Tyler Ryan Lumsden (born May 9, 1983) is an American former Professional Baseball pitcher across four organizations including the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, and San Diego Padres. He also attended and played baseball at Clemson University. He was born in
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is ...
, where he attended
Cave Spring High School.
Career
Lumsden was originally drafted out of Cave Spring High School by the
Florida 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 fra ...
in the 5th round (152nd overall) in the
Major League Baseball draft. Lumsden did not sign with the Marlins, instead opting to play
college ball at
Clemson University
Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...
. There he played for three years, mainly as their
starting pitcher
In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pitc ...
. Lumsden and his team advanced to the playoffs in each season he was with the team; the highest they reached was during his freshman year in , when they became the top team in the nation during the season while finishing at #3 in the nation following the College World Series. After the 2002 season, Lumsden, a honorable mention Freshman All-American, was selected to USA National team trials along with five other freshman that season. Lumsden also 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
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 thous ...
. Lumsden's sophomore season started out dominant while being named a Pre-season All American. One of his most notable starts came against Old Dominion ending in a pitchers duel against Justin Verlander. Both pitchers threw complete games with Lumsden coming out on top 2-0. Lumsden was selected for the second straight week as ACC pitcher-of-the-week while being 3-0 with only 1 earned run and 21 strikeouts in 22 innings. He started the season with 16 straight innings without letting a base runner past second base. Lumsden's best season came in when he made 16 starts and went 8–2 with a 3.77
ERA. In , the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
selected Lumsden as the 34th overall pick in the draft. He was a 1st round sandwich pick for losing
Bartolo Colón to free agency.
Lumsden began his career playing for the Single-A
Winston-Salem Warthogs in 2004. Making 3 starts and 12 relief appearances, he went 3–1 with a 4.12 ERA. Following left elbow surgery, Lumsden missed the entire season.
Lumsden returned in , pitching strong for the Double-A
Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...
. He made 20 starts and was 9–4 with a 2.69 ERA. While with the Barons, he was named to the
Southern League midseason All-Star game and Best Left handed pitcher in the Southern League. On July 24, 2006, Lumsden was traded by the White Sox along with Daniel Cortes to the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...
for
Mike MacDougal. Lumsden was named Kansas City's top prospect and top slider within their organization through Baseball America. Lumsden finished the season with a 2–1 record and a 3.06 ERA for the Double-A
Wichita Wranglers
The Wichita Wranglers were a minor league baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team, which played in the Texas League, was the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1994 and the Kansas City Royals fr ...
. He was also named to the
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
postseason All-Star game. He was also selected to Kansas City's 40-man major league roster that off season with invitation to Major League Spring Training.
Lumsden suffered a setback in , while battling injuries and pitching for the Triple-A
Omaha Royals. In 25 games, 24 of them starts, he had a 9–6 record despite a 5.88 ERA.
On November 20, 2007, the Royals purchased Lumsden's contract, protecting him from the
Rule 5 Draft. On November 20, 2008, Lumsden was
designated for assignment
Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the play ...
, and claimed off waivers by the
Houston Astros four days later.
Astros acquire left-handed pitcher from Royals
/ref> Lumsden pitched for Houston in 2009 and 2010 before being traded to the San Diego Padres. Following the season, Lumsden became a free agent and elected to play professional baseball overseas.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lumsden, Tyler
1983 births
American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan
Living people
Baseball players from Roanoke, Virginia
Clemson Tigers baseball players
Falmouth Commodores players
Winston-Salem Warthogs players
Birmingham Barons players
Wichita Wranglers players
Omaha Royals players
Round Rock Express players
Corpus Christi Hooks players
Brother Elephants players
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions players