Kevin Vance

From BR Bullpen

Kevin Jeffrey Vance

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 0", Weight 208 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Kevin Vance peaked at AAA.

Vance was named his high school league Player of the Year in 2008 after hitting .452 and also striking out 91 batters. As a college freshman, he hit .205 and was 0-1 with a 4.70 ERA. In summer ball, he batted .295 for the Vermont Mountaineers. As a sophomore, he was 1-0 with 8 saves and a 2.41 ERA while hitting .322/.399/.520 with 35 runs and 35 RBI in 56 games. He tied Joe Leonard for 4th in the Big East Conference in saves.

Moving to the mound for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League, he went 3-1 with a 0.50 ERA. As a junior at UConn, Kevin was 1-0 with 13 saves and a 1.57 ERA, allowing only 13 hits in 28 2/3 IP; his offense fell off (.103). He tied Tony Zych for the Big East save lead and set the Huskies single-season save mark. The Chicago White Sox took him in the 19th round of the 2011 amateur draft; the scout was Ryan Dorsey.

Making his pro debut with the Great Falls Voyagers, he was 2-1 with a save and a 4.54 ERA but struck out an impressive 58 in 35 2/3 IP. He tied for 9th in the Pioneer League with 22 games pitched. In 2012, he split time between the Kannapolis Intimidators (4-2, 3.05 in 19 G) and Winston-Salem Dash (1-0, 1.66 in 11 G). He was 7th with 99 strikeouts (between Charles Leesman and Spencer Arroyo). Baseball America said he had the best curveball in the White Sox farm chain.

With the 2013 Birmingham Barons, he was 2-6 with 7 saves and a 3.91 ERA in 40 games, striking out 84 but walking 36 in 69 innings. He was 5th in the organization in games pitched, between Brandon Hardin and Jarrett Casey. Sent to the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League, he fanned 13 in 12 2/3 IP and had a 2.13 ERA. Back with Birmingham for '14, he went 7-4 with six saves and a 4.48 ERA in 43 outings. He was 4th in the Pale Hose system in games pitched.

Let go by Chicago, he was picked up by the Arizona Diamondbacks and split 2015 between the Visalia Rawhide (4-1, Sv, 4.17, 55 K, 9 BB in 49 2/3 IP), the Mobile BayBears (2 R in 1 1/3 IP) and the Reno Aces (4 R in 9 IP). He then joined brother Matt Vance on the Philippines national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers as they were of Filipino lineage (most of the team was Filipino-Americans). In his lone outing, he relieved Devon Ramirez with a 3-1 deficit, two out and one on in the bottom of the third against New Zealand. He retired the first four batters he faced as the Philippines took a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the 5th, though, he walked Daniel Bradley, who scored on a two-out double by Boss Moanaroa to tie it. The Philippines then went ahead 7-4 in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the 6th, he ran into trouble, walking Daniel Lamb-Hunt, giving up a hit to Connar O'Gorman and walking Moko Moanaroa. Fellow ex-AAA hurler Taylor Garrison relieved and let all three inherited runners score; New Zealand would tack on 10 more for a 17-7 romp.

Sources[edit]

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