Michael Kirkman
| Michael Kirkman | |
|---|---|
 Kirkman with the Texas Rangers | |
| Texas Rangers – No. 50 | |
| Pitcher | |
|
Born: September 18, 1986 Lake City, Florida | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| August 21, 2010 for the Texas Rangers | |
| Career statistics (through 2013 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 2–5 |
| Earned run average | 5.17 |
| Strikeouts | 100 |
| Teams | |
| |
Michael Scott Kirkman (born September 18, 1986) is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers.
Early life
Prior to playing professionally, he attended Columbia High School in Lake City, Florida. He was drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 2005 amateur draft and began his professional career that year.
Professional career
With the AZL Rangers in 2005, Kirkman went 3–1 with a 3.44 ERA in 14 games (nine starts), striking out 58 batters in 52⅓ innings. He split 2006 between the AZL Rangers (eight games) and Clinton Lumber Kings (six games), going a combined 1–5 with a 9.70 ERA in 14 games (10 starts). He walked 51 batters in 34⅓ innings while striking out 30. Despite posting an ERA near ten, he did not allow a single home run in 2006.
Kirkman pitched for the Lumber Kings (five games) and Spokane Indians (nine games) in 2007, going a combined 1–5 with a 7.14 ERA in 14 games (eight starts). He pitched for Spokane and Clinton again in 2008, improving to a combined record of 5–4 with an ERA of 3.84 in 17 games (16 starts).
2009 became a breakout year for Kirkman. In eight Bakersfield Blaze games Kirkman threw 48 innings with a 2.06 ERA, striking out 54 and issued 18 walks. Kirkman was promoted to AA Frisco, threw 96 innings in 18 games and earned a spot on the 40_man roster after the 2009 season. In an interview with Jason Cole, Kirkman attributed his 2009 improvement to watching film of Cliff Lee.[1]
| “ | I started watching Cliff Lee pitch, and I started watching video of him and video of me. I was comparing myself to him. One thing he did is he shortened up his front arm and it let him get through the ball rather than having to go around himself to get to the plate. That really, I think, is what turned me on. | ” |
| — Michael Kirkman | ||
He began 2010 with the Oklahoma City RedHawks and was ranked as the 15th best prospect at the start of the year by Jamey Newberg.[2][3] In his major league debut with the Rangers on August 21, he struck out the first three batters he faced and retired all four.
After beginning the 2011 season with the Rangers, Kirkman was optioned to Triple-A on April 20.[4]
Kirkman started the 2013 season with the Rangers until June 9 when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list.[5]
Personal
On May 21, 2012, the Rangers announced that Kirkman was being treated for skin cancer.[6] On June 9, 2013, it was announced that there was a re-occurrence.[7]
References
- ↑ Mike Hindman (August 28, 2010). "Hindsights Vol: 5: Mike Kirkman's Bizarre Odyssey". BBTIA.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ↑ "Minor League stats". Baseball-reference.com. September 18, 1986. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ↑ by pwh9980 (January 1, 2010). "Newberg's top 72 prospects". Lone Star Ball. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ↑ Rangers bring Tomko back to major leagues, Associated Press, April 20, 2011.
- ↑ Toman, Chris (June 9, 2013). "Kirkman heads to DL after learning of cancer diagnosis". mlb.com. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
- ↑ Michael Kirkman battling form of skin cancer ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth. Retrieved May 21, 2012
- ↑ Toman, Chris (June 9, 2013). "Kirkman heads to DL after learning of cancer diagnosis". mlb.com. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
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