Ryan Patrick O'Rourke (born April 30, 1988) is a

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, ...

coach and former 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, ...

. He is the volunteer assistant and pitching coach at the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwick and Thomas F. Mulledy in 1843 under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. ...

. He played college baseball at

Merrimack College Merrimack College is a Private university, private Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian university in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1947 by the Order of St. Augustine with an initial goal to educate World War II veterans. It en ...

from 2007 to 2010. O'Rourke was drafted by 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 ...

in the 13th round of the

2010 Major League Baseball Draft The 2010 Major League Baseball draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team picking first. ;Key ...

and made his

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) debut in 2015. He has previously played in

(MLB) for the

and

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 ...

Early life

O'Rourke was raised in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

and attended St. John's High School in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

where he played on the baseball team. He graduated in 2006. His brother Colin was an All-American lacrosse player for St. John's and played lacrosse for

Wagner College Wagner College is a private university in Staten Island, New York. It was established in 1883 and, as of the 2023–2024 academic year, it enrolled approximately 1,932 students, including 1,592 undergraduates and 340 graduates. Its theatre prog ...

. After high school, he attended

. Where he broke all of the schools pitching records. During the summer of 2008 O'Rourke played for the Brockport Riverbats in the NYCBL. His 6-1 record helped lead the Riverbats to the league championship.

Career

Minnesota Twins

O'Rourke was drafted by the

in the 13th round of the

out of Merrimack College. O'Rourke was called up to the majors for the first time on July 7, 2015, and made his major league debut that day in a win over the Baltimore Orioles. After numerous callups, he finished with a 6.14 ERA in 28 games, giving up 15 walks in 22 innings, for the Twins.Ryan O'Rourke Stats, Fantasy & News , MLB.com
/ref> He began the 2016 season in the minors. He finished 0-1 with a 3.96 ERA in 26 games for the Twins. He began the 2017 season on the disabled list. On November 6, 2017, O'Rourke was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Rochester. However, he rejected the assignment and subsequently elected free agency.

Baltimore Orioles

On November 16, 2017, O'Rourke signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. He split the season between the rookie–level

Gulf Coast League Orioles The Florida Complex League Orioles are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Before 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Orioles. The team plays its home g ...

, Low–A

Aberdeen IronBirds The Aberdeen IronBirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in the city of Aberdeen in Harford County, Maryland. They are the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and compete in the South Atlantic League. They were previously members of th ...

, High–A

Frederick Keys The Frederick Keys are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for the "Star-Spangled Banner" writer Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. A new team ...

, and Triple–A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

. In 15 appearances between the four affiliates, O'Rourke logged a cumulative 1.26 ERA with 21 strikeouts across innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.

New York Mets

On November 15, 2018, O’Rourke signed a minor league deal with the

and was invited to spring training. O’Rourke has his contract selected to the major leagues on May 1, 2019. On June 26, he was designated for assignment.

Minnesota Twins (second stint)

On August 9, 2019, O'Rourke signed a minor league contract with the

organization. In 7 appearances for the Triple–A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

, he compiled a 2–1 record and 4.50 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 12 innings pitched. O'Rourke elected free agency following the season on November 4. On June 8, 2020, O’Rourke officially announced his retirement from professional baseball on Twitter.

International career

In 2019, O'Rourke became a citizen of Ireland via his grandparents. In July 2019, he pitched for the Irish national baseball team during the qualifiers for the

2019 European Baseball Championship The 2019 European Baseball Championship was an international baseball tournament organized by the Confederation of European Baseball. The 2019 Championship was held September 7–15, 2019, in Bonn and Solingen, Germany. The tournament contribu ...

Coaching career

On February 20, 2020, O'Rourke retired and joined the coaching staff of

Holy Cross Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to: * the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus * Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity * True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified * Feast o ...

as a volunteer assistant.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:ORourke, Ryan 1988 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Águilas del Zulia players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Baseball players from Worcester, Massachusetts Beloit Snappers players Bravos de Margarita players 21st-century American sportsmen Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players Chattanooga Lookouts players Criollos de Caguas players Elizabethton Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players Major League Baseball pitchers Merrimack Warriors baseball players Minnesota Twins players New Britain Rock Cats players New York Mets players Rochester Red Wings players Gulf Coast Orioles players Aberdeen IronBirds players Frederick Keys players Norfolk Tides players Syracuse Mets players Holy Cross Crusaders baseball coaches Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente pitchers Naturalised citizens of Ireland