Ethan Small
Ethan Robert Small (born February 14, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.
| Ethan Small | |
|---|---|
Small playing with the Mississippi State Bulldogs | |
| Milwaukee Brewers – No. 43 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: February 14, 1997 Jackson, Tennessee | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 30, 2022, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 0–0 |
| Earned run average | 7.11 |
| Strikeouts | 7 |
| Teams | |
| |
Amateur career
Small attended Lexington High School in Lexington, Tennessee.[1] He was not drafted out of high school in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, thus enrolling at Mississippi State University.
As a freshman at Mississippi State in 2016, Small pitched only ten innings. After the season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2] After his freshman campaign, he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2017.[3][4] He returned as a redshirt sophomore in 2018, starting 18 games, going 5–4 with a 3.20 earned run average (ERA).[5] In 2019, Small went 10–2 with a 1.93 ERA in 18 starts, striking out 176 batters in 107 innings,[6] and was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year.[7][8] He won the 2019 National Pitcher of the Year Award.[9]
Professional career
Small was drafted with 28th overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for $1.8 million.[10][11][12] He made his professional debut with the Arizona League Brewers, and, after two games, was promoted to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.[13] Over seven starts between the two teams, he went 0–2 with a 0.86 ERA, striking out 36 over 21 innings.[14] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the season.[15]
Small began the 2021 season with the Biloxi Shuckers and was promoted to the Nashville Sounds during the season.[16] That June, he was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game.[17] Over 18 starts in 2021, Small went 4–2 with a 1.98 ERA and 92 strikeouts over 77+1⁄3 innings.[18]
Pitching style
Small features a lively low- to mid-90 mph fastball—scouts often described it as a "rising" fastball—a curveball and changeup.[19] He has been known to vary his windup timing on his pitches, to give him an advantage over hitters, similar to pitchers such as Marcus Stroman and Johnny Cueto.[20]
References
- ^ "Small isn't affected by Major League scouts at his games". The Jackson Sun.
- ^ "Ethan Small – Profile". Pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ "Thriving after Tommy John, Ethan Small gives Mississippi State hope now and in future". The Clarion Ledger.
- ^ Lowery, Logan. "Healthy arms bolster Bulldogs' pitching staff". Daily Journal.
- ^ Lowery, Logan. "Bulldogs open new stadium, Lemonis era today". Daily Journal.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Ethan Small named SEC pitcher of the Year". The Commercial Dispatch.
- ^ "How Mississippi State's Ethan Small earned SEC Pitcher of the Week". The Clarion Ledger.
- ^ Lowery, Logan (June 12, 2019). "Small selected National Pitcher of the Year | Sports". djournal.com. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- ^ Wagner, Andrew. "Patience pays off: Brewers pick left-hander Ethan Small in first-round after lengthy scouting process". madison.com.
- ^ "Brewers take Small in first round of MLB draft". The Commercial Dispatch.
- ^ "The Brewers see their top pick, Mississippi State left-hander Ethan Small, as 'the consummate pitcher'". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- ^ Jacobson, Jordan. "Milwaukee Brewers top draft pick Ethan Small excited for Timber Rattlers debut Friday". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Brewers Minors: No. 4 Prospect Ethan Small Promoted to Triple-A". Reviewingthebrew.com. June 22, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ Wagner, James (June 30, 2020). "Minor League Baseball Season Is Canceled for the First Time". Nytimes.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "No. 4 prospect Small pitches way to Triple-A". Mlb.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Roster – SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game". Major League Baseball. from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ "After a positive experience in winter ball, Brewers pitching prospect Ethan Small is on the doorstep of the major leagues". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ Murray, Robert. "'This guy is the best pitcher out there': Behind the Brewers' scouting process of Ethan Small". The Athletic. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- ^ Friedman, Rob (May 24, 2019). "Ethan Small, 4 Windups (quick pitch, regular, pause and long pause), Overlay.pic.twitter.com/SMD8RJx3dx". @PitchingNinja. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)