the SDSU baseball team as a short reliever in 2004 and a starter in 2005 and 2006. In 2005, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fi ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

. While at SDSU, Bruce Billings became the school's all-time strikeout leader (Stephen Strasberg went on the break Billings record before leaving for professional baseball). Billings was drafted by the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

in the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft in the 31st round, but decided to stay one more year at San Diego State. Billings was again drafted by the

in the 30th round in the 2007 MLB June Amateur Draft, 912th overall, and he accepted the deal.

Playing career

Minor leagues

Billings started his minor league career with the

Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home gam ...

where he went 4–2 in 15 starts. In 2008 with the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in differen ...

, Billings threw a no-hitter against the

Lakewood BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locat ...

. Billings started to convert to a reliever in 2010 with

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

with more than half of his appearances being in relief. Billings was also a mid-season All Star with Tulsa. Billings did not pitch one start in 2011 with

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

before being promoted. While in AA Tulsa, he set the team record for most consecutive scoreless innings at 38. (https://www.milb.com/tulsa/news/print/sitting-down-with-bruce-billings/c-12810486)

Colorado Rockies

On May 25, 2011, Billings was recalled to the majors when

Jorge de la Rosa Jorge Alberto de la Rosa Gonzalez (born April 5, 1981) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago ...

being placed on the 15-day disabled list with a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. On May 27, Billings made his major league debut in relief of

Matt Daley Matthew Thomas Daley (born June 23, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Colorado Rockies and the New York Yankees. He retired after the 2014 season and is now a professiona ...

. Billings pitched the 8th and the 9th innings in a 10–3 loss to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

, giving up 5 hits and 1 run, while recording no strikeouts.

Oakland Athletics

Billings and a player to be named later were traded to the

for Mark Ellis on June 30, 2011. He pitched five innings in three games for the Athletics, allowing seven runs (all of which scored in one outing against the New York Yankees in a rain delayed game). He spent the next two seasons with the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...

in AAA. While in AAA for the Oakland A's, Billings was voted Most Valuable Pitcher in 2012, and was runner up in 2013 before electing free agency in 2014.

New York Yankees

Billings signed a minor league deal with the

in December 2013. He appeared for the AAA

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

and one for the Yankees, where he allowed four runs in four innings, while also recording 7 strikeouts. After the game, he found a muscle hernia in his forearm (he was placed on the disabled list afterward). He was designated for assignment on July 22, 2014. He was released on August 2.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On August 7, 2014, he signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

and reported to the AAA

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an el ...

. He appeared in five games for the Isotopes, all as a relief pitcher and was 1–1 with a 6.75 ERA. He became a free agent at the end of the 2014 season.

Washington Nationals

On November 21, 2014, the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

signed Billings to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. In AAA Syracuse, he went 8-5 while posting a 3.63 ERA. He recorded 90 strikeouts in 121.1 innings with a WHIP of 1.26. He elected free agency on November 6, 2015.

Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions

In February 2016, he signed with the

, a professional baseball team based in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. He joined the spring training in mid-February with a former MLB players, Felix Pie, and

Jair Jurrjens Jair Francoise Jurrjens ( ; born January 29, 1986) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball pitcher for the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves (with whom h ...

. He became the ACE of staff over the course of the season, leading the team in Wins(11), Strikeouts, innings, complete games, and Whip. Here is an article where Billings is interviewed about the league dynamics for pitchers (http://www.cpblenglish.com/2016/07/uni-lions-bruce-billings-is-in.html?m=1) ( He re-signed with the team for the 2017 season, again leading the team in WINs, strikeouts, innings and Whip. He became a free agent following the season because the team did not want to guarantee him a contract through the season.

Fubon Guardians

On March 4, 2018, Billings signed with the

of the

. Billings recorded a 2–9 record and 5.72 ERA in 20 appearances with Fubon.

Coaching career

In late 2018, Billings announced his retirement in order to pursue a coaching opportunity in the

organization. On December 14, 2020, Billings accepted a coaching job with the

of the

(CPBL). On November 17, 2021, it was announced that Billings had reportedly resigned from his position due to an altercation he had had with Fubon manager Hong I-chung. In 2023, Billings was named pitching coach of the

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at TicketReturn.com Field, which open ...

Single-A affiliate for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

References

External links

San Diego State Aztecs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Billings, Bruce 1985 births Living people Colorado Rockies players Oakland Athletics players New York Yankees players San Diego State Aztecs baseball players Wareham Gatemen players Tri-City Dust Devils players Asheville Tourists players Modesto Nuts players Tulsa Drillers players Scottsdale Scorpions players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Sacramento River Cats players Midland RockHounds players Estrellas Orientales players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Trenton Thunder players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from San Diego Albuquerque Isotopes players Syracuse Chiefs players Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions players Fubon Guardians players Baseball coaches from California Minor league baseball coaches