Nick Tepesch

Nicholas James Tepesch

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 225 lb.
• School University of Missouri
• High School Blue Springs High School
• Debut April 9, 2013
• Final Game August 19, 2017
• Born October 12, 1988 in Kansas City, MO USA

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Biographical Information

Pitcher Nick Tepesch made his major league debut in 2013.

Tepesch hit .410 as a high school senior and went 9-0 with a 1.50 ERA; Gatorade named him Missouri Player of the Year and Louisville Slugger named him an All-American. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 28th round in 2007, one round after they picked Yasmani Grandal. He decided to go to the University of Missouri instead. He was 1-3 with four saves and a 4.85 ERA as a college freshman then struggled as a sophomore (6-5, 1 Sv, 6.27). He improved to 6-6, 4.20 as a junior. The Texas Rangers took him in the 14th round of the 2010 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Dustin Smith.

He made his professional debut in 2011, going 7-5 in 29 games for the Hickory Crawdads of the South Atlantic League, where he put up a 4.03 ERA in 138 1/3 innings. He had a solid sophomore season in 2012, with a combined record of 11-6, 3.67 in 28 games between the Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans and AA Frisco RoughRiders. He pitched 162 innings, striking out 127 batters and walking 44. He was 1-0 with no earned runs in 13 2/3 innings for Frisco in the postseason. He tied Greg Reynolds and Justin Grimm for the third-most wins by a Rangers farmhand and was 4th in their organization in Ks (between Wilmer Font and Jake Brigham).

He started 2013 in AAA, giving up one unearned run in 5 inning and getting credited with the win in his debut with the Round Rock Express of the Pacific Coast League on April 4th. He had actually won the Rangers' fifth starter job in spring training, but as the schedule did not require him to pitch in the big leagues until April 9th, the Rangers preferred to have an extra reliever on the roster at the start of the season and give Tepesch a minor league start, rather than use him in an unfamiliar role. He was outstanding in his debut, as he earned a win by pitching 7 1/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, giving up just one run on four hits, walking three and striking out five opponents. He went 4-6, 4.84 in 19 games (17 starts) that first season. he followed that up in 2014 with a 5-11 record in spite of an improved ERA at 4.23. 22 of his 23 appearances were as a starter, and he logged 126 innings.

However, it took Nick almost three years to notch his next big league win. he missed all of 2015 with an injury then was released by the Rangers in mid-2016 without appearing in the majors for them. He was picked up the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing his sole start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 24th and was released again. He also spent time in the organizations of the Oakland Athletics and of the Kansas City Royals before that year was out. In 2017, he signed with the Minnesota Twins and again lost his only start for the team, this one on May 6th when he gave up 7 runs in 1 2/3 innings against the Boston Red Sox to be saddled with an 11-1 loss. He was released the next day but was picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays. A slew of injuries to their pitchers in August led to his return to the big leagues. He was again hit hard in his first start for them, giving up 5 runs in 1 1/3 innings against the New York Yankees on August 9th, being tagged with an 11-5 loss, but he did get to make a second start this time and took advantage to finally earn a win. Facing the Rays on August 14th, he allowed only 1 run in 6 innings and received credit for the Jays' 2-1 victory.

Related Sites

• Nick Tepesch on mlb.com
• University of Missouri bio