Chris Flexen

Christopher John Flexen
(Big Baby)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.
• High School Newark Memorial High School
• Debut July 27, 2017

• Born July 1, 1994 in Newark, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Starting pitcher Chris Flexen began his professional career in 2012 at 17 years old.

He was drafted by the New York Mets in the 14th round of the 2012 amateur draft; the scout was Jim Blueberg. With the Kingsport Mets that year, he was 1-3 with a 5.62 ERA in 7 games (6 starts). Back with Kingsport in 2013, he was 8-1 with a 2.09 ERA in 11 starts to earn Topps Appalachian League Player of the Year and Topps Short-Season/Rookie All-Star honors. In 2014, he was 3-5 with a 4.83 ERA in 13 starts for the Savannah Sand Gnats.

He made his major league debut for the Mets against the San Diego Padres on July 27, 2017. He gave up 4 runs in 3 innings to be charged with a 7-5 loss. He picked up his first win and his first major league hit in the same game, on August 8th against the Texas Rangers as he pitched 5 2/3 innings in a 5-4 win. He went 3-6, 7.88 in 14 games for the Mets that season. Those three victories turned out to be the only ones he would earn in New York, as he went 0-2, 12.79 and 0-3, 6.59 in brief looks in 2018 and 2019. He was released at the end of that last season and signed to pitch in the Korea Baseball Organization with the Doosan Bears in 2020. He built back his resumé by going 8-4, 3.01 in 21 starts.

After signing with the Seattle Mariners, Flexen had a break-out season in 2021 as he went 14-6, 3.61 in 31 starts for Seattle. He also set career bests with 179 2/3 innings and 125 strikeouts. In 2022, as the Mariners ended a postseason drought of over two decades, he was 8-9, 3,73 in 33 games, with 22 starts, resulting in 137 2/3 innings. However, he did not see any action in postseason games. he fell back significantly in 2023, however, as he went 0-4, 7.71 in 17 games for Seattle with just 4 starts. With the Mariners brimming with young starting pitchers, he was traded back to the Mets along with Trevor Gott in return for Zach Muckenhirn, but before he could pitch for them, he was released on July 6th. On July 14th, the Colorado Rockies, always looking for pitching, signed him as a free agent and he finished the season with them, making 12 starts and going 2-4, 6.27. On December 29th, he joined a fourth team in less than a year, signing another free agent deal, this one with the Chicago White Sox, who were hoping the last season was just a blip. The deal was for $1.75 million with almost as much in potential performance bonuses.

Further Reading

• Scott Merkin: "White Sox add veteran Flexen to pitching mix", mlb.com, December 29, 2023. [1]

Related Sites

• Chris Flexen on mlb.com
• BR Minors page