Shea Spitzbarth (born October 4, 1994) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("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 attempts to e ...

for the Rieleros de Aguascalientes of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) for 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 (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

Amateur career

Spitzbarth was born and raised in

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and f ...

. He played baseball at

Moore Catholic High School Moore Catholic High School is an American private, Catholic school in the Bulls Head neighborhood of Staten Island, New York. It was founded by the Presentation Sisters of Staten Island in September 1962 and named for Mary Young Moore, a benef ...

, where he received All-City, All-Staten Island, and Advance All-Star honors. He would go on to pitch at Molloy College. After the completion of his junior season in 2015, 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 operate ...

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 F ...

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 one thous ...

. He caught the eye of a

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

scout, was offered a contract, and signed.

Professional career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Spitzbarth officially signed with the

on July 10, 2015, and began his professional career with the rookie-level

AZL Dodgers The Arizona Complex League Dodgers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona. The team is compos ...

and

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitcher ...

, posting a 2.75 ERA in 15 appearances. He split the 2016 season between Ogden and the Single-A

Great Lakes Loons The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007. His ...

and Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their hom ...

, accumulating a 2.72 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 24 games. In 2017, Spitzbarth played for the High-A

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The fra ...

and Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

, pitching to a 2.45 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 69.2 innings of work. The following season, Spitzbarth split time between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, registering a 4.32 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 66.2 innings pitched across 40 appearances. He returned to the two teams for the 2019 season, working to a 4.09 ERA with 89 strikeouts across 52 contests. Spitzbarth 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, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 10, 2020, the

selected Spitzbarth in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opene ...

to begin the season, where he pitched to a 2.12 ERA in 42 games. Spitzbarth was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on August 2, 2021. He made his

debut that day, pitching against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

. Spitzbarth posted a 3.60 ERA with 1 strikeout in 5.0 innings of work across 5 appearances for Pittsburgh. On November 6, 2021, Spitzbarth was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and elected free agency the next day.

Detroit Tigers

On April 3, 2022, Spitzbarth signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

organization. Spitzbarth made 44 combined appearances for the Double-A Erie SeaWolves and 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 Mud Hens team has played ...

in 2022, logging a 6–0 record and 2.85 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 53.2 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Cincinnati Reds

On May 14, 2023, Spitzbarth signed with the Bravos de León of the

. However, prior to making an appearance for the team, on May 20, Spitzbarth signed a minor league contract with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

organization. In 12 games for the Triple–A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the winged mammal and baseball ...

, he struggled to a 7.20 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 15.0 innings of work. On July 14, Spitzbarth was released by the Reds.

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On January 8, 2024, Spitzbarth signed with the Rieleros de Aguascalientes of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spitzbarth, Shea Living people 1994 births Baseball players from Staten Island Major League Baseball pitchers Moore Catholic High School alumni Pittsburgh Pirates players Wareham Gatemen players Arizona League Dodgers players Ogden Raptors players Great Lakes Loons players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Tulsa Drillers players Glendale Desert Dogs players Tigres del Licey players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Indianapolis Indians players Louisville Bats players