Nick Wittgren
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Nicholas James Wittgren (born May 29, 1991) 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 Kansas City Royals organization. He has previously played in
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) for the Miami Marlins,
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
, and
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
.


Amateur career

Wittgren was born in
Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific O ...
, but grew up in
Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...
where he attended McCutcheon High School and played for the school's baseball, basketball, and tennis teams. Wittgren 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 p ...
at
Parkland College Parkland College is a public community college in Champaign, Illinois. It is part of the Illinois Community College System serving Community College District 505 which includes parts of Coles, Champaign, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquo ...
for a year before transferring to
Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...
where he played from 2011 to 2012. He served as the closer for Purdue during his two years, finishing with a 2.54
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), 22 saves and 94
strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
over 92 innings pitched. In 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball with the
Hyannis Harbor Hawks The Hyannis Harbor Hawks, formerly the Hyannis Mets, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Harbor Hawks play ...
of the Cape Cod Baseball League.


Professional career


Miami Marlins

Wittgren was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the ninth round of 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 List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks, first ...
. During his first professional season he had a 1.17 ERA, 13 saves and 47 strikeouts over innings while playing for the Jamestown Jammers and
Greensboro Grasshoppers The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National B ...
. He started the 2013 season with the
Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean ...
and was promoted to the Double-A
Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...
. For the season he posted a 0.77 ERA with 26 saves and 63 strikeouts over . At the end of the season he was named the Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year by the staff of MiLB.com. Wittgren returned to Jacksonville in 2014. He appeared in 52 games and had a 3.55 ERA, 20 saves and 56 strikeouts over 66 innings. He again returned to Jacksonville to start 2015, but was promoted to the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs after two games. The Marlins promoted Wittgren to the major leagues on April 19, 2016. In his first Major League appearance, he walked the only batter he faced,
Anthony Rendon Anthony Michael Rendon (, ; born June 6, 1990) is an American baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Washington Nationals and was a member of the Nationals' 2019 World ...
. Rendon later scored on
Bryce Harper Bryce Aron Max Harper (born October 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior to his arrival in Philadelphia, Harper played for the Wash ...
's grand slam. He spent most of the season in the Marlins bullpen, appearing in 48 games. He had a 3.14 ERA in innings. The next season he spent time between the AAA level and the Marlins bullpen, appearing in 38 games with a 4.68 ERA in innings. Wittgren was designated for assignment on January 29, 2019 following the signing of Neil Walker.


Cleveland Indians

On February 4, 2019, Wittgren was traded to the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
in exchange for Jordan Milbrath. On March 24, 2019, Wittgren was optioned to the AAA Columbus Clippers. On April 9, 2019, he was called up to the Indians after
Mike Clevinger Michael Anthony Clevinger (born December 21, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres. Clevinger ma ...
went to the 10-day IL. With the 2020 Cleveland Indians, Wittgren appeared in 25 games, compiling a 2-0 record with 3.42 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 23.2 innings pitched. Wittgren made 60 appearances in 2021, posting a 5.05 ERA and 61 strikeouts. On November 5, 2021, the Indians outrighted Wittgren off their 40-man roster; Wittgren subsequently elected free agency.


St. Louis Cardinals

On March 13, 2022, Wittgren signed a one-year contract with the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
. After recording a 5.90 ERA in a team-leading 29 appearances for the Cardinals, Wittgren was designated for assignment on July 2. Wittgren was released on July 9.


Kansas City Royals

On December 23, 2022, Wittgren signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals.


International career

Wittgren was selected to represent
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
at the
2023 World Baseball Classic qualification The qualifying round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic will be held in September 2022. Teams which participated at the 2017 World Baseball Classic automatically qualified for the 2023 tournament. The qualifying round is to consist of two tournam ...
.


Personal life

Wittgren and his wife, Ashley, have two sons together. They met in 2011 while Wittgren was playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where Ashley worked. She has a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
in strength and conditioning, and is Wittgren's personal trainer during the off-season.


References


External links


Purdue Boilermakers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wittgren, Nick 1991 births Living people Baseball players from Torrance, California Major League Baseball pitchers Miami Marlins players Cleveland Indians players St. Louis Cardinals players Purdue Boilermakers baseball players Hyannis Harbor Hawks players Jamestown Jammers players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Jupiter Hammerheads players Jacksonville Suns players Glendale Desert Dogs players New Orleans Zephyrs players New Orleans Baby Cakes players Columbus Clippers players Parkland Cobras baseball players