Christopher Schwinden (born September 22, 1986) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former professional baseball

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 ...

. He played in parts of two Major League seasons with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Professional career

Schwinden was drafted by the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in the 43rd round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft out of

Golden West High School Golden West High School is a four-year public high school in the Visalia Unified district of Visalia, California. It is one of eight city high schools and enrolls the third highest number of students. Academics Golden West offers 13 AP and f ...

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

, however he did not sign and attended and played baseball at Lewis–Clark State College (Idaho) in 2007; he then attended Fresno Pacific University in 2008.

New York Mets

He was then drafted by the

in the 22nd round of the

2008 Major League Baseball 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 ...

. He was called up to the majors for the first time on September 5, 2011 after a stellar season for the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. Schwinden began the season with the Double-A Binghamton Mets but made the most of a spot start on April 17 to secure a spot in the Triple-A rotation. From there, he led the Bisons in starts (26), innings pitched (145.2), ERA (3.95) and strikeouts (134) while tying for the team lead with eight wins and being named to the Triple-A All-Star team. Schwinden's 134 strikeouts were the third-most in a single season by a Bisons pitcher in the modern era. On April 26, 2012, Schwinden was recalled to the New York Mets to replace Robert Carson on the roster and

Mike Pelfrey Michael Alan Pelfrey (born January 14, 1984) is an American college baseball coach and former professional baseball pitcher. He is the pitching coach at Wichita State University. He played college baseball at Wichita State University from 2003 to ...

in the rotation. Schwinden had gone 2–2 with a 2.05 ERA and a complete game in 4 starts with Buffalo.

Toronto Blue Jays

On June 2, 2012, Schwinden was selected off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays from the New York Mets. He was assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Cleveland Indians

On June 6, 2012, Schwinden was claimed off of waivers by the Cleveland Indians. He was immediately assigned to the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. On June 27, the Indians designated Schwinden for assignment to make room for newly acquired

Vinny Rottino Vincent Antonio Rottino (born April 7, 1980) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He has played positions including catcher, first base, third base, and the outfield. He graduated from St. Catherine's High School in Racine ...

New York Yankees

On June 29, 2012, Schwinden was claimed off waivers by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

and was optioned to Triple-A Scranton. He was designated for assignment on July 4 to make room for

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Return to Mets

Schwinden was claimed by the

on July 5, but, on July 10, he was outrighted off the 40-man roster.

Texas Rangers

Schwinden signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on May 17, 2014 and made three starts for the Class AAA

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 ...

Lancaster Barnstormers

Schwinden spent the majority of the 2014 season with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. He was named the Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year after throwing sixteen

quality starts In baseball, a quality start is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs. The quality start has effectively replaced the 'complete game' as a ...

and winning nine of his first twelve starts en route to an Atlantic League championship. Schwinden left baseball on a high note as he retired following the 2014 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwinden, Chris 1986 births Living people New York Mets players Lewis–Clark State Warriors baseball players Fresno Pacific Sunbirds baseball players Brooklyn Cyclones players Savannah Sand Gnats players St. Lucie Mets players Binghamton Mets players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Columbus Clippers players Las Vegas 51s players Lancaster Barnstormers players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from California Sportspeople from Visalia, California Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players