Thomas Darwin Eshelman (born June 20, 1994) is an American former

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 ...

and current pitching coach in 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 penna ...

organization. He made his

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) debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2019. 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 ...

for the

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Ga ...

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) ...

. 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 Eshelman in the

2015 MLB draft Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

, and traded him to the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

after the 2015 season. He was traded to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

during the 2019 season.

Amateur career

Eshelman attended Carlsbad High School in

Carlsbad, California Carlsbad is a coastal city in the North County region of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is south of downtown Los Angeles and north of downtown San Diego. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 114,746. ...

. He played as a

and

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

for Carlsbad's baseball team. He was named to the

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have a s ...

's first team at the end of his senior season. However, he was not selected in 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 ...

. Eshelman enrolled at

to play

for the

Cal State Fullerton Titans The Cal State Fullerton Titans (also known as CSUF or Fullerton Titans) are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Fullerton. The Titans are a member of the NCAA Division I level. The Titans compete within the Big West C ...

, exclusively as a pitcher. In 2013, his freshman year, Eshelman did not issue a

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ov ...

in his first

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 ...

. He ended the season with three walks allowed in innings, setting the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

single-season record for walks per nine innings pitched (0.23). He was named to the

2013 College Baseball All-America Team This is a list of college baseball players named first team All-Americans in 2013. The NCAA recognizes four different All-America selectors for baseball: the American Baseball Coaches Association (since 1947), ''Baseball America'' (since 1981), ...

by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

'' and ''

Collegiate Baseball ''Collegiate Baseball Newspaper'' (also known as ''Collegiate Baseball Magazine'' and ''Collegiate Baseball'') is an American publication based in Arizona that considers itself the "voice of amateur baseball" which has been published for over 40 ...

''. In 2014, he was a member of the

United States national collegiate baseball team The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball t ...

. He finished his collegiate career with 17 walks in innings.

Professional career

Houston Astros

MLB.com MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...

ranked Eshelman as the 99th best available prospect in the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks ...

, while ''Baseball America'' rated him 126th. The

selected Eshelman in the second round, with the 46th overall pick, in the draft. Eshelman signed with the Astros, who assigned him to the

Gulf Coast Astros The Florida Complex League Astros are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Astros. The team plays ...

of the Rookie-level

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the lo ...

to limit his workload for the remainder of the year, following the 130 innings Eshelman pitched for Cal State Fullerton in 2015. In August, the Astros promoted Eshelman to the

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, one ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. He pitched in only four games as a professional in 2015. Eshelman went a combined 0–1 with a 4.35 ERA between both clubs.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Astros traded Eshelman,

Mark Appel Mark Stewart Appel (born July 15, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Prior to joining the Phillies he also played in the Houston Astros organization. After being drafted out of high s ...

Vince Velasquez Vincent John Velasquez ( ; born June 7, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres ...

Brett Oberholtzer Brett Raymond Oberholtzer (born July 1, 1989) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Angels. He also played in the Chinese Profe ...

, and Harold Arauz to the

for

Ken Giles Kenneth Robert Giles (born September 20, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, and Seattle Mariners. Exposed to b ...

and

Jonathan Araúz Jonathan Aldair Araúz (; born August 3, 1998) is a Panamanian professional baseball shortstop and second baseman in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore O ...

on December 12, 2015. He spent the 2016 season with the

Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Clearwater, Florida, and have played their home games at BayCare Ballpark since 2 ...

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 ...

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

and the

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

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, where he posted a 9–7 record with a 4.25 ERA, along with a 0.97 WHIP, between both clubs. Eshelman began the 2017 season with Reading, and earned a promotion to the

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used 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 The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

in May. He posted a combined 13–3 record with a 2.40 ERA between both teams. The 2018 season found him once again on the IronPigs’ roster. The season was mostly a disappointment, with Eshelman going 2–13, with a 5.84 ERA in 27 games (26 of them as a starter). Eshelman began the 2019 season in with Reading but was promoted back to Lehigh Valley after six starts with the team, going 0–3 with a 6.28 ERA.

Baltimore Orioles

The Phillies traded Eshelman to the

for international bonus allocations on June 10, 2019. Eshelman had posted a 1–1 record with a 2.77 ERA, 23 strikeouts, and a complete game for Lehigh Valley at the time of the trade. After making three starts for the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

of the International League, the Orioles promoted to the major leagues to start against the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

on July 1. In his debut, he allowed two runs over five innings pitched. On September 2, Eshelman was designated for assignment. On July 31, 2020, Eshelman was selected to the active roster. In 2020 for the Orioles, Eshelman pitched in 34.2 innings over 12 games, notching a 3–1 record, 3.89 ERA and 16 strikeouts. On November 25, 2020, Eshelman was designated for assignment. He elected free agency on December 3. On January 16, 2021, Eshelman re-signed with the Orioles organization on a minor league contract. The Orioles added Eshelman to their active roster on June 18, and designated him for assignment on August 1. On August 3, Eshelman cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk. On September 19, the Orioles selected Eshelman's contract. Eshelman made 9 appearances for the Orioles in 2021, going 0–3 with a 7.16 ERA and 11 strikeouts. On October 25, Eshelman elected free agency.

San Diego Padres

On March 21, 2022, Eshelman signed a minor league deal with the

. He was released on October 16, 2022.

Post playing career

Eshelman announced his retirement from professional baseball on December 5, 2022, and that he will be joining the

organization as a pitching coach. On January 11, 2023, Eshelman was named the pitching coach of the

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The Storm plays their home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond (Pete Lehr Field), which opened in 1994; the park se ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eshelman, Thomas 1994 births Living people Sportspeople from Carlsbad, California Baseball players from San Diego County, California Major League Baseball pitchers Baltimore Orioles players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players Gulf Coast Astros players Quad Cities River Bandits players Clearwater Threshers players Reading Fightin Phils players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Norfolk Tides players San Antonio Missions players El Paso Chihuahuas players