Samuel Joseph Gaviglio (born May 22, 1990) 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 ...

who is a free agent. He has 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

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 ...

, Kansas City Royals, and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, and in the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

for the

SSG Landers SSG Landers () are a South Korean professional baseball team. The team was originally established as the SK Wyverns but was renamed as the SSG Landers in 2021 after Shinsegae acquired the team from SK Group. They are a member of the KBO League. ...

. Prior to playing professionally, he 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 ...

for the

Oregon State Beavers The Oregon State Beavers are the athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ( Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for ...

Amateur career

Gaviglio attended Ashland High School in Ashland,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, graduating in 2008. He starred for his school's baseball team in his senior year; Gaviglio pitched to a 13–0

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

with an

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) below 0.60, led Ashland High to victory in the Oregon state championship game, and was named the Class 5A Pitcher of the Year. The

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

selected Gaviglio in the 40th round of the

2008 MLB draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

, but he did not sign. Gaviglio enrolled at

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...

to play college baseball for the Oregon State Beavers baseball team. As a freshman, Gaviglio pitched to a 10–1 win–loss record and a 2.73 ERA, and he was named a Freshman

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. His sophomore year was limited by an injured

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupe ...

. In his junior year, Gaviglio began the season with a streak of scoreless innings pitched. He ended the season with a 12–2 win–loss record and a 1.87 ERA. Gaviglio was named to the All- Pacific-10 Conference's first team,

Louisville Slugger Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

named him a second-team All-American, and he was named a semifinalist for the

Golden Spikes Award The Golden Spikes Award is bestowed annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States. The award, created by USA Baseball and sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association, was first presented in 1978. It is given to ...

Professional career

St. Louis Cardinals

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 ...

selected Gaviglio in the fifth round, with the 170th overall selection, of the

2011 MLB draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

. He signed with the Cardinals, receiving a $175,000 signing bonus, rather than return to Oregon State for his senior year. He made his professional debut with the

Batavia Muckdogs The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city of ...

of the

Class A-Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

. In 2013, Gaviglio pitched for the

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Rog ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Florida State League, and had a 4–1 win–loss record and a 2.72 ERA in innings pitched. He missed months of the 2013 season recovering from a right forearm strain. After the season, the Cardinals assigned him to the

Salt River Rafters The Salt River Rafters are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick near Scottsdale, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility o ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...

. In 2014, the Cardinals invited Gaviglio to spring training as a non-roster player. Gaviglio pitched for the

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, completing the season with a 5–12 win–loss record and a 4.28 ERA in innings pitched. While his season began with a 5.42 ERA in his first 14

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is li ...

, he finished the season with a 2.90 ERA in his final 11 games.

Seattle Mariners

After the season, the Cardinals traded Gaviglio to the

for

Ty Kelly Tyler Patrick Kelly (טיי קלי; born July 20, 1988) is an American-Israeli professional baseball utility player who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets. He plays ...

. On May 11, 2017, he made his major league debut for the Mariners against the

at Rogers Centre in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Kansas City Royals

On September 1, Gaviglio was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals. He was added to the active roster for the rest of the season and pitched at a 3.00 ERA over 12 innings.

Toronto Blue Jays

On March 21, 2018, Gaviglio was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations. He was recalled by the Blue Jays on May 11. Gaviglio spent most of the season in the Blue Jays rotation, finishing with a 3–10 record over 24 starts and 2 relief appearances. He struck out 105 batters in innings. Gaviglio was designated for assignment on September 1, 2020, and released on September 4.

Texas Rangers

On January 30, 2021, Gaviglio signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers organization and was invited to Spring Training. In 5 games for the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

, he recorded a 2–1 record and 5.13 ERA.

SSG Landers

On June 4, 2021, Gaviglio’s contract was sold to the

of the

. He made his KBO debut on July 2 against the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants ( ko, 롯데 자이언츠) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation, which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pr ...

, pitching 5.2 innings of 4-run ball with 2 strikeouts. Over the season, Gaviglio made 15 starts for SSG, going 6–4 with a 5.86 ERA and 70 strikeouts.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On January 28, 2022, Gaviglio signed a minor league contract with 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 (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. He pitched in 17 games for the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

(nine of which were starts), with a 6–4 record and 6.35 ERA. He was placed on the injured list on July 23 and remained there the rest of the season. He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.

Personal life

Gaviglio's brother, Gus, also starred for Ashland's baseball team. His long time girlfriend, also from Ashland, is Alaina Findlay. He is distantly related to former MLB player and manager

Ralph Houk Ralph George Houk (; August 9, 1919 – July 21, 2010), nicknamed The Major, was an American catcher, coach, manager, and front office executive in Major League Baseball. He is best known as the successor of Casey Stengel as manager of the New Y ...

. , Gaviglio is married, with two daughters: Livia, born 2018, and Gianna, born 2020.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaviglio, Sam 1990 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American people of Italian descent Ashland High School (Oregon) alumni Baseball players from Oregon Batavia Muckdogs players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Gulf Coast Cardinals players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball pitchers Oklahoma City Dodgers players Oregon State Beavers baseball players Palm Beach Cardinals players Quad Cities River Bandits players Round Rock Express players Salt River Rafters players Seattle Mariners players Sportspeople from Ashland, Oregon Springfield Cardinals players Tacoma Rainiers players Toronto Blue Jays players 2017 World Baseball Classic players 2023 World Baseball Classic players