Robert Donald Whalen (born January 31, 1994) is an American former 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, ...

. He 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

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

and the

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 ...

Early life

Whalen's parents are from

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

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, and moved to the

Pocono Mountains The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos (), are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the nort ...

to raise their children. After Whalen's older sisters graduated from high school, the Whalens moved to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, where Whalen would have a better opportunity to pursue a career in baseball. He graduated from Haines City High School in

Haines City, Florida Haines City is a city in Polk County, Florida, Polk County, Florida, United States. Its population was 26,669 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Lakeland, Florida, Lakeland–Winter Haven, Florida, Winter Haven Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida ...

Professional career

New York Mets

The

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

selected Whalen in the 12th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. Whalen had committed to attend

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The university is a member of the State University System of Florida and has s ...

to play

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, ...

for the Florida Atlantic Owls. After pitching for the Savannah Sand Gnats of the Single–A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

during the 2014 season, Whalen pitched in the

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

, where he worked on the development of his changeup. The Mets assigned him to the St. Lucie Mets of the High–A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

to begin the 2015 season.

Atlanta Braves

On July 24, the Mets traded Whalen and John Gant to the

for Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson. The Braves assigned Whalen to their A Advanced affiliate, the

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games ...

of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. In 2016, Whalen began the season with the

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they were referred to locally, were a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, from 2005 to 2024. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and competed in ...

of the Double–A Southern League, and was promoted to the Gwinnett Braves of the Triple–A

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 (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

in July. The Braves promoted Whalen to make his major league debut on August 3, 2016. He faced the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

, and allowed four earned runs over five innings to earn the victory. Whalen was placed on the disabled list with a diagnosis of shoulder fatigue on August 25, and did not pitch for the rest of the season. In September, the Mississippi Braves named Whalen Pitcher of the Year.

Seattle Mariners

On November 28, 2016, Whalen and Max Povse were traded to the

organization in exchange for Alex Jackson and Tyler Pike. Whalen was designated for assignment on September 1, 2018. Whalen announced his retirement from professional baseball on February 25, 2019, citing his battle with depression and anxiety as the main reason for doing so.

New York Mets (second stint)

On January 27, 2020, Whalen came out of retirement and signed a minor league contract with the

organization. Whalen did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He was released by the Mets organization on May 20.

Minnesota Twins

On March 5, 2021, Whalen signed with the

West Virginia Power The Charleston Dirty Birds are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a MLB Partner League, partner league ...

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 ...

. However, on May 5, before the ALPB season began, Whalen signed a minor league contract with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

organization. In 11 appearances split between the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge and the Triple-A St. Paul Saints, Whalen struggled to an 0-4 record with an 8.63 ERA and 19 strikeouts. On August 10, 2021, Whalen was released by the Twins.

Washington Wild Things

On August 23, 2021, Whalen became the first former MLB player to sign with the Washington Wild Things. In 4 appearances in the regular season, Whalen went 2-0 with 15.1 innings pitched, a 1.76 ERA, 18 strikeouts and a 1.43 WHIP. In the postseason, he started 3 games and went 1-2 with 19 innings pitched, a 3.78 ERA, 22 strikeouts and a 1.16 WHIP. In the semi-finals, he lost Game 1 vs Équipe Québec but pitched 8 shutout innings in Game 5 to help clinch the finals vs the Schaumburg Boomers. In the finals, he lost Game 4 after pitching 7 innings with 3 runs allowed and struck out 9. Washington would ultimately lose the finals the next day, blowing a 2-1 series lead. On February 10, 2022, Whalen re-signed with the Wild Things for the 2022 season. In 16 games for Washington, he posted a 12–2 record and 3.50 ERA with 79 strikeouts across innings pitched. On December 5, Whalen was released by the Wild Things by having his contract option declined. On December 14, 2022, Whalen signed with the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports l ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. However, he was released prior to the season on April 10, 2023.

Pitching style

Despite being an effective ground ball pitcher, Whalen stated that he would actively seek the strikeout whenever a two-strike count arose. By not focusing on the strikeout, at the suggestion of Mississippi Braves pitching coach Dennis Lewallyn, Whalen's strikeouts per nine innings actually rose throughout the 2016 season, and led to his promotion to the major leagues.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whalen, Rob 1994 births Living people People from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania People from Haines City, Florida Baseball players from Polk County, Florida Baseball players from Monroe County, Pennsylvania Major League Baseball pitchers Atlanta Braves players Seattle Mariners players Kingsport Mets players Savannah Sand Gnats players Gulf Coast Mets players Scottsdale Scorpions players St. Lucie Mets players Carolina Mudcats players Mississippi Braves players Gwinnett Braves players Tacoma Rainiers players Everett AquaSox players Arkansas Travelers players Wichita Wind Surge players St. Paul Saints players Washington Wild Things players