Weston Tyler Holton (born June 13, 1996) 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
for 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 ...
of
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). He previously played in MLB for the
Arizona Diamondbacks.
Career
Amateur career
Holton graduated from
Lincoln High School in
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...
, and enrolled at
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
to play
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
for the
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivis ...
. In 2016, 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
Falmouth Commodores 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 thousan ...
.
The
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The franc ...
selected Holton in the 35th round of the
2017 MLB draft
The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...
, but he did not sign with them.
[ Returning to Florida State in 2018, he tore the ]ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow
The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspect of the elbow uniting the distal aspect of the humerus to the proximal aspect of the ulna.
Structure
It consists of two portion ...
and had Tommy John surgery
Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), 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 bo ...
.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Holton in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB draft
The 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 4, 2018. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was determined based on the reverse order of the 2017 MLB season final standings. In a ...
, and he signed with Arizona. He made his professional debut in 2019, appearing in 13 games for the rookie-level AZL Diamondbacks
The Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team competing as a Rookie-level affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Salt River Fields ...
and the Low-A Hillsboro Hops, where he logged a 2.39 ERA across 37.2 innings pitched. Holton 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 identif ...
. Holton split the 2021 season between the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles and the Triple-A Reno Aces, but struggled to a 6.72 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched across 26 appearances. He was assigned to Triple-A Reno to begin the 2022 season.
On April 28, 2022, the Diamondbacks selected Holton's contract and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut that night, tossing a scoreless inning of relief against the St. Louis Cardinals. He made 10 appearances for Arizona in his rookie campaign, logging a 3.00 ERA with six strikeouts in nine innings pitched.
On February 15, 2023, Holton was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks following the signing of Andrew Chafin
Andrew Gregory Chafin (born June 17, 1990), nicknamed "Big Country" and "The Sheriff", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs ...
.
Detroit Tigers
On February 17, 2023, Holton was claimed off waivers by 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 ...
. Holton started the season being assigned to 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 ...
. He was called up from Toledo on April 15, 2023. He finished his rookie season with a 2.11 ERA and a 4.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in innings.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holton, Tyler
1996 births
Living people
Baseball players from Tallahassee, Florida
Major League Baseball pitchers
Arizona Diamondbacks players
Detroit Tigers players
Florida State Seminoles baseball players
Falmouth Commodores players
Arizona League Diamondbacks players
Hillsboro Hops players
Amarillo Sod Poodles players
Reno Aces players