Kirk Craig Saarloos (born May 23, 1979) is an American

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 ...

coach and former

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 the current head baseball coach of the

TCU Horned Frogs The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University. The 18 varsity teams participate in NCAA Division I and in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for football, competing mostly in the Big 12 Conference. The sc ...

. He 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 ...

Cal State Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

for coach

George Horton George Horton (October 11, 1859 – June 5, 1942) was a member of the United States diplomatic corps who held several consular offices in Greece and the Ottoman Empire between 1893 and 1924. During two periods he was the U.S. Consul or Consul Ge ...

from 1999 to 2001 and 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 seven seasons from 2002 to 2008. The

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

selected Saarloos in the third round of the

2001 Major League Baseball Draft The 2001 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 5 and 6. First round selections Supplemental First Round Selections Compensation Picks Background On June 1, 2001, Rolando Viera, a Cuban ba ...

. He played 7 years a pitcher in the MLB, with Houston from 2002 to 2003, the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

2004 to 2006,

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in 2007 before returning to Oakland in 2008.

High school and college

Saarloos graduated from Valley Christian High School in

Cerritos, California Cerritos (Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of 20 ...

, where he was a three-sport (

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

) athlete. He attended

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

, where he established himself as one of the best closers in

during his sophomore and junior seasons. In 1999, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the lea ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

. In , his senior year, Saarloos became a starting pitcher (the new closer was former

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 ...

closer Chad Cordero) and established himself as the

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

of the staff, winning 15 games with a 2.18

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). He was drafted by the

in the

in the third round as the 86th overall pick.

Professional career

Saarloos quickly rose in the Astros organization, making brief stops at Double-A

Round Rock Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County, Texas, Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County, Texas, Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of ...

and Triple-A

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

before being called up to the major leagues in his second year as a professional. In , he went 6–7 with a 6.01

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

with Houston and was sent down to New Orleans for the next season. In , he again pitched very well in the minors but posted a 4.93

in 36 games for the big club. He also contributed to the Astros' six-pitcher

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

on June 11, throwing the last out of the third inning and all of the fourth. It was around this time he caught the eye of

assistant general manager

Paul DePodesta Paul DePodesta (born December 16, 1972) is an American football executive and former baseball executive who is the chief strategy officer of the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as a front-office assista ...

. A few weeks into the season, after appearing in only two games for New Orleans, he was traded to the Athletics for

Chad Harville Chad Ashley Harville (born September 16, 1976) is an American former professional relief pitcher. Harville bats and throws right-handed. He is known for throwing in the high 90's with an outstanding sinker. Career A second-round pick of the Oak ...

. They sent him to Triple-A

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, where he pitched well enough to receive a call-up and start five games for Oakland. In , with

Mark Mulder Mark Alan Mulder (born August 5, 1977) is an American former professional baseball player. A left-handed starting pitcher, Mulder pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals. He is a two-time All-Sta ...

and

Tim Hudson Timothy Adam Hudson (born July 14, 1975), nicknamed "Huddy" is an American former professional baseball pitcher of Major League Baseball (MLB). After spending his college years at Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Auburn University, Hud ...

traded away, the Athletics had openings in their rotation. Saarloos beat out Keiichi Yabu and Juan Cruz to win the last starter spot in the rotation. Saarloos succeeded, going 10–9 with a 4.17

in 27 starts. He was widely considered to be among the best #5 starters in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

, sporting one of the lowest home run rates. With the signing of veteran starter

Esteban Loaiza Esteban Antonio Loaiza Veyna o-EYE-sa(born December 31, 1971) is a Mexican retired professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, New York Ya ...

before the season, the A's bumped Saarloos to the bullpen. Soon after,

Rich Harden James Richard Harden (born November 30, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. Early years Harden attended Claremont Secondary S ...

got injured, and Saarloos was put in as a fifth starter for a few games. He was also used in many varying relief roles, much like

Justin Duchscherer Justin Craig Duchscherer UKE-shur(born November 19, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics. Playing career Early career Duchscherer (nickname: " ...

was in 2005, but also as a spot starter. Shifting between the bullpen and the rotation, Saarloos finished with a record of 7–7 in 35 games for the A's. He allowed more home runs (19) than the previous season (11). On January 19, , Saarloos signed a one-year $1.2 million deal with the Athletics. On January 23, 2007, Saarloos was traded to the

for minor league reliever David Shafer. Both teams also received a player to be named later. On May 28, 2007, Saarloos was sent to the minors after failing to retire any of the seven batters he faced in a 14–10 loss to the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

the night before. In his lone season with the Reds, Saarloos had a 7.17 ERA in 42.2 innings. On October 12, 2007, Saarloos was outrighted to the minor leagues. He refused the assignment and became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. On January 15, , Saarloos signed a minor league contract with an invitation to

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 ...

with the Oakland Athletics. On April 14, he was added to the major league roster but was designated for assignment on April 23. He was sent outright to Triple-A on April 25. On August 18, Saarloos was recalled. He became a free agent at the end of the season. Saarloos signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the

Cleveland Indians 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) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

in January ; after training camp, he was sent to

Minor League Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

camp on March 24, 2009.Indians Send Sowers, 6 Others to Minors
NY Times, March 24, 2009 He went 3–10 in 16 games at the AAA level. He retired after the 2009 season.

Scouting

Saarloos has a variety of pitches, including a four-seam

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 ...

, a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

, 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 a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

. However, his best pitch by far is his mid-to-high 80's sinker. For this reason, Saarloos is known predominantly as a sinkerball specialist and as such, gets few strikeouts (batters tend to hit groundballs when faced with a sinker). In fact, his 2.99 strikeouts per nine innings in 2005 ranked third to last in Major League Baseball and was the lowest mark in Oakland Athletics history for a starting pitcher.

Coaching career

Saarloos was on the 2011

coaching staff as an undergraduate assistant coach. His primary duties were as pitching coach. Opposing teams batted .250 against his pitchers, and he coached

Big West The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...

Pitcher of the Year

Dylan Floro Dylan Lee Floro (born December 27, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers. He pla ...

and four Freshmen All-American pitchers. In 2012, Saarloos returned to Cal State Fullerton as their full-time pitching coach and assisted in recruiting. He became the pitching coach at

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...

in the summer of 2012. He led the team to the lowest ERA in school history since 1968. He was named the head coach at TCU on June 15, 2021. Saarloos led the Horned Frogs to a 38–22 record, a regular season Big 12 Championship, and an appearance in the College Station regional.

Head coaching record

References

External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Saarloos, Kirk 1979 births Living people Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball coaches TCU Horned Frogs baseball coaches Baseball players from Long Beach, California Major League Baseball pitchers Houston Astros players Oakland Athletics players Cincinnati Reds players Sportspeople from Long Beach, California American people of Dutch descent Round Rock Express players New Orleans Zephyrs players Sacramento River Cats players Louisville Bats players Cotuit Kettleers players Anchorage Bucs players