Tyler Kolek (baseball)
| Tyler Kolek | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: December 15, 1995 Shepherd, Texas, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Tyler Frank Kolek (born December 15, 1995) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He was drafted by the Miami Marlins with the second overall pick of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft.
High school career
[edit]Kolek attended Shepherd High School in Shepherd, Texas, and played for the school's baseball team. He missed most of his junior season, after breaking his arm in a collision with a baserunner.[1] He signed a letter-of-intent with Texas Christian University in November 2013.[2] Throughout the first three starts of his senior year, he had not given up a hit and had 35 strikeouts over 15 innings.[3][4]
Professional career
[edit]With a fastball that had been clocked as high as 102 miles per hour (164 km/h), Kolek was considered to be among the top high school pitching prospects for the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft.[5][6][7][8] The Miami Marlins selected Kolek in the first round, second overall, of the draft.[9] He signed on June 16[10] and was assigned to the GCL Marlins, where he posted a 0-3 record with a 4.50 ERA in nine games. He spent 2015 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers where he went 4-10 with a 4.56 ERA, with a 1.56 WHIP in 25 games. On April 7, 2016, Kolek underwent Tommy John surgery, and had to sit out during the 2016 season.[11] Kolek missed a majority of the 2017 season as well due to injury; he pitched in only three games for the GCL Marlins in which he gave up 12 earned runs in 3.2 innings.[12]
Kolek spent the 2018 season split between the Low-A Batavia Muckdogs and the GCL Marlins, where he pitched to a 6.32 ERA in 10 appearances for the clubs. He split 2019 between the Single-A Clinton LumberKings and Batavia, registering a 9.22 ERA in 15 games.[13] Kolek did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] On November 2, 2020, Kolek elected free agency.[15]
Being inactive in 2021 and having failed to advance past Single–A which is three levels below the major leagues, he will become the fifth player to be drafted #2 overall in the first year player draft, and the first since 1987, to fail to reach the major leagues before retiring should he not resume his baseball career. In addition, the #1 overall pick Brady Aiken was also inactive in 2021, and also having failed to advance past Single–A. This will mark the first major league baseball draft in which both the first and second overall selections failed to reach the major leagues.
Personal life
[edit]Kolek's brother, Stephen, also played for Shepherd's baseball team, and played college baseball for Texas A&M University.[5][16] He was drafted in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers,[17] and is currently a pitcher for the San Diego Padres.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "Tyler Kolek Looks To Take His Spot In Texas Pitching Lineage". Baseballamerica.com. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ Anderson, Mark (November 24, 2013). "Shepherd's Kolek signs with TCU". Your Houston News. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Tyler Kolek picks up first no-hitter, still hasn't given up a hit this season". Maxpreps.com. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ Rohrbach, Ben (March 17, 2014). "Top-rated pitching prospect Tyler Kolek has yet to allow a hit as a high school senior". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b MARK ANDERSONContributing Writer (June 13, 2013). "Kolek brothers stand out in Ranger Area tryouts". Yourhoustonnews.com. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ Crawford, Christopher (March 17, 2014). "Tyler Kolek making a case for No. 1". ESPN. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ Verdejo, Angel (February 16, 2014). "Shepherd's Kolek drawing national attention as area teams start baseball season". Houstonchronicle.com. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Cubs, White Sox watch top prep prospect". Articles.chicagotribune.com. March 7, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Miami likes Kolek's heat, drafts fireballer at No. 2 | marlins.com: News". Archived from the original on June 6, 2014.
- ^ "Marlins sign second overall pick Kolek".
- ^ Gelman, Scott (April 7, 2016). "Marlins prospect Kolek has Tommy John". fishstripes.com. Marlin Fish Stripes. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
- ^ "Tyler Kolek Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved November 3, 2017.
- ^ "Tyler Kolek Minor Leagues Statistics & History".
- ^ "2020 Minor League Season Canceled".
- ^ "Full List of 2020-2021 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
- ^ Zwerneman, Brent (June 17, 2017). "The other Kolek pitcher working out just fine for Texas A&M". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ Campos, Alex (June 7, 2018). "Dodgers select some interesting prospects in Rounds 11-20 of MLB Draft". Dodgers Digest. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
- ^ Mayo, Jonathan (December 6, 2023). "2023 Rule 5 Draft results: Pick by pick". MLB.com. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- On the hoof: Texan Tyler Kolek has at least one prime number