Kyle Keston McGowin (born November 27, 1991) 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

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 ...

Amateur career

McGowin is from

Sag Harbor, New York Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiner's Bay. The population was 2,772 at the ...

. He attended

Pierson High School Pierson Middle-High School is a middle and high school located in Sag Harbor, Suffolk County, New York. Serving students in grades 6 through 12, it is the sole secondary school in the Sag Harbor Union Free School District. Pierson Middle-High ...

, and pitched for the school's baseball team. After graduating in 2010, he enrolled at

Savannah State University ) , established = , closed = , type = Public historically black university , parent = University System of Georgia , academic_affiliation = Space-grant , endowment ...

, and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Savannah State Tigers The Savannah State Tigers and Lady Tigers are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that play for Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia. Conference affiliation Savannah State University holds membership in the NCAA Division ...

. In the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference baseball tournament, he was named the tournament's Outstanding Performer after he pitched all ten innings of the championship game, recording 11

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s. The

National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) is an association of baseball writers, broadcasters, and publicists in the United States. It was founded in 1962. The NCBWA compiles a preseason ranking of the top 35 teams in the nati ...

named him a First Team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n in 2013, his junior year.

Professional career

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels selected McGowin in the fifth round, with the 157th overall selection, 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 ...

. After he signed with the Angels, he made his professional debut with the

Orem Owlz The Orem Owlz were a Minor League Baseball team located in Orem, Utah, United States, from 2001 to 2020. The team competed in the Pioneer League as a Rookie League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The Owlz played their home games at Home o ...

of the Rookie-level Pioneer League. He pitched for the

Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchise ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

in 2014, and was named a Midseason All-Star. He spent the 2015 season with the

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners as members of the Texas League. History The team succeeded ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, and was invited to spring training in 2016. He began the 2016 season with Arkansas, and was promoted to the

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark op ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

Washington Nationals

After the 2016 season, the

acquired McGowin and Austin L. Adams for

Danny Espinosa Daniel Richard Espinosa (born April 25, 1987) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, and Tampa Bay Rays. Amateur ca ...

. McGowin started the year with the Class-AAA

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

but was assigned down to the Class-AA

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

on June 16, 2017, after posting a 6.31 ERA and a 1–6 win–loss record in nine starts. He pitched for the

Mesa Solar Sox The Mesa Solar Sox are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games in Mesa, Arizona, at Sloan Park, which is also the spring training facility of the Chicago Cubs. The team was established ...

in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

after the 2017 season, making six starts and striking out 27 batters without a walk allowed. Kyle McGowin (43473048791) (cropped)

In 2018, McGowin bounced back, earning a promotion back to Class-AAA midway through the season and putting up a 1.20 ERA down the stretch with the Chiefs as a reliable starting pitcher. He was among several pitchers mentioned by media as potential late-season call-ups by the Nationals. On September 3, 2018, the Nationals selected McGowin's contract, calling him up to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut on September 5, pitching an inning against 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 ha ...

and giving up a solo home run to

Yairo Muñoz Yairo Muñoz (; born January 23, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder and outfielder in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox an ...

. McGowin appeared in 7 games for the Nationals in 2019, registering an ugly 10.13 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 16.0 innings of work. Although he was not on the National's postseason roster, the Nationals won the World Series in 2019 and McGowin earned his first championship title. Pitching in relief against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

on September 5, 2020, McGowin earned his first career win. On the season, McGowin appeared in 9 games for the Nationals, pitching to a 4.91 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 11.0 innings pitched. In 2021, McGowin made 27 appearances for the Nationals, recording a 4.20 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 30.0 innings of work. On September 4, 2021, McGowin was placed on the 60-day injured list after being diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his right elbow. On November 5, 2021, McGowin was outrighted off of the 40-man roster.

Pitching style

McGowin pitches right-handed, with a crossfire delivery that adds deception to his pitches. His primary pitch is a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

that sits at about , with a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

and

circle changeup In baseball, a circle changeup (also called the "okay changeup", related to the thumb and index finger touching) is a pitch (baseball), pitch thrown with a grip that includes a circle formation, hence the name circle changeup. The circle is fo ...

that complement it. He is considered to have above-average control.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcgowin, Kyle Living people 1991 births People from Southampton (town), New York Baseball players from New York (state) Major League Baseball pitchers Washington Nationals players Savannah State Tigers baseball players Orem Owlz players Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players Arkansas Travelers players Salt Lake Bees players Arizona League Angels players Syracuse Chiefs players Harrisburg Senators players Potomac Nationals players Fresno Grizzlies players Rochester Red Wings players