Kurt Daniel Birkins (born August 11, 1980) is an American former

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) player who pitched 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) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

(2006-2007) 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) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

(2008).

High school/college

Birkins attended El Camino Real high school in

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...

. He played baseball for the Conquistadors and helped them win back-to-back LA City Championships in 1997 and 1998. He was named MVP of the 1998 championship game after throwing a 10 inning complete game, striking out 12, and hitting the go ahead 2-run double. Birkins pitched for the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

Bruins in 1999 and led the staff in ERA, but decided to step away after the season due to burn out. During his time away from school, he volunteered as an assistant coach for his alma mater. That June, Birkins was selected in the 33rd round (984th overall) by the Baltimore Orioles. El Camino Real's senior infielder

Conor Jackson Conor Sims Jackson (born May 7, 1982) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 2005 and 2011 for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, and Boston Red Sox. H ...

was drafted in the 31st round (936th overall) by the Cleveland Indians which meant a player and coach from the same high school were drafted on the same day. In the fall of 2000, Birkins enrolled at

Los Angeles Pierce College Los Angeles Pierce College (Pierce College or Pierce) is a public community college in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Los Angeles Community College District and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and C ...

and was rated by Baseball America as the #1 Junior College draft prospect in the country. Birkins signed with the

prior to the 2001 draft as they held his rights from the previous year as a "draft-and-follow" prospect.

MLB career

Birkins made his Major League debut on May 4, 2006 against the Texas Rangers throwing 2.1 scoreless innings in relief. He struck out Mark Texiera to record his first Major League strikeout. He picked up his first Major League victory on May 28, 2006 against the

Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

. Birkins retired all four batters he faced including two strikeouts. After the 2007 season, Birkins was claimed off waivers by the

. He was a member of the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays which won the franchise's first American League pennant. He signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies in February 2009 and pitched for the AAA Colorado Springs SkySox in 2009 and 2010. After conclusion of the 2010 season, Birkins retired from professional baseball.

Personal

After his baseball career, Birkins enrolled at the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand- ...

and graduated summa cum laude. He currently works in the commercial real estate industry and resides in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

with his wife Ashley and their two daughters.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birkins, Kurt 1980 births Living people Aberdeen IronBirds players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from California Bluefield Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Delmarva Shorebirds players Durham Bulls players Frederick Keys players Gulf Coast Orioles players LAPC Brahma Bulls baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players Ottawa Lynx players Tampa Bay Rays players Tulsa Drillers players