C.J. Riefenhauser

Charles Joseph Riefenhauser

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• School Chipola College
• High School Mahopac High School
• Debut April 19, 2014
• Final Game October 3, 2015
• Born January 30, 1990 in Yonkers, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

C.J. Riefenhauser reached the major leagues in 2014.

Riefenhauser was picked by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 20th round of the 2010 amateur draft. The scout was Milt Hill. He split the summer between the Princeton Rays (1-0, Sv, 2.84) and the Bowling Green Hot Rods (1-0, 1 R in 9 IP). In 2011, he dazzled for Bowling Green (6-5, 2.31, 1.01 WHIP) but was less successful with the Charlotte Stone Crabs (1-3, 4.14). Had he qualified, he would have been second in the Midwest League in ERA behind Greg Billo. He was picked as the MWL All-Star left-handed starter while Billo was chosen as the right-hander.

C.J. split 2012 between Charlotte (7-8, 4.76) and the Montgomery Biscuits (1-1, 3.44). He tied for 4th in the Rays chain in losses. Moving to the bullpen, he was untouchable in early 2013; after 34 games for Montgomery, he was 4-0 with 11 saves, a 0.51 ERA and .153 opponent average. He was promoted to the AAA Durham Bulls. He also was a late addition to the US team for the 2013 Futures Game, replacing the injured Taylor Guerrieri. He entered the game in the 8th inning, relieving Jimmy Nelson with a slim 3-2 lead. He retired Christian Bethancourt, Yeison Asencio and Dilson Herrera in order. In the 9th, Kyle Crick relieved and the US locked up a 4-2 win. He finished the year with a combined record of 6-1, 1.22 and 11 saves in 51 games.

C.J. started the 2014 season back with Durham, but got the call to Tampa Bay only a week later, making his debut on April 19th. However, he was sent back down after only a couple of games and was not back until September. For Durham, he went 4-2, 2.78 in 30 games, with 1 save, and had no decisions with an 8.44 ERA in 7 games for the Rays. In 2015, he spent some time on the disabled list and had to make a rehabilitation appearance back with Charlotte. When he was healthy, he pitched 29 times for Durham, going 4-2, 3.12 in 29 games, while he was 1-0, 5.52 in 17 games for Tampa Bay. On November 5th, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners along with starting pitcher Nate Karns and OF Boog Powell in return for IF Brad Miller, 1B Logan Morrison and P Danny Farquhar. He did not stay a member of the Mariners for long, as less than a month later, on December 2nd, he was traded again, this time to the Baltimore Orioles alongside OF/1B Mark Trumbo in return for C Steve Clevenger.

Sources

• 2013 Rays Media Guide
• MILB.com
• 2013 Futures Game

Related Sites

• Riefenhauser at the SABR Bio Project
• C.J. Riefenhauser on mlb.com
• BR Minors page