Stephen James Kolek (born April 18, 1997) is an American
professional baseball pitcher for the
San Diego Padres of
Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
Career
Kolek attended Shepherd High School in
Shepherd, Texas. He enrolled at
Texas A&M University, where he played
college baseball for the
Texas A&M Aggies from 2016 to 2018.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The
Los Angeles Dodgers selected Kolek in the 11th round, with the 344th overall selection, of the
2018 Major League Baseball draft
The 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 4, 2018. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was determined based on the reverse order of the 2017 MLB season final standings. In a ...
. He spent his first professional season with the rookie–level
Ogden Raptors and Single–A
Great Lakes Loons, accumulating a 1.42 ERA with 30 strikeouts across 17 contests. Kolek returned to Great Lakes in 2019, going 7–8 with a 5.00 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 27 games (25 starts). He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Seattle Mariners
On April 28, 2021, the Dodgers traded Kolek to the
Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash considerations. He split the year between the Single–A
Modesto Nuts, High–A
Everett AquaSox, and Double–A
Arkansas Travelers. In 24 combined appearances, Kolek struggled to a 6.03 ERA with 67 strikeouts across innings pitched. In 2022, he made 27 starts for Arkansas, registering a 6–13 record and 4.51 ERA with 138 strikeouts across innings of work. In 2023, Kolek made five scoreless appearances for Arkansas before being promoted to the Triple–A
Tacoma Rainiers, where he spent the remainder of the year. In 44 appearances for Tacoma, he recorded a 4.23 ERA with 65 strikeouts and 4
saves across innings pitched.
San Diego Padres
On December 6, 2023, the
San Diego Padres selected Kolek from the Mariners in the
Rule 5 draft. On March 19, 2024, the Padres announced that Kolek made their
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
roster.
Personal life
His brother is
Tyler Kolek Tyler Kolek may refer to:
* Tyler Kolek (basketball), basketball player
* Tyler Kolek (baseball), baseball player
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolek, Tyler ...
, a former professional baseball player and 2nd overall pick 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
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
.
See also
*
Rule 5 draft results
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolek, Stephen
Living people
1996 births
Baseball players from Houston
Major League Baseball pitchers
San Diego Padres players
Texas A&M Aggies baseball players
Mat-Su Miners players
Ogden Raptors players
Great Lakes Loons players
Modesto Nuts players
Everett AquaSox players
Arkansas Travelers players
Tacoma Rainiers players
Gigantes del Cibao players