Glenn Michael Sparkman (born May 11, 1992) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

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 currently a free agent. He previously 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

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

and

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 ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

High school and college

Sparkman attended Ganado High School in his hometown of Ganado,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Undrafted out of high school, he attended

Wharton County Junior College Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) is a public community college with its main campus in Wharton, Texas. The college also has campuses in Richmond, Sugar Land, and Bay City. WCJC is accredited by the Southern Association of College ...

Wharton, Texas Wharton is a city in and the county seat of Wharton County, Texas, Wharton County, Texas, United States. This city is southwest of Houston. The population was 8,832 at the 2010 census and 8,627 at the 2020 census. Wharton is located on the Colora ...

. In 2013, his junior year, he went 5-4 with a 2.78 ERA in 77.2 innings.

Professional career

Kansas City Royals

Sparkman was selected by the

in the 20th round of the

2013 Major League Baseball 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 ...

. He was assigned to the

Rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

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 ...

for the 2013 season and made 20 relief appearances, posting a 1–0

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

, 1.72

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), and 47 strikeouts in 36

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. Sparkman was promoted to the Advanced-A

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. ...

of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

for the 2014 season. He was named the Carolina League's Pitcher of the Year after pitching to an 8–3 record, 1.56 ERA, and 117 strikeouts in 121 innings pitched. Sparkman began the 2015 season with the Double-A

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 ...

, making four starts and going 2–2 with a 3.60 ERA before going on the disabled list with an arm injury. It was later determined that he needed

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

, which caused him to miss the remainder of the season and the start of the 2016 season. Sparkman rehabbed 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 ...

, and also made starts for the Class-A

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

, Advanced-A Wilmington, and Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2016. In 16 combined starts, he posted a 2–7 record, 5.22 ERA, and 65 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Toronto Blue Jays

On December 8, 2016, Sparkman was selected by the

in the 2016 Rule 5 draft. Sparkman suffered a broken right thumb in spring training in 2017, and opened the season on the 10-day disabled list. On April 10, he was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Sparkman was activated on June 30 and called up by the Blue Jays. He appeared in relief in two games, giving up seven runs over a single inning pitched. He was designated for assignment on July 3.

Kansas City Royals (second stint)

On July 8, 2017, Sparkman was returned to the Royals organization. He finished the year with the Double-A

, posting a 2.61 ERA in 3 appearances. He was assigned to Northwest Arkansas to begin the 2018 season, later receiving a promotion to the Triple-A

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 ...

. Sparkman was added to the Royals active roster on July 8, 2018. In 15 games on the year, Sparkman recorded an 0-3 record and 4.46 ERA. Sparkman pitched in 31 games for the Royals in 2019, posting a 4-11 record and 6.02 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 136.0 innings of work. With the 2020 Kansas City Royals, Sparkman appeared in 4 games, compiling a 0-0 record with 5.40 ERA and 2 strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched. On November 20, 2020, Sparkman was designated for assignment. On November 23, the Royals released Sparkman.

Minnesota Twins

On December 17, 2020, Sparkman signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

organization. Sparkman pitched three innings of one-run ball for the Triple-A

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They prev ...

before being released on May 18, 2021.

Orix Buffaloes

On June 23, 2021, Sparkman signed with the

(NPB). On August 18, he made his debut at NPB as a starter against the

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

. Sparkman pitched 17 innings for the Buffaloes, posting an 0-1 record with a 6.88 ERA and 14 strikeouts. He became a free agent following the 2021 season.

Lotte Giants

On December 12, 2021, Sparkman signed with the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants ( ko, 롯데 자이언츠) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation, which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pro ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

. He was released on August 2, 2022.

References

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp

- Orix Buffaloes Official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Sparkman, Glenn 1992 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Arizona League Royals players Baseball players from Texas Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Dunedin Blue Jays players Idaho Falls Chukars players Kansas City Royals players Lexington Legends players Major League Baseball pitchers New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players People from Ganado, Texas Toronto Blue Jays players Wilmington Blue Rocks players