Dusten Devoil Knight (born September 2, 1990) is an American

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 ...

who is a free agent. He has 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

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

and

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

. He was drafted by the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

in the 28th round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

Amateur career

Knight attended Tahlequah High School in

Tahlequah, Oklahoma Tahlequah ( ; ''Cherokee'': ᏓᎵᏆ, ''daligwa'' ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century ...

. Undrafted out of high school, he attended

Connors State College Connors State College is a public community college in Warner and Muskogee, Oklahoma. History The college was founded as an agricultural high school in 1908 and was quickly converted to a school of agriculture. When Oklahoma became a state i ...

for two years, before transferring to

University of Texas–Pan American , mottoeng = Education, the Guardian of Society , established = , closed = , type = Public university , endowment = $65 million , president = Dr. Havidan Rodriguez ...

Edinburg, Texas Edinburg ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 74,569 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and in 2019, its estimated population was 101,170, making it the second-largest city ...

for two years.

Professional career

San Francisco Giants

Knight was drafted by the

in the 28th round of the

. Knight made his professional debut with the rookie-level

Arizona League Giants Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Four C ...

, and capped his debut year with a 1.13 ERA in 18 appearances. In 2014, Knight played for the Low-A

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league entirely based in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area and playing all their home ...

, pitching to a 3.65 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 24 games. He spent the following season with the Single-A

Augusta GreenJackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina, which opened in April 2018. They previous ...

, logging a 2.69 ERA in 38 games with the team. In 2016, Knight played for the High-A

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants ga ...

, but wasn't as effective as his previous years, posting a 5.02 ERA in 43 games. For the 2017 season, Knight split the year between San Jose and the Triple-A

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 ...

, accumulating a 2.93 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched across 39 appearances. In 2018, Knight played for Sacramento, the Double-A

Richmond Flying Squirrels The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. Th ...

, and the AZL Giants, recording a 1.71 ERA in 29 games between the three affiliates.

Minnesota Twins

On December 13, 2018, Knight was selected by the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

in the minor league phase of the 2018 Rule 5 draft. Knight opened the 2019 season with the Double-A

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team rel ...

in the Twins organization, going 1.59 ERA over 7 games before being released on May 3, 2019.

Diablos Rojos del México

On May 7, 2019, Knight signed with the

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their hom ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

, going 2–4 with a 5.55 ERA over 23 games with them. He was released on July 15.

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

On July 24, 2019, Knight signed with the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseba ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. He finished the season going 3–6 with a 3.78 ERA and 92 strikeouts over 78.2 innings pitched. Knight did not play in 2020 with the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season due to 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 ...

. He became a free agent after the year.

Baltimore Orioles

On February 2, 2021, Knight signed a minor league contract with the

. He opened the season with the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

, pitching to a 3.05 ERA in 35 appearances. On August 4, 2021, Knight was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. Knight struggled with Baltimore, making 7 appearances with a 9.35 ERA and 11 strikeouts. On September 19, the Orioles designated Knight for assignment. He was outrighted to Norfolk on September 21. On November 7, 2021, Knight elected free agency.

Tampa Bay Rays

On February 10, 2022, Knight signed a minor league contract with the

. On April 13, the Rays selected Knight's contract to the active roster. He was designated for assignment the next day following the promotion of

Phoenix Sanders Phoenix Clark Sanders (born June 5, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He made his MLB debut in 2022 for the Tampa Bay Rays. Early life and amateur career Sanders was born in Augsburg, Bavar ...

. On April 17, Knight was sent outright to the Triple-A

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...

. On May 22, Knight was selected back to the active roster. He was designated for assignment again on July 17 after

Pete Fairbanks Peter Anderson Fairbanks (born December 16, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Fairbanks was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the ninth round of the 2015 MLB draft. He debuted ...

was activated from the injured list. He was again sent outright to Triple-A on July 20. On September 22, Knight was yet again selected to the major league roster. The following day, Knight was designated for assignment by the Rays for the third time after

Calvin Faucher Calvin Louis Faucher ( ; born September 22, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022. Amateur career Faucher attended Hilltop High School in Chula Vi ...

and Cristofer Ogando were recalled from Durham. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A on September 25. Knight elected free agency on October 9.

Cleveland Guardians

On February 8, 2023, Knight signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Guardians 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) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

. Knight was released by the organization on March 25.

References

External links

UT–Pan American Broncs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Dusten 1990 births Living people People from Tahlequah, Oklahoma Baseball players from Oklahoma Major League Baseball pitchers Baltimore Orioles players Tampa Bay Rays players Connors State Cowboys baseball players UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball players Arizona League Giants players Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players Augusta GreenJackets players San Jose Giants players Sacramento River Cats players Richmond Flying Squirrels players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players Norfolk Tides players Durham Bulls players Tomateros de Culiacán players Águilas de Mexicali players Diablos Rojos del México players Leones del Escogido players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Mexican League baseball pitchers American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic