Kyle Lobstein

Kyle Eric Lobstein

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 200 lb.
• High School Coconino High School
• Debut August 23, 2014

• Born August 12, 1989 in Flagstaff, AZ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Kyle Lobstein made his major league debut in 2014.

Lobstein was 6-2 with a 1.32 ERA as a high school senior. He had a commitment to the University of Arizona but was picked by the Tampa Bay Rays with the first pick in the second round of the 2008 amateur draft (the scout was Jayson Durocher) and signed at the deadline. Baseball America rated him as having the best control of any high school pitcher in the draft. He was picked between Logan Forsythe and Tanner Scheppers.

Kyle made his pro debut with the 2009 Hudson Valley Renegades, going 3-5 with a 2.58 ERA, .204 opponent average and 74 whiffs in 73 1/3 IP. He was second in the New York-Penn League in opponent average, 5th in strikeouts and 8th in ERA. Baseball America rated him as the #10 prospect in the league (between Alex Wilson and Anthony Hewitt) and as the Rays' 11th-best prospect. He fell to 9-8, 4.14 for the 2010 Bowling Green Hot Rods and was among the Midwest League leaders in wins (tied for 9th), innings (4th, between Erasmo Ramirez and Dan Straily), hits allowed (140, 9th), homers allowed (14, tied for 4th) and strikeouts (128, 7th).

In 2011, Lobstein missed most of April with a left elbow injury. He recovered to go 9-9 with a 3.71 ERA for the Charlotte Stone Crabs; he also was 1-1 with 9 runs in 11 innings for the Montgomery Biscuits. Spending all of 2012 with the Biscuits, the big lefty went 8-7 with a 4.06 ERA. In his lone playoff game, he struck out seven and allowed one run in six innings but got a no-decision. He was among the Southern League's leaders in wins (tied for 10th), starts (tied for first), strikeouts (2nd with 129, well behind leader Matt Magill) and walks (69, 3rd).

The New York Mets took Lobstein in the 2012 Rule V Draft then turned around and sent him to the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations. He spent the 2013 season in the minors with the Erie SeaWolves (7-4, 3.12) and Toledo Mud Hens (6-3, 3.48). He was back at Toledo in 2014, going 9-11, 4.07 in 26 games. He was passed by several younger pitchers in the Tigers' organization who got the call to the Show before him, including Buck Farmer. On August 23rd, he got to make his debut as a reliever in a 12-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins. Farmer had started the game but was rocked for 7 runs in 1 1/3 innings; his successor on the mound, another rookie, Pat McCoy, gave up 2 more runs on 5 hits in one inning. With the game already lost at that point, Lobstein had to preserve the bullpen and did good work, finishing the game by pitching the final 5 2/3 innings, giving up only 4 hits. He also allowed 4 walks, and 3 runs came across in the 7th, but he had done the job asked of him. He earned his first big league win on September 7th, when he defeated the San Francisco Giants, 6-1, allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings in a game with postseason implications for both teams. He went 1-2, 4.35 in 7 games, including 6 starts.

In 2015, the Tigers were hoping that Lobstein could find a job as a full-time starter for the team but he struggled to a 3-8 record and a 5.94 ERA in 13 games, including 11 starts, covering 63 2/3 innings. Health issues limited him to 6 minor league appearances in addition to his big league work, including a couple on a rehabilitation assignment with the Lakeland Flying Tigers in the Florida State League, as he went 0-3, 5.68. After the season, he was designated for assignment by the Tigers and picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was an opportunity for him as the Pirates had a need for pitching and had a history of working successfully with pitchers like Lobstein who had good stuff but had not yet been able to translate it into success at the big league level.

Sources

• 2012 Rays Media Guide
• 2013 Tigers Media Guide

Related Sites

• Kyle Lobstein on mlb.com
• BR Minors page