Christopher Michael Withrow (born April 1, 1989) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

Career

Amateur career

Withrow attended Midland Christian School in

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Midland County with small portions extending into Martin County. The population was 132,524 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Permian Basin in West Texas, Midland is a ...

. As a senior at Midland, Withrow had a 8–1

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

with a 1.32

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and 90

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s for the school's baseball team.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The

selected Withrow in the first round of the

2007 MLB Draft The 2007 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the first 25 rounds and was scheduled to be broadcast "l ...

. He missed most of the 2008 season with an assortment of injuries and then spent the majority of 2009 with the

Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchi ...

, where he was 6–6 with a 4.69 ERA in 19 appearances. He was rated as the Dodgers #2 prospect by the MLB Network before the 2010 season and was assigned by the Dodgers to the Double-A

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 based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

. He started 27 games for the Lookouts, with a record of 4–9 and a 5.97 ERA. In 2011 with the Lookouts, he started 25 games and finished 6–6 with a 4.20 ERA. He was added to the 40-man roster after the season to protect him from the

Rule 5 Draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. In 2012, after 7 starts, the Dodgers decided to turn him into a relief pitcher. He finished the season with a 3–3 record and 4.65 ERA in 22 games. The Dodgers promoted him to the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

to start 2013. The Dodgers promoted Withrow to the major leagues for the first time on June 11, 2013. He made his debut the following night in relief against the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

. In of an inning, he allowed 3 hits, walked one and struck out one. In 26 games for the Dodgers he was 3–0 with a 2.60 ERA and also picked up his first save on September 3 against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

. Withrow began 2014 in the Dodgers bullpen and pitched 21 innings in 20 games. He had a 2.95 ERA and 28 strikeouts but he also walked 18. However, on May 30, he was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right elbow, requiring

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

, which shut him down for the rest of the season. He remained on the 60-day disabled list at the start of the 2015 season.

Atlanta Braves

On May 27, 2015, he was traded to the

(with Juan Uribe) in exchange for

Alberto Callaspo Alberto José Callaspo Brito (, ; born April 19, 1983) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Oakland Athl ...

Eric Stults Eric William Stults (born December 9, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves in Major League Baseball, and for ...

, Ian Thomas and Juan Jaime. Though Withrow was eligible for arbitration, he and the Braves agreed to a one-year contract for the 2016 season worth $610,000 on January 14. Withrow was invited to spring training, but did not make the team, instead starting the 2016 season with the Triple A

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevi ...

. Withrow received his first callup of the season on April 10, and returned to the minors on May 1. On May 26, the Braves recalled Withrow. He pitched at the major league level until August 6, when he was placed on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation. Withrow returned and made six appearances during the first half of September. In 46 total appearances for Atlanta, he compiled a 3-0 record and 3.58 ERA with 28 strikeouts across innings pitched. On December 2, the Braves non-tendered Withrow, making him a free agent.

Kansas City Royals

On January 7, 2017, Withrow signed a minor league contract with the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

that included an invitation to spring training. He spent the entire season on the disabled list and elected free agency on November 6.

Personal life

Withrow's father, Mike, played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

and was drafted by 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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. Withrow has two brothers, Matt and Steve, who are also baseball players. Matt was selected in the sixth round of the

2015 MLB draft The 2015 Major League Baseball 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 finished the 2014 season ...

by the Braves.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Withrow, Chris 1989 births Living people Los Angeles Dodgers players Atlanta Braves players Gulf Coast Dodgers players Inland Empire 66ers players Chattanooga Lookouts players Albuquerque Isotopes players 21st-century American sportsmen Baseball players from Austin, Texas Major League Baseball pitchers Gwinnett Braves players Rome Braves players Midland High School (Midland, Texas) alumni