Keynan Anthony Middleton (born September 12, 1993) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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, ...

for the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "par ...

of the

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

. He has previously played in

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) for the

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

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, and

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 ...

. Middleton was drafted by the Angels in the third round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of t ...

and made his MLB debut with them in 2017.

High school and college

Middleton attended Milwaukie High School in

Milwaukie, Oregon Milwaukie is a city mostly in Clackamas County, Oregon, Clackamas County, Oregon, United States; a very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County, Oregon, Multnomah County. The population was 21,119 at the 2020 United States Census, ...

. He later played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

Lane Community College Lane Community College is a public community college in Eugene, Oregon, with additional facilities in downtown Eugene, Florence, Cottage Grove, and the Lane Aviation Academy at Eugene Airport. As of 2023-2024, Lane serves more than 15,000 cre ...

.Keynan Middleton Stats, Fantasy & News , MLB.com
/ref> He was drafted by the

in the third round (95th overall) of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...

Career

Los Angeles Angels

He made his professional debut with the

Arizona League Angels The Arizona Complex League Angels are a professional baseball team competing as a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Te ...

and was promoted to the

Orem Owlz The Orem Owlz were a Minor League Baseball team located in Orem, Utah, United States, from 2001 to 2020. The team competed in the Pioneer League as a Rookie League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The Owlz played their home games at Home o ...

during the season. Middleton spent 2014 with the Orem and played with the

Burlington Bees The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Baseball' ...

in 2015. He began the 2016 season with the

Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchi ...

and was subsequently promoted to the

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners and play in the Texas League. Hi ...

and

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

. Between the three teams, he recorded a 1–2 record with a 3.41 ERA, averaging 12 strikeouts per 9 innings. Middleton made his MLB debut on May 5, 2017, allowing a run while striking out one in an inning of work. On June 11, he earned his first career win in an inning of relief against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

. Middleton picked up his first career save on August 8, in a 3–2 victory over the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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 America ...

. After striking out the first two batters he faced, he yielded a solo home run to Orioles catcher

Caleb Joseph Caleb Martin Joseph (born June 18, 1986) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays from 2014 to 2020. His brother, Corban ...

but managed to secure the final out by getting outfielder Joey Rickard to pop out on the infield. He finished the season with a 6–1 record and 3 saves in 64 games, averaging 9.7 strikeouts per 9 innings. Middleton's 64 appearances ranked as the third-most-ever by an Angels rookie, and he led AL rookies with an average

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

velocity of 97.2

miles per hour Miles per hour (mph, m.p.h., MPH, or mi/h) is a British imperial and United States customary unit of speed expressing the number of miles travelled in one hour. It is used in the United Kingdom, the United States, and a number of smaller count ...

. Middleton began the 2018 season as the closer for the Angels. On May 14, Middleton was placed on the disabled list for the second time in the year due to suspected damage to the UCL in his right elbow. On May 17, it was announced that he would undergo

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

, which ended his season. Middleton finished the year with a record of 0–0, six saves in 16 appearances, a 2.04 ERA, and 16 strikeouts in innings. After rehabbing for most of the 2019 season, Middleton returned in September, appearing in 11 games. However, on December 2, he was nontendered by the Angels. In 2020, Middleton was 0–1 with a 5.25 ERA.

Seattle Mariners

On December 16, 2020, Middleton signed an $800K major league contract with the

. He appeared in 32 games for the Mariners, posting a 4.94 ERA with 24 strikeouts. On August 26, 2021, he was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Mariners. Two days later, on August 28, he cleared waivers and was assigned outright to the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

. On October 8, Middleton elected free agency.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 13, 2022, Middleton signed a minor league contract with the

. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...

to begin the year. On April 29, Middleton had his contract selected to the 40-man and active rosters. However, he was outrighted off the roster on November 3, 2022, and elected free agency.

Chicago White Sox

On January 15, 2023, Middleton signed a minor league contract with the

. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

to begin the year, recording three strikeouts in three scoreless innings pitched. On April 10, he had his contract selected to the active roster.

New York Yankees

On August 1, 2023, Middleton was traded to the

in exchange for Juan Carela. He became a free agent following the season.

St. Louis Cardinals

On February 3, 2024, Middleton 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

, that included a club option for the 2025 season. He began the year in the injured list with a right forearm strain, later receiving a

platelet-rich plasma Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), also known as autologous conditioned plasma, is a concentrate of plasma protein derived from whole blood, centrifuged to remove red blood cells but retaining platelets. Though promoted for treating various medical con ...

injection; he would go on to make five rehab appearances for the Double-A

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They are members of the Texas League's North Division and serve as the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Springfield Cardinals began pl ...

. On June 4, Middleton underwent season–ending surgery to repair his flexor tendon. The Cardinals declined his option on October 31, making him a free agent.

Long Island Ducks

On July 11, 2025, Middleton signed with the

of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, Keynan 1993 births Living people African-American baseball players Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks players Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Angels players Arkansas Travelers players Baseball players from Portland, Oregon Burlington Bees players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Inland Empire 66ers players Lane Titans baseball players Long Island Ducks players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Yankees players Orem Owlz players Reno Aces players Salt Lake Bees players Seattle Mariners players Sportspeople from Milwaukie, Oregon Baseball players from Clackamas County, Oregon Springfield Cardinals players Tacoma Rainiers players 21st-century African-American sportsmen