Markus Winkler

Markus Winkler

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 198 lb.

• Born December 18, 1981 in Göppingen Germany

Markus Winkler has pitched for the German national team several times.

Winkler allowed 3 runs in 2/3 innings in the 1999 European Junior Championship. In 2001, he was 6-6 with a 3.65 ERA for the Heidenheim Heideköpfe and was 6th in southern Bundesliga-1 in ERA and opponent average. He fanned 96 in 84 1/3 IP, finishing third in the circuit in Ks.

In 2002, Markus hit .379/.419/.586 in limited time at the plate and was 8-3 with a 2.82 ERA on the hill. He fanned 69 in 70 1/3 innings and allowed only 51 hits (1 homer) for a .198 opponent average. He was third in ERA, 4th in strikeouts, tied for fourth in wins, 5th in walks (40), tied for third in wild pitches (12), second in opponent average and third in WHIP.

Winkler moved to the Bonn Capitals in 2003 and batted .222/.323/.519; on the mound, he had a 5-7, 5.25 record. Opponents hit .318 off of him. He was 4th in the northern Bundesliga-1 with 39 strikeouts but was second in walks (33) and second in losses. He still made the German team for the 2003 European Championship, in which he gave up 10 hits, 4 walks and 6 runs in just 4 1/3 innings over three outings.

Markus joined the Cologne Cardinals in 2004. For them, he was 2-2 with a save and a 4.08 ERA. In 2005, he returned to Heidenheim and turned himself back around. He posted a 8-2, 2.27 record with one save. He was 5th in ERA behind three foreigners and Michael Otto. He tied for third in wins and his 1.27 WHIP ranked fifth. In the 2005 European Championship, Winkler tossed 1 1/3 shutout innings, though he hit two batsmen.

The right-hander was 8-1 with a 2.06 ERA in the 2006 season, walking only 11 in 78 2/3 innings while giving up 65 hits (a .222 average against). He was second in ERA behind Manuel Möller, was 6th in strikeouts (51), tied for third in wins and led in WHIP, edging Eddie Aucoin by .003. He allowed the third-lowest average in the league.

In 2007, he continued his wild ride by fading to 8-3, 4.98 for Heidenheim. He hit .250/.306/.250, playing some first base when not pitching. He had the second-highest ERA among qualifiers. He was among the leaders in strikeouts (70, 4th) and 4th in wins. He pitched one game for Germany in the 2007 European Championship, surrendering seven hits and five runs in 4 2/3 IP against the Dutch national team; he was Germany's best hurler on the day, outperforming Andre Hughes and Philipp Hoffschild.

Winkler only pitched one inning in the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament, tossing a shutout innings (one walk, no hits, no K) against the host Taiwan national team.

During the 2008 Bundesliga season, Markus rebounded to go 8-1 with two saves and a 2.85 ERA. He was 9th in the league in ERA, tied Aucoin for second in wins (3 behind teammate Peter Dankerl), was 7th in WHIP and tied for fifth in saves. He is Germany's preliminary 40-man roster for the 2009 Baseball World Cup.

Sources

• Defunct IBAF site
• German Baseball and Softball Federation

Related Sites

• Chinese Wiki baseball