Nicholas James Wittgren (born May 29, 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 ...
in the
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 ...
organization. He has 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
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The franc ...
,
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 ...
, and
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 ...
.
Amateur career
Wittgren was born in
Torrance, California, but grew up in
Lafayette, Indiana where he attended
McCutcheon High School
McCutcheon High School is located in Lafayette, Indiana, located on Old 231 South. The school was established in 1975 with the merger of Wainwright and Southwestern high schools and is named after John T. McCutcheon, who was a political cartoonis ...
and played for the school's baseball, basketball, and tennis teams. Wittgren played
college baseball at
Parkland College for a year before transferring to
Purdue University where he played from 2011 to 2012. He served as the
closer for Purdue during his two years, finishing with a 2.54
earned run average (ERA), 22
saves and 94
strikeouts over 92
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 ...
. In 2011, 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
Hyannis Harbor Hawks 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 ...
.
Professional career
Miami Marlins
Wittgren was drafted by the
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The franc ...
in the ninth round of the
2012 Major League Baseball draft
The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...
. During his first professional season he had a 1.17 ERA, 13 saves and 47 strikeouts over innings while playing for the
Jamestown Jammers
The Jamestown Jammers were a minor league baseball team based in Jamestown, New York from 1994 until 2014. The team was the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in the New York–Penn League. The team playe ...
and
Greensboro Grasshoppers. He started the 2013 season with the
Jupiter Hammerheads
The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter, Florida, Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home game ...
and was promoted to the Double-A
Jacksonville Suns. For the season he posted a 0.77 ERA with 26 saves and 63 strikeouts over . At the end of the season he was named the Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year by the staff of
MiLB.com. Wittgren returned to Jacksonville in 2014. He appeared in 52 games and had a 3.55 ERA, 20 saves and 56 strikeouts over 66 innings. He again returned to Jacksonville to start 2015, but was promoted to the Triple-A
New Orleans Zephyrs
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
after two games.
The Marlins promoted Wittgren to the major leagues on April 19, 2016. In his first Major League appearance, he walked the only batter he faced,
Anthony Rendon
Anthony Michael Rendon (, ; born June 6, 1990) is an American baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Washington Nationals and was a member of the Nationals' 2019 World S ...
. Rendon later scored on
Bryce Harper's grand slam. He spent most of the season in the Marlins bullpen, appearing in 48 games. He had a 3.14 ERA in innings. The next season he spent time between the AAA level and the Marlins bullpen, appearing in 38 games with a 4.68 ERA in innings. Wittgren was designated for assignment on January 29, 2019 following the signing of
Neil Walker
Neil Martin Andrew Walker (born September 10, 1985) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (2009–2015), New York Mets (2016–17), Milwaukee Brewers ( ...
.
Cleveland Indians
On February 4, 2019, Wittgren was traded to 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 exchange for
Jordan Milbrath. On March 24, 2019, Wittgren was optioned to the AAA
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...
. On April 9, 2019, he was called up to the Indians after
Mike Clevinger went to the 10-day IL.
With the
2020 Cleveland Indians, Wittgren appeared in 25 games, compiling a 2-0 record with 3.42 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 23.2 innings pitched.
Wittgren made 60 appearances in 2021, posting a 5.05 ERA and 61 strikeouts.
On November 5, 2021, the Indians outrighted Wittgren off their 40-man roster; Wittgren subsequently elected free agency.
St. Louis Cardinals
On March 13, 2022, Wittgren signed a one-year contract with 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 ...
. After recording a 5.90 ERA in a team-leading 29 appearances for the Cardinals, Wittgren was designated for assignment on July 2. Wittgren was released on July 9.
Kansas City Royals
On December 23, 2022, Wittgren signed a minor league deal with the
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 ...
.
International career
Wittgren was selected to represent
Germany at the
2023 World Baseball Classic qualification
The qualifying round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic will be held in September 2022. Teams which participated at the 2017 World Baseball Classic automatically qualified for the 2023 tournament. The qualifying round is to consist of two tourna ...
.
Personal life
Wittgren and his wife, Ashley, have two sons together. They met in 2011 while Wittgren was playing in 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 ...
, where Ashley worked. She has a
master's degree in strength and conditioning, and is Wittgren's personal trainer during the off-season.
References
External links
Purdue Boilermakers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wittgren, Nick
1991 births
Living people
Baseball players from Torrance, California
Major League Baseball pitchers
Miami Marlins players
Cleveland Indians players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Purdue Boilermakers baseball players
Hyannis Harbor Hawks players
Jamestown Jammers players
Greensboro Grasshoppers players
Jupiter Hammerheads players
Jacksonville Suns players
Glendale Desert Dogs players
New Orleans Zephyrs players
New Orleans Baby Cakes players
Columbus Clippers players
Parkland Cobras baseball players