Kyle S. Lotzkar (born October 24, 1989) is a Canadian former professional baseball

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, ...

. Lotzkar also competed for the Canadian national baseball team.

Career

Amateur career

Lotzkar attended

South Delta Secondary School South Delta Secondary (SDSS) is a public high school in Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada. There are approximately 1,500 students enrolled in each grade 8 through 12 (as of 2019/2020). Graduation rates in the years 2005 to 2010 vary between 9 ...

Delta, British Columbia Delta is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and part of Greater Vancouver. Located on the Fraser Lowland south of Fraser River's south distributary, arm, it is bordered by the city of Richmond, British Columbia, R ...

. He played youth baseball for the Langley Blaze of the British Columbia Premier Baseball League.

Professional career

The

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

selected Lotzkar in the supplemental first round, with the 53rd overall selection, of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. The Reds signed Lotzkar to a contract with a $600,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. He made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Reds 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 low ...

and

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Deh ...

of the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 2007. In 2008, he pitched for the

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark. In 2011, they broke the record for most ...

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 ...

in 2008. He fractured his elbow in 2008. As a result, Lotzkar had

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, ...

. He missed the 2009 season, and only appeared in twelve games in 2010 for Cincinnati's Rookie-level affiliates. He pitched for Dayton in 2011, rated as the 10th best prospect in the Reds' organization by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

''. Lotzkar was added to the Reds' 40 man roster after the 2011 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 ...

. Prior to the 2012 season, ''Baseball America'' rated Lotzkar the 30th best prospect in the Reds' organization. He was named to appear in the 2012

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

. Lotzkar was designated for assignment by the Reds on September 16, 2013. He was released on September 24, 2013. In October 23, Lotzkar signed with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers released him in June 2015.

International career

Lotzkar played for the Canadian national baseball team. In 2011, he participated in the 2011 Baseball World Cup, winning the bronze medal, and the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

, winning the gold medal. He also competed for the Canadian Junior National Team in 2007 and was on Canada's provisional roster for the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an International Baseball Federation, international baseball competition. It began on March 5 and finished March 23. Unlike in 2006 World Baseball Classic, 2006, when the Round-robin tournament, round- ...

, but did not make the final roster.

Pitching style

Lotzkar throws four-seam and

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

s (92–95 mph), a slider, and a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

. In the minors, he has had high

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 as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

(4.2) and

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 ...

(10.6) rates.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lotzkar, Kyle 1989 births Living people Arizona League Reds players Bakersfield Blaze players Baseball pitchers Baseball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Billings Mustangs players Canada national baseball team players Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States Dayton Dragons players Frisco RoughRiders players Gulf Coast Reds players Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada Pan American Games gold medalists in baseball Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Sportspeople from Delta, British Columbia Winnipeg Goldeyes players Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games