Ángel David Zerpa (born September 27, 1999) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.
| Ángel Zerpa | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Zerpa with the Omaha Storm Chasers in 2021 | |
| Kansas City Royals – No. 61 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: September 27, 1999 Valle de la Pascua, Venezuela | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 30, 2021, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 7–5 |
| Earned run average | 3.85 |
| Strikeouts | 92 |
| Teams | |
| |
Career
editZerpa signed with the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent in 2016 for a $100,000 signing bonus.[1] Zerpa made his professional debut in 2017 with the Dominican Summer League Royals, going 3–4 with a 1.84 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 63+2⁄3 innings.[2] He spent the 2018 season with the Arizona League Royals, going 3–6 with a 3.88 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 48+2⁄3 innings.[2] Zerpa split the 2019 season between the Burlington Royals and the Idaho Falls Chukars, going a combined 6–3 with a 3.40 ERA and 55 strikeouts over 55+1⁄3 innings.[3] He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
On November 20, 2020, Zerpa was added to the Royals 40–man roster.[5] Zerpa split the 2021 minor league season between the Quad Cities River Bandits, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, and the Omaha Storm Chasers, going a combined 4–4 with a 4.58 ERA and 108 strikeouts over 88+1⁄3 innings.[6]
On September 30, 2021, Zerpa was recalled to the active roster to make his MLB debut as the starting pitcher versus the Cleveland Indians.[7]
In 2022, Zerpa made 3 appearances (2 starts) for the Royals, logging a 2-1 record and 1.64 ERA with 3 strikeouts in 11.0 innings pitched. In 19 starts split between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha, Zerpa posted a 2-5 record and 4.02 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 71.2 innings of work. He was placed on the 60-day injured list on August 2 with a small tear in his patellar tendon,[8] and missed the remainder of the year.
On March 15, 2023, Zerpa was placed on the 60-day injured list with left shoulder tendinopathy.[9] He was activated on July 14, and subsequently optioned to Triple–A Omaha.[10]
References
edit- ^ Eskew, Alan (November 25, 2020). "Angel Zerpa Is Hard To Ignore". Baseball America. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ a b "Angel Zerpa Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Lewis, Alec (February 16, 2021). "Meet Angel Zerpa, the youngest pitcher in the Royals' big-league spring training". The Athletic. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Bauman, Shawn (November 23, 2020). "Getting to know KC Royals' lefty pitcher Angel Zerpa". Kings of Kauffman. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ "Royals Add Four Players to 40-Man Roster". MLB.com. November 20, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Rieper, Max (September 29, 2021). "Royals to start Angel Zerpa on Thursday". Royals Review. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Worthy, Lynn (September 29, 2021). "Kansas City Royals place Brady Singer on IL, rookie set to make first start Thursday". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ "Royals' Angel Zerpa: Transferred to 60-day IL". cbssports.com. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "Royals' Angel Zerpa: Hits 60-day IL". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ "Royals' Angel Zerpa: Activated and optioned". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet