Shea Spitzbarth (born October 4, 1994) 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, ...

who is a free agent. 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

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 ...

Amateur career

Spitzbarth was born and raised in

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

. 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 benefic ...

, where he received All-City, All-Staten Island, and Advance All-Star honors. He would go on to pitch at

Molloy College Molloy University is a private Roman Catholic university in Rockville Centre, New York. Initially founded as a school for women, it is now co-educational. It provides more than 50 academic undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs fo ...

. 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 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 ...

. 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

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

Arizona League 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 Glendale, Arizona. The team is compo ...

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. Pitch ...

, 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. Hist ...

and Triple–A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Comets 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 ho ...

, 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 franc ...

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 innings of work. The following season, Spitzbarth split time between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, registering a 4.32 ERA with 86 strikeouts in innings pitched across 40 appearances. He returned to the two affiliates 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 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 ...

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 10, 2020, the

selected Spitzbarth in the minor league phase of the

Rule 5 Draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. 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 (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

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. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

. Spitzbarth posted a 3.60 ERA with 1 strikeout in 5 innings of work across 5 appearances for Pittsburgh. On November 6, 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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

organization. Spitzbarth made 44 combined appearances for the Double–A

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...

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 baseball team nicknamed the ...

, logging a 6–0 record and 2.85 ERA with 46 strikeouts over 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 The Bravos de León (English: León Braves) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. History Cachorros de León (1979–80) Mexican League baseball in León began in 1979 when the Alijadore ...

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, 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. 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 ...

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 (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

, he struggled to a 7.20 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 15 innings of work. On July 14, Spitzbarth was released by the Reds.

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On March 7, 2024, Spitzbarth signed with the Rieleros de Aguascalientes of the

. In 30 appearances for Aguascalientes, Spitzbarth logged a 2.64 ERA with 27 strikeouts and 3 saves across innings pitched.

Staten Island FerryHawks

On September 4, 2024, Spitzbarth signed with the

Staten Island FerryHawks The Staten Island FerryHawks are an American minor-league professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Staten Island. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "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 ...

. In one start for the team, he threw 5 innings and gave up four hits and one earned run (1.80 ERA) with 6 strikeouts.

Diablos Rojos del México

On October 23, 2024, Spitzbarth was traded to the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team plays its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in 1957 ...

in exchange for Sam Clay. He was released by Yucatán on January 30, 2025. On February 15, 2025, Spitzbarth signed with the

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their ho ...

of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spitzbarth, Shea 1994 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Arizona League Dodgers players Baseball players from Staten Island Cardenales de Lara players Erie SeaWolves players Glendale Desert Dogs players Great Lakes Loons players Indianapolis Indians players Indios de Mayagüez players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Moore Catholic High School alumni Ogden Raptors players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Pittsburgh Pirates players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Rieleros de Aguascalientes players Staten Island FerryHawks players Tigres del Licey players Toledo Mud Hens players Tulsa Drillers players Wareham Gatemen players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela

Amateur career

Professional career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pittsburgh Pirates

Detroit Tigers

Cincinnati Reds

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

Staten Island FerryHawks

Diablos Rojos del México

See also

References

External links