Kyle William McClellan (born June 12, 1984) 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 ...

. McClellan was drafted by 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 ...

in the 25th round of the

2002 Major League Baseball Draft The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book '' Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first round compensation selections * ...

. He also played for the Texas Rangers.Player page at The Baseball Cube
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Early life

Kyle McClellan was born in

Florissant, Missouri Florissant () is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, within Greater St. Louis. It is a middle class, second-ring northern suburb of St. Louis. Based on the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 52,533, making it the 12 ...

and grew up in the St. Louis metro area. He graduated from suburban

Hazelwood West High School Hazelwood West High School is a public high school in the Hazelwood School District located in North St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. History Hazelwood West High School began in 1974, with the first graduating class in 1975. Due to ov ...

in 2002. While there he was a three-sport athlete, lettering in football, basketball, and baseball. McClellan was a two-time All-State selection at both pitcher and first base. McClellan's older brother Matt served as his high school pitching coach.

Career

McClellan signed with the Cardinals after being drafted by the club in 2002 and made his professional debut with St. Louis' rookie franchise in Johnson City. He started out as a relief pitcher but in 2003 and 2004 pitched exclusively as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

. In 2005, McClellan made appearances out of the bullpen again until being sidelined by a torn ligament in his right elbow on July 1. McClellan underwent

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 ...

on July 22, 2005. After recovery and rehab from the procedure he returned to pitching in 2006 and continued to advance through the Cardinals Single-A and Double-A farm teams, returning to full-time relief pitching. In 2008, after a strong

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, McClellan made the Cardinals' major league roster. McClellan is only the second player from St. Louis' 2002 draft to make the big leagues. He was the major league leader in

holds A hold (abbreviated HLD, H or HD) is awarded to a relief pitcher who meets the following three conditions: :1. Enters the game in a save (baseball), save situation; that is, when all of the following three conditions apply: :: (a) He appears i ...

through August with 29 and finished the season tied for second in the majors with 30. In 2011, McClellan earned a spot in the starting rotation after

Adam Wainwright Adam Parrish Wainwright (born August 30, 1981), nicknamed "Waino" and "Uncle Charlie", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Atlanta Braves selected him 29th overall in the ...

was forced to miss the entire season for Tommy John surgery. He made several starts until July, when the Cardinals acquired Edwin Jackson. Sent to the bullpen, McClellan made eleven relief appearances in the month of August, allowing only one run. Pitching more innings than any other reliever in baseball that month took a toll, however. By September, arm fatigue set in and he was left off the Cardinals' divisional playoff and World Series roster. McClellan suffered another career setback with the Cardinals in July 2012. While recovering from elbow strain, he was attempting a throwing session at Busch Stadium when he experienced pain in the right shoulder. Exploratory surgery indicated a frayed labrum and a split in the right shoulder capsule, both requiring months of rehab following surgical repair. The injury left McClellan's future as a Cardinal in doubt. On November 13, 2012, McClellan was given his unconditional release by the Cardinals. On January 15, 2013, McClellan signed a minor league deal (with invitation to spring training) with the Texas Rangers. He played for the Rangers' Triple A affiliate

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

and Double-A affiliate

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are nam ...

, before his contract was purchased by the Rangers on June 9, and he was brought up to the major leagues. McClellan made what would prove to be his final major league appearance on June 29, 2013 and was designated for assignment on July 2, 2013.

Personal life

McClellan and his wife, Bridget, make their home in

Maryland Heights, Missouri Maryland Heights is a second-ring north suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated in 1985. Edwin L. Dirck was appointed the city's first may ...

. They are the parents of a daughter, born one week after

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...

in 2011, and a son.

References

External links

McClellan player profile at Scout.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:McClellan, Kyle 1984 births Living people Major League Baseball pitchers St. Louis Cardinals players Texas Rangers players Johnson City Cardinals players Peoria Chiefs players Swing of the Quad Cities players Palm Beach Cardinals players Springfield Cardinals players Baseball players from Missouri Round Rock Express players Frisco RoughRiders players Sportspeople from St. Louis County, Missouri People from Florissant, Missouri