Zachary Stuart Littell (born October 5, 1995), nicknamed Lit, 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 ...

in the Texas Rangers organization. He was drafted by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

in the 11th round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2018 with the Minnesota Twins.

Early life

Littell attended

Eastern Alamance High School Eastern Alamance High School is a public, coeducational high school located in Mebane, North Carolina, United States. It is one of eight high schools in the Alamance-Burlington School System. The school runs on block scheduling from 8:45am to 3:45p ...

Mebane, North Carolina Mebane is a city located mostly in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States, and partly in Orange County. The town was named for Alexander Mebane, an American Revolutionary War general and member of the U.S. Congress. It was incorporated ...

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

Littell was drafted by the

in the 11th round of the

. He signed with Seattle, forgoing his commitment 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 ...

at Appalachian State University. Littell made his professional debut with the Rookie-level

Arizona League Mariners The Arizona Complex League Mariners are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The team is ...

. He was 0–6 with a 5.94 ERA and a 1.560 WHIP in 33.1 innings in 2013. He pitched in 2014 for the Advanced Rookie League

Pulaski Mariners Pulaski may refer to: Places * Pulaski Heights, a section of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas * Pulaski Shoal, an underwater landform west of the Florida Keys * Pulaski, Georgia, a town * Pulaski Square, one of the "Squares of Savannah" in th ...

, going 5–5 with a 4.52 ERA in 13 starts. Littell pitched in 2015 for the Class A

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...

, compiling a 3–6 record and 3.91 ERA in 21 starts. He started 2016 with Clinton, and was promoted to the

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the Class A – Advanced California League. They played their home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facin ...

in July. In 28 total games (27 starts) between the two clubs, Littell collected a 13–6 record, 2.66 ERA, and 1.16 WHIP. After the 2016 season, the Mariners traded Littell to 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 ...

for pitcher

James Pazos James Manuel Pazos (pronounced PAH-zohse; born May 5, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and Colorado Rockies. He ...

. Littell started 2017 with the

Tampa Yankees Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough C ...

and was promoted to 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 ...

in late June. On July 30, 2017, the Yankees traded Littell and pitcher

Dietrich Enns Dietrich Enns (born May 16, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays. Amateur car ...

to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for pitcher Jaime García and cash considerations. The Twins then assigned him to the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

where he finished the season. In 27 total games (25 starts) between Tampa, Trenton, and Chattanooga, he went 19–1 with a 2.12 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. The Twins added him to their 40-man roster after the season.

Minnesota Twins (2018–2020)

Littell made his MLB debut on June 5, 2018. In 8 games in the majors in 2018, Littell went 0–2 with a 6.20 ERA, 14 K, and 11 BB in 20.1 innings. In the minors he was 6–9 with a 3.98 ERA. Littell moved to bullpen full time in 2019. He went 6–0 in 29 games with a 2.68 ERA, 32 K, and 9 BB in 37 innings, while in the minors in 63 innings he was 3–3 with a 3.71 ERA. He had a hard-hit rate of 52.5%. In 2020 in 6.1 innings he gave up five home runs and had a 9.95 ERA.https://twitter.com/TulsaDrillers/status/1511401435992403978/photo/1 On September 17, 2020, Littell was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He 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 November 2, 2020.

San Francisco Giants (2021–2022)

On February 3, 2021, Littell signed a minor league contract with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

, and received an invitation to spring training. In the 2021 regular season, Littell was 4–0 with a 2.92 ERA in 63 games (2 starts) covering 62.2 innings in which he struck out 63 batters with the Giants; with AAA Sacramento, he had a 9.00 ERA. His hard-hit percentage of 46.0% was in the bottom (worst) 5% of major league pitchers. He was demoted to the Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 ...

on September 13, 2022, one day following an incident on the pitcher's mound with Giants manager

Gabe Kapler Gabriel Stefan Kapler (born July 31, 1975), nicknamed "Kap", is an American former professional baseball outfielder, and current manager of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). Kapler was a 57th-round draft pick (1,487th ove ...

which began with Littell slamming the ball into Kapler's hand as he was removed from a game, and angrily telling Kapler he wanted to remain in the game. In 2022 he was 3–3 with a 5.08 ERA with the Giants. He was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA with AAA Sacramento. The Giants waived him off the 40-man roster in November 2022; when no team chose to pick him up, the Giants outrighted him to Sacramento. He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.

Texas Rangers (2023–present)

On January 12, 2023, Littell signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers organization.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Littell, Zack 1995 births Living people Baseball players from North Carolina Major League Baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins players San Francisco Giants players Arizona League Mariners players Pulaski Mariners players Clinton LumberKings players Bakersfield Blaze players Tampa Yankees players Trenton Thunder players Chattanooga Lookouts players Rochester Red Wings players People from Mebane, North Carolina