Kevin J. Whelan (born January 8, 1984) 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, p ...

former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB)

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, ...

who played for 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) Am ...

in 2011 and for 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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

in 2014.

Amateur career

Whelan attended

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, where he played for the

Texas A&M Aggies baseball The Texas A&M Aggies baseball team represents Texas A&M University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The Aggies have competed in the Southeastern Conference since 2013. The Aggies play home games at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The team wa ...

team. In 2004, 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 operat ...

with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

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 1,000 forme ...

, where he was named a league all-star and received the league's Outstanding Relief Pitcher award.

Professional career

Detroit Tigers

Whelan was drafted by the

in the fourth round of the

2005 Major League Baseball Draft The 2005 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best drafts in recent memory. ''SourceMajor L ...

New York Yankees

On November 14, 2006, Whelan was traded to the

, along with Humberto Sánchez and Anthony Claggett, for

Gary Sheffield Gary Antonian Sheffield (born November 18, 1968) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for eight teams from 1988 to 2009. After his playing career, he became a sports agent. For most of his c ...

. He was called up by the Yankees on June 10, 2011, after recording a 1–1 won–loss record with a 1.67

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 ...

and 18 saves as the closer for the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the S ...

. He allowed four consecutive walks after recording two outs in his first ever appearance that same evening. On January 26, 2012, he was designated for assignment to make room for Hiroki Kuroda.

Cincinnati Reds

On January 3, 2013, 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 ...

signed Whelan to a minor league deal.

Detroit Tigers (second stint)

On February 22, 2014, the Tigers signed Whelan to a minor league deal. On August 11, the Tigers purchased his contract from the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

, and he was added to the 25-man active roster. Prior to being called up, Whelan had 20 saves for the Toledo Mud Hens, having allowed eight runs on 26 hits over 39 innings with 48 strikeouts. In Whelan's debut with the Tigers, he pitched 1 innings, allowing three hits, and two earned runs on back-to-back home runs. On August 16, Whelan was designated for assignment by the Tigers. The next day on August 17, the Tigers outrighted Whelan to Triple-A. He elected free agency in October 2014.

Oakland Athletics

On November 1, 2014, the Oakland Athletics signed Whelan to a minor league contract. He played for the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

in 2015 before electing to become a free agent after the season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whelan, Kevin 1984 births Living people Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Texas Detroit Tigers players Lakeland Tigers players Louisville Bats players New York Yankees players Oneonta Tigers players People from Kerrville, Texas Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Tampa Yankees players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players Toledo Mud Hens players Trenton Thunder players West Michigan Whitecaps players Peoria Javelinas players Nashville Sounds players Wareham Gatemen players