Andrew Kittredge

Andrew Michael Kittredge

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 235 lb.
• School University of Washington
• High School Ferris High School
• Debut July 18, 2017

• Born March 17, 1990 in Spokane, WA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Andrew Kittredge had a nightmarish appearance out of the bullpen for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Baltimore Orioles on May 13, 2018. Coming in in relief of starter Blake Snell with one out in the 4th and the Rays already down, 4-0, with a runner on first base, he faced seven batters, and all seven reached base on four singles, a double, a homer and a walk. Austin Pruitt then replaced him and got the final two outs, but six runs (and the inherited runner) had crossed the plate, raising his ERA from 6.48 to 9.72. He was sent down to the minors after the game as Tampa Bay lost, 17-1.

He was not considered much of a prospect as an amateur as he had to wait until the 45th round of the 2008 amateur draft to be drafted by the Seattle Mariners as a "local boy" pick coming out of high school. He declined the team's offer in order to go to the University of Washington, but was not drafted when he graduated in 2011. Instead, he signed with the Mariners as an undrafted free agent. He played in their system from 2011 to 2016, pitching almost exclusively in relief and reaching AAA for the first time in 2013, but always being more of an organizational soldier than someone who could someday help the major league team. The break he needed came after the 2016 season when he was traded to the Rays along with a couple of other minor leaguers in return for two marginal players in Taylor Motter and Richie Shaffer.

The Rays have a reputation for seeing potential in pitchers neglected by other teams, and that was exactly what happened for Andrew. He was first called up to the Show shortly after the All-Star break in 2017 and put up an ERA of 1.76 in 15 games. In 2018, in part due to the outing described in the first paragraph, his ERA was 7.75 in 33 games. He pitched better after being called back to Tampa in July, but after a string of 9 scoreless appearances in September, he finished the year by giving up 8 runs in 2 2/3 innings over his final three appearances of the season. It's fair to say that the jury was still out about his potential at that point, but he had a good season in 2019, going 1-0, 4.17 in 37 games covering 49 2/3 innings. Seven of his appearances were starts, as the Rays were falling in love with the concept of the bullpen game that year, and Andrew was one of their more frequent openers. In 2020, the Rays rode their unconventional pitcher usage all the way to the World Series, but he did not appear in the postseason, due to injury, after pitching just 8 innings in a season shortened to 60 games by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He had his best season in 2021 when he made the All-Star team and went 9-3, 1.88 in 57 games, with 4 starts and 8 saves. The Rays did not use a conventional closer that season, with 14 pitchers recording at least one save, so that number put him second on a team that won 100 games, trailing only Diego Castillo, who had 14. He pitched 71 2/3 innings - a career high - allowing just 55 hits and 15 walks for a WHIP of 0.977 and struck out 77 batters. He made his postseason debut that season with 2 games against the Boston Red Sox in the Division Series, giving up no runs in 3 1/3 innings. In 2022, he was limited to just 17 games when he had to undergo Tommy John surgery in June, ending his season. He was doing well until then, going 3-1, 3.15 with 5 saves. He made his return to the majors on August 18, 2023, having missed a little over a year of action. He went 2-0, 3.09 in 14 games with 1 save, then returned to the postseason. He made just one appearance in the Wild Card Series against the Texas Rangers, pitching a scoreless inning.

On January 5, 2024, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in return for Richie Palacios and went on to have a very solid season. He made 74 appearances for St. Louis, all of them out of the bullpen, eclipsing his previous high by a wide margin, and pitched 70 2/3 innings with an ERA of 2.80. His record was 5-5 with 1 save and his other numbers were also good, with a WHIP of 1.132 and 67 strikeouts. He signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Orioles for the 2025 season, but in spring training it was announced that he would need to undergo arthroscopic surgery on the cartilage in his left knee and that he would start the season on the injured list. He was expected to miss a number of months as a result.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (2021)

Further Reading

• Jake Rill: "Reliever Kittredge headed to Orioles on 1-year deal", mlb.com, January 10, 2025. [1]

Related Sites

• Andrew Kittredge on mlb.com