Alec Tylar Michael Marsh (born May 14, 1998) 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 professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("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, who attempts to e ...

for 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) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...

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). He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Amateur career

Marsh was born and grew up in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

and attended Ronald Wilson Reagan College Preparatory High School. Marsh played college baseball for the

Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of ...

for three seasons. As a freshman, he appeared in 11 games with one start and had an 8.14 ERA. In 2018, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operate ...

with the

Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox The Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox, or Y-D Red Sox, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Red Sox play thei ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thous ...

. Marsh became a starter during his sophomore season and went 3–3 with a 3.89 ERA. He was named first team All-

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

after going 9–4 over 17 starts with a 3.46 ERA on the mound and 99 strikeouts in innings pitched.

Professional career

Marsh was selected in the Competitive Balance section of second round of the

2019 Major League Baseball draft The 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In addit ...

by the

. He signed with the team he was assigned to the

Idaho Falls Chukars The Idaho Falls Chukars 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 Idaho Falls, Idaho, and play their home games at Melaleuca ...

of the Pioneer League, where he started 13 games and posted a 4.05 ERA in innings pitched. After the 2020 minor league season was canceled, Marsh played in the temporary independent Constellation Energy League for the Eastern Reyes del Tigre. Marsh was named to the Royals' 2021 Spring Training roster as a non-roster invitee. He was assigned to the

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at Arvest Ballpark, which ...

, but pitched only innings due to injury. In 2022 in the minor leagues he was 2–16 with a 6.88 ERA in 27 starts, and led the minor leagues in losses. On November 15, 2022, the Royals selected Marsh to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Marsh was assigned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas to begin the 2023 season. In 14 starts split between Northwest Arkansas and the Triple–A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, and play their home games at Wer ...

, Marsh registered a cumulative 5–3 record and 4.62 ERA with 75 strikeouts in innings pitched. On June 30, 2023, Marsh was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. In 17 games (8 starts) during his rookie campaign, he logged a 3–9 record and 5.69 ERA with 85 strikeouts across innings pitched. On March 21, 2024, manager

Matt Quatraro Matthew John Quatraro (born November 14, 1973) is an American professional baseball former minor league player and minor league manager, and the current manager of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was previously the bench ...

announced that Marsh would be the Royals' fifth starter to begin the season. His first start of the 2024 season came on April 2 against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. Marsh picked up the win and pitched seven innings, allowed one run, struck out five, and allowed only three baserunners on two

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

and one

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 by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ov ...

in the 4-1 Royals win. He had a strong start to the season, going 3-0 and posting a 2.70 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP with 17 strikeouts and one home run allowed in April across five starts and 26.2 innings. While playing the

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 ...

on April 24, Marsh took a line drive to the forearm off the bat of Addison Barger. He fielded the ball and threw Barger out at first, but had to leave the game, completing only 4.1 innings in what was a scoreless start. The Royals placed Marsh on the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

(IL), and Marsh did not pitch again until May 10 against the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

. Marsh was not as effective in May, going 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and four home runs allowed across four starts and 23.1 innings pitched.

References

External links

Arizona State Sun Devils bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Alec 1998 births Living people Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Baseball players from Milwaukee Eastern Reyes del Tigre players Idaho Falls Chukars players Kansas City Royals players Lakeshore Chinooks players Major League Baseball pitchers Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Surprise Saguaros players Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players