Kevin Jepsen

Kevin Martin Jepsen

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 215 lb.
• High School Bishop Manogue High School
• Debut September 8, 2008
• Final Game May 19, 2018
• Born July 26, 1984 in Anaheim, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Kevin Jepsen reached the majors in 2008.

Drafted by the Anaheim Angels in the second round of the 2002 amateur draft, Jepsen was signed by scout Todd Blyleven and made his pro debut that summer, going 1-3 with a 6.84 ERA in 8 outings for the AZL Angels. With the Cedar Rapids Kernels the next year, he went 6-3 with a 2.65 ERA in 10 starts. Back with Cedar Rapids in 2004, he was 8-3 with a 3.43 ERA in 27 starts.

Jepsen struggled in 2005, going 0-1 with 5.52 ERA in 7 starts for the AZL Angels and 0-1 with a 10.66 ERA in 4 starts for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Converted to relief the next season, he recorded 16 saves for Rancho Cucamonga. Spending a third summer with the Quakes in 2007, he posted a 4.19 ERA with 3 saves in 44 appearances.

Jepsen started 2008 with the Arkansas Travelers and went 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA and 11 saves in 25 games. He was then promoted to the AAA Salt Lake Bees, for whom he was 1-3 with a 2.35 ERA and 2 saves in 15 outings. He then helped the US win Bronze at the 2008 Olympics, allowing no runs in 5 2/3 IP over 4 games. He got the save against Taiwan, and facing Japan in the Bronze Medal game, he tossed two scoreless innings to close out a 8-4 win. He made his major league debut with the Angels a month later, pitching a scoreless inning in relief against the New York Yankees on September 8th. Overall, he went 0-1 with a 4.32 ERA in 9 games for L.A.

Jepsen made the Angels' Opening Day roster in 2009 but struggled to start the year, going 0-2 with a 19.29 ERA in his first 5 outings. Following a stint on the disabled list with a strained back, he was sent back down to AAA. He returned to Los Angeles in June and went 6-2 with a 3.60 ERA over the remainder of the season. He was in the majors for the entire 2010 campaign, going 2-4 with a 3.97 ERA in 68 games. He split the 2011 campaign between Los Angeles and Salt Lake. He struggled with the Angels, going 1-2 with a 7.62 ERA in 16 games, but found better fortune with the Bees, recording 7 saves in 24 outings before being sidelined for the rest of the year by knee surgery.

Again Jepsen split time between the majors and minors in 2012, posting a 3-2 record and 3.02 ERA and 2 saves in 49 games at the big league level. With the Angels in 2013, he went 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 36 innings over 45 appearances. The following year, 2014, he pitched in 74 games, going 0-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 2 saves.

On December 16, 2014, Jepsen was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for Matt Joyce. He made 46 appearances for the Rays in 2015, going 2-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 5 saves, before being dealt to the Minnesota Twins on July 31st for pitchers Chih-Wei Hu and Alexis Tapia. Following the trade, he made 29 appearances for the Twins and notched 10 saves.

Further Reading

• T.R. Sullivan: "Jepsen ready to relaunch career with Rangers", mlb.com, March 22, 2018. [1]

Related Sites

• Kevin Jepsen on mlb.com