Dan Winkler

Daniel Allen Winkler

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 200 lb.
• School Parkland College, University of Central Florida
• High School St. Anthony High School
• Debut September 21, 2015
• Final Game August 16, 2021
• Born February 2, 1990 in Effingham, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Dan Winkler began playing in the Colorado Rockies minor league system in 2011 but made his major league debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2015.

He was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 43rd round of the 2010 amateur draft, but did not sign a contract. He did sign after being taken by Colorado in the 20th round of the 2011 amateur draft.

He was 4-3 with a 3.92 ERA in 12 starts for the Casper Ghosts in 2011, with 65 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings. In 2012, he went 11-10 with a 4.46 ERA in 25 starts for the Asheville Tourists and in 2013, he was 13-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 27 starts between the Modesto Nuts and Tulsa Drillers, allowing only 107 hits in 157 innings and striking out 175 batters. He was a California League Mid- and Post-Season All-Star and was named the California League Pitcher of the Year.

He began 2014 with the Drillers and had a 1.34 ERA through his first ten starts, then his season ended as he had to undergo Tommy John surgery. Even knowing that he would not be available to start the season, he was selected by the Atlanta Braves from the Rockies in the 2014 Rule V Draft. Indeed, his first pitching appearance of the 2015 season came only on September 21st, and it was at the major league level. He pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief in a 4-0 loss to the New York Mets. He struck out the first batter he faced, Michael Conforto, issued a walk to Ruben Tejada and then struck out Kirk Nieuwenhuis before giving way to Danny Burawa who got the last out of the inning. He made another appearance, ending up with a 10.80 ERA.

In spite of his limited big league experience and lack of recent action, Winkler was counted on to be the Braves' 7th-inning set-up man in 2016. However, in his third appearance of the season on April 10th, he broke his elbow while throwing a pitch, putting him out of action for another long stretch.

Notable Achievements

• 2013 Pitcher of the Year California League Modesto Nuts

Further Reading

• Mark Bowman: "Winkler fractures right elbow throwing pitch", mlb.com, April 10, 2016. [1]

Related Sites

• Dan Winkler on mlb.com
• BR Minors page
• University of Central Florida bio