Heath Devon Fillmyer (born May 16, 1994) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2018 to 2019.

Heath Fillmyer
Fillmyer with the Storm Chasers in 2018
Pitcher
Born: (1994-05-16) May 16, 1994 (age 30)
Roebling, New Jersey, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 24, 2018, for the Kansas City Royals
Last MLB appearance
September 25, 2019, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics
Win–loss record4–4
Earned run average5.07
Strikeouts72
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Playing career

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A resident of the Roebling section in Florence Township, New Jersey, Fillmyer attended Florence Township Memorial High School and played college baseball at Mercer County Community College.[1] He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 28th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and returned to Mercer County.[2]

Oakland Athletics

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He was then drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB draft.[3]

Fillmyer made his professional debut with the Arizona League Athletics, going 1–0 with a 2.79 ERA in six games, and pitched 2015 with the Beloit Snappers, where he posted a 3–13 record with a 4.98 ERA in 23 games. He started 2016 with the Stockton Ports and was promoted to the Double-A Midland RockHounds during the season;[4] he went a combined 7–6 record with a 3.29 ERA. In 2017, he pitched for Midland, posting an 11–5 record with a 3.49 ERA.[5] The Athletics added him to their 40-man roster after the season.[6]

Kansas City Royals

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On January 29, 2018, Fillmyer and Jesse Hahn were traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Brandon Moss and Ryan Buchter.[7] On June 19, 2018, the Royals called up Fillmyer.[8] He made his major league debut on June 24, 2018, pitching four innings of mop-up duty in an 11–3 loss against the Houston Astros.[9] Fillmyer was permanently made a part of the Royals’ rotation on July 23, where he made 12 starts. He finished the season with a 4.26 ERA. His finest start of the 2018 season came on August 9, when he threw seven shutout innings against the Chicago Cubs. He also collected his first Major League hit on September 26, an RBI double off of Cincinnati Reds reliever Matt Wisler.

Fillmyer spent most of the 2019 season in the minors, although he did see some limited major league action. On January 22, 2020, the Royals designated Fillmyer for assignment to make room for Alex Gordon on the roster.[10]

On August 18, 2020, Fillmyer was released by the Royals organization.

Arizona Diamondbacks

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On March 3, 2021, Fillmyer signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization[11] On March 30, 2021, the Diamondbacks released Fillmyer.[12]

Lancaster Barnstormers

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On May 3, 2021, Fillmyer signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.[13] Fillmyer pitched 6.0 innings of 1-run ball with 9 strikeouts in the first game of the season for Lancaster, his only appearance with the club.

Cleveland Indians

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On May 30, 2021, Fillmyer's contract was purchased by the Cleveland Indians organization and he was assigned to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.[14][15] In 21 games (16 starts) for Columbus, he posted a 4–7 record and 6.18 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 83.0 innings of work. Fillmyer elected free agency following the season on November 7.[16]

San Diego Padres

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On November 15, 2021, Fillmyer signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres organization.[17] In 5 games for the Triple–A El Paso Chihuahuas, he struggled a 7.56 ERA with 8 strikeouts in 8+13 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.[18]

Coaching career

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On November 10, 2023, Fillmyer was hired to serve as a pitching and on–field instructor for Centercourt Baseball.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Fisher, Rich (March 28, 2014). "Mercer's Heath Fillmyer drawing attention of scouts across the country". The Trentonian.
  2. ^ "Mercer County Community College pitcher Heath Fillmyer is poised to move up the draft board". June 6, 2014.
  3. ^ "MCCC's Heath Fillmyer gets drafted by Oakland Athletics". March 28, 2014.
  4. ^ "ROCKHOUNDS: Midland's Fillmyer relishing the 'Game of Failure'". August 18, 2016.
  5. ^ "Heath Fillmyer Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  6. ^ "Athletics add 3 players to 40-man roster". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017.
  7. ^ Lee, Jane (January 29, 2018). "A's add Moss, lefty Buchter in deal with Royals". mlb.com. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  8. ^ "Royals' Heath Fillmyer: Joins big club Tuesday". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  9. ^ "An eight-run inning dooms Jason Hammel, Royals in loss to Astros". kansascity. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  10. ^ "Royals' Heath Fillmyer: Bumped Off Roster". CBS Sports. January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  11. ^ Franco, Anthony (March 3, 2021) Diamondbacks To Sign Heath Fillmyer. MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved on May 27, 2021.
  12. ^ Heath Fillmyer: Cut loose by Arizona. CBSSports.com (March 30, 2021). Retrieved on May 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "FORMER ROYAL COMING TO 'STORMERS: RHP Fillmyer, C Peroni Sign for 2021". Lancaster Barnstormers. May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  14. ^ "Fillmyer Contract Purchased by Cleveland". May 28, 2021.
  15. ^ "Central Notes: Indians, Fillmyer, Cardinals, Pike, Elledge, Tigers, Greiner". May 31, 2021.
  16. ^ "2021-22 Minor League Free Agents For All 30 MLB Teams". baseballamerica.com. November 9, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  17. ^ "Minor League Transactions: Nov. 5-21, 2021". Baseball America. November 24, 2021.
  18. ^ "2022-23 Minor League Free Agents For All 30 MLB Teams". baseballamerica.com. November 13, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  19. ^ https://x.com/centercourtbb/status/1723048668431859880?s=46&t=UN5XGiNzRq3-vt33N7zCTw [bare URL]
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