Ryan Michael Bollinger (born February 4, 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 previously played in the CPBL for the

Fubon Guardians The Fubon Guardians () are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. The team is owned by Fubon Financial Holding Co. and play their home games at Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City. ...

and

Rakuten Monkeys The Rakuten Monkeys (), formerly First Financial Holdings Agan (, abbreviated ), La New Bears () and then the Lamigo Monkeys (), are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. Owned and administer ...

. In 2018, he was promoted to the major leagues by the

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

, but he did not appear in a game, making him a phantom ballplayer.

Career

Born in

Apple Valley, California Apple Valley is an incorporated town in the Victor Valley of San Bernardino County, in the U.S. state of California. It was incorporated on November 14, 1988, and is one of the 22 incorporated municipalities in California that use "town" in thei ...

, Bollinger attended Minot High School in

Minot, North Dakota Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

, where he played for the baseball team. He committed to attend Iowa Western Community College to play

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 p ...

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies selected Bollinger in the 47th round, with the 1,247th overall selection, of the 2009 MLB draft as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

, and he signed rather than enroll in college. Bollinger never appeared in a game for the Phillies organization and was released on June 15, 2010.

Windy City ThunderBolts

In July 2010, Bollinger signed with the

Windy City ThunderBolts The Windy City ThunderBolts are a professional baseball team based in the Chicago suburb of Crestwood, Illinois, in the United States. The ThunderBolts are a member of the Frontier League, which is a partner league of Major League Baseball. Sinc ...

of the

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

, an independent baseball league, in 2010 as a

. He did not allow a run in 6.0 innings pitched for the club.

Chicago White Sox

On October 7, 2010, the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

purchased his contract. In 2011, Bollinger spent the year with the rookie ball Bristol White Sox, registering a 5-2 record and 4.23 ERA in 12 appearances. In 2012, Bollinger again spent the year in rookie ball, this time for the

Great Falls Voyagers The Great Falls Voyagers are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Great Falls, Montana, and play their home games at Cente ...

, and pitched to a 4-3 record and 3.56 ERA in 17 games for the club. In 2013, Bollinger played for the Single-A

Kannapolis Intimidators Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. The ...

, recording a 3.17 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 29 games. On March 25, 2014, Bollinger was released by the White Sox organization.

St. Paul Saints

Bollinger signed with the St. Paul Saints of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

for the 2014 season. In 7 games out of the bullpen for the club, he registered a 13.50 ERA and 3 strikeouts.

Trois-Rivières Aigles

Bollinger then signed with the

Trois-Rivières Aigles The Aigles de Trois-Rivières (English: ''Three Rivers Eagles'') were a Canadian Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds from 1971 to 1977. They were located in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, ...

of the

Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization of ...

, and went 4-7 with a 4.73 ERA in 13 games for the team.

Winnipeg Goldeyes

On August 15, 2014, Bollinger was traded to the

Winnipeg Goldeyes The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of the Norther ...

of the

. He made 4 appearances for Winnipeg, pitching to a 3-0 record with 11 strikeouts.

Trois-Rivières Aigles (second stint)

On September 23, 2014, Bollinger was traded back to the

. In 2015 for the club, Bollinger pitched to a 11-7 record and 3.68 ERA with 108 strikeouts in 20 appearances. In 2016 for the Aigles, Bollinger recorded a 2-11 record and 4.87 ERA in 22 appearances.

Haar Disciples

On February 1, 2017, Bollinger signed with the

Haar Disciples The München-Haar Disciples (), officially named "Disciples München-Haar e.V. von 1990", is a baseball club founded in 1990 in Haar, a suburb of Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of ...

, and played in the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

in Germany. After the season, he was named the best pitcher of the Southern League. Bollinger pitched to a 10-1 record and 0.76 ERA, and allowed only 12 walks in 106.0 innings pitched. He also broke the Bundesliga single-season strikeout record, with his 178 strikeouts on the year being 14 more than the previous record. He also pitched for the

Brisbane Bandits The Brisbane Bandits are a professional baseball team in Brisbane, Queensland that plays in the Australian Baseball League and is one of the six founding teams of the league. From the 2010/11 season till the 2012/13 season their home ballpark w ...

of the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it ...

during the 2017–18 season. He returned to the Bandits for the 2018–19 season.

New York Yankees

On December 16, 2017, Bollinger signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He began the 2018 season with the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

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). ...

International League, where he pitched in two games, and then pitched for the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the ...

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 ...

Eastern League. The Yankees promoted Bollinger to the major leagues on May 23, and

optioned In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement pertaining to film rights between a potential film producer (such as a movie studio, a production company, or an individual) and the author of source material, such as a book, play, or s ...

him back to Trenton the next day, without Bollinger making his major league debut. He was outrighted to Trenton on May 27, removing him from the Yankees'

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

. He was then added to the 25-man roster on July 31. He optioned to Trenton on August 1, and

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on September 1. He returned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Bollinger declared free agency on October 8, 2018.

San Diego Padres

On November 26, 2018, Bollinger signed a minor-league contract with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

that included an invitation to spring training. He was released by the Padres on March 27, 2019.

Fubon Guardians

On June 5, 2019, Bollinger signed with the

of the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

. Bollinger registered a 4.31 ERA with 127 strikeouts in 108.2 innings, including a 10-strikeout shutout game on June 16, 2019. He re-signed with the team for the 2020 season. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to a nagging foot injury and was released on August 6, 2020.

Rakuten Monkeys

On December 15, 2020, Bollinger signed with the

of the

for the 2021 season. He signed a contract with the Monkeys for the 2022 season on December 28, 2021.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bollinger, Ryan 1991 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Australia American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate sportspeople in Germany American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Minnesota Baseball players from North Dakota Baseball first basemen Brisbane Bandits players Bristol White Sox players Great Falls Voyagers players Florida Complex League Phillies players Kannapolis Intimidators players People from Apple Valley, California People from Minot, North Dakota Rakuten Monkeys players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players St. Paul Saints players Trenton Thunder players Trois-Rivières Aigles players Windy City ThunderBolts players Winnipeg Goldeyes players

Career

Philadelphia Phillies

Windy City ThunderBolts

Chicago White Sox

St. Paul Saints

Trois-Rivières Aigles

Winnipeg Goldeyes

Trois-Rivières Aigles (second stint)

Haar Disciples

New York Yankees

San Diego Padres

Fubon Guardians

Rakuten Monkeys

See also

References

External links