Cole Winn

American baseball player

Baseball player
Cole Winn
Winn in 2022 with the Round Rock Express
Texas Rangers – No. 60
Pitcher
Born: (1999-11-25) November 25, 1999 (age 24)
Longmont, Colorado, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 14, 2024, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
(through April 14, 2024)
Win–loss record0–0
Earned run average0.00
Strikeouts1
Teams
  • Texas Rangers (2024–present)

Cole Robert Winn (born November 25, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.

Amateur career

Winn spent his freshman, sophomore, and junior years of high school at Silver Creek High School in Longmont, Colorado.[1] As a junior in 2017 he was 9–0 with a 0.73 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 47+2⁄3 innings, along with batting .388 with two home runs and 19 RBIs, earning himself the title of Colorado's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.[2] That summer, in July, he played in the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field.[3]

Winn transferred to Lutheran High School of Orange County in Orange, California for his senior year.[4][5] As a senior, he pitched to an 8–2 record with a 0.20 ERA[6] and was named California's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year[7] and Baseball America's High School Player of the Year.[8] He originally committed to play college baseball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but decommitted and then signed to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.[9]

Professional career

The Texas Rangers selected Winn in the first round, with the 15th overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft and he signed with the Rangers for a $3.15 million signing bonus.[10][11] After signing, Winn did not appear in an official game with a Rangers' affiliate in the 2018 season. Instead, he took part in a new program put in place by Texas for their newly drafted high school pitchers. The "de-load" program, as the organization calls it, emphasizes building a foundation mentally and physically, while resting bodies from a strenuous senior season and pre-draft showcase circuit. The players are put through a strength program and classroom work until post-season fall instructional training starts.[12] Winn was ranked as the #89 overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline in their preseason 2019 Top 100 list.[13] He was also ranked as the #72 overall prospect in baseball by ESPN's Keith Law in his preseason 2019 Top 100 list.[14] He was ranked as the #78 overall prospect in baseball by Fangraphs in their preseason 2019 Top 130 list.[15]

Winn made his professional debut in 2019 when was assigned to the Hickory Crawdads of the Class A South Atlantic League with whom he started 18 games, compiling a 4–4 record with a 4.46 ERA over 68+2⁄3 innings.[16][17][18] Winn spent 2020 at the Rangers Alternate Training Site, due to the cancellation of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Frisco RoughRiders of the Double-A Central League.[20] In June, Winn was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game at Coors Field.[21] In 19 games for Frisco in 2021, Winn posted a 3–3 record with a 2.31 ERA and 97 strikeouts over 78 innings.[22] After the end of Frisco's season in mid-September, he was promoted to the Round Rock Express of the Triple-A West where he posted a 3.38 ERA over two outings.[23][24] He was named the Rangers' 2021 Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year.[25][26] Winn spent the 2022 season back with Round Rock.[27] Over 28 starts, he went 9–8 with a 6.51 ERA, 123 strikeouts, and 87 walks (the most in the minor leagues) over 121+2⁄3 innings.[28][29]

On November 15, 2022, the Rangers selected Winn to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[30] Winn returned once again to Round Rock for the 2023 season, struggling to a 9–8 record with a 7.22 ERA and 97 strikeouts over 101 innings.[31][32] Following that season, he played for the Criollos de Caguas of the Puerto Rican Winter League, going 2–0 with a 2.63 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 24 innings.[33]

Winn was optioned to Triple–A Round Rock to begin the 2024 season.[34] On April 14, 2024, Winn was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[35]

References

  1. ^ Adam Dunivan (June 4, 2018). "Baseball: Former Silver Creek P Cole Winn drafted in MLB first round". BoCoPreps.com. Daily Camera. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  2. ^ Kyle Newman (May 30, 2017). "Silver Creek ace Cole Winn named 2016–17 Gatorade Colorado Baseball Player of the Year". The Denver Post. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  3. ^ USA TODAY High School Sports (July 7, 2017). "40 players chosen for Under Armour All-America Baseball Game in Chicago". USA Today. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  4. ^ Nathan Rode and PBR Staff (August 25, 2017). "The Buzz: Horvath, Gilbert commit; Winn moves". Prep Baseball Report. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  5. ^ Kevin Askeland (April 2, 2018). "Orange Lutheran baseball repeats as National High School Invitational champions". MaxPreps. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  6. ^ Bob Keisser (June 3, 2018). "MLB Draft: Orange Lutheran's Cole Winn, Santiago's Brice Turang expected to go in first round". Orange County Register. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  7. ^ Steve Fryer (May 29, 2018). "Orange Lutheran's Cole Winn is Gatorade state player of the year". Orange County Register. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  8. ^ Carlos Collazo (June 14, 2018). "High School Player Of The Year: Cole Winn". Baseball America. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  9. ^ Nathan Rode and PBR Staff (March 3, 2017). "The Buzz: Cole Win commits to Mississippi State". Prep Baseball Report. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  10. ^ Kyle Newman (June 4, 2018). "Former Silver Creek ace Cole Winn selected in first round of MLB Draft by Rangers with 15th overall pick". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  11. ^ Associated Press (June 12, 2018). "Cole Winn among Rangers draft-pick signees". ESPN.com.
  12. ^ Jamey Newberg (October 17, 2018). "The logic behind Rangers' unorthodox, innovative "de-load" program, and how their young pitchers feel about it". The Athletic. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  13. ^ Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Mike Rosenbaum (January 26, 2019). "These are MLB's Top 100 Prospects". MLB.com. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  14. ^ Keith Law (January 29, 2019). "Keith Law's 2019 top prospects: Nos. 100-51". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  15. ^ Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel (February 13, 2019). "2019 Top 100 Prospects". Fangraphs.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  16. ^ Evan Grant (May 9, 2019). "First round pick rhp Cole Winn receives first Rangers promotion before ever appearing in a game". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  17. ^ The Associated Press (August 17, 2019). "Winn leads Crawdads to 1-0 win over Greenville". Hickory Daily Record. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  18. ^ Andrew Battifarano (August 29, 2019). "Hickory's Winn turns in longest outing". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  19. ^ Newberg, Jamey (June 21, 2021). "Rangers' top pitching prospect Cole Winn's stock keeps rising". The Athletic. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  20. ^ Evan Grant (May 4, 2021). "Minor League opening day showed how pitching has become the strength of Rangers farm system". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  21. ^ Jim Callis (June 30, 2021). "Futures Game rosters are STACKED". MLB.com. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  22. ^ "Top Texas Rangers Prospects Join Round Rock Express for Final Stretch". MiLB.com. September 23, 2022. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  23. ^ Gilberto, Gerard (October 5, 2021). "Prospect season in review: Rangers' Winn". MiLB.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  24. ^ Grant, Evan (September 24, 2021). "Rangers promote Cole Winn, Davis Wendzel and Sam Huff to Triple-A Round Rock". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  25. ^ Landry, Kennedi (October 1, 2021). "Snyder, Winn among Minors Awards winners". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  26. ^ Callis, Mayo, and Dykstra, Jim, Jonathan, and Sam (September 30, 2021). "Prospects of the Year for every org". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ "Preliminary 2022 Round Rock Express Roster Announced". MiLB.com. March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  28. ^ "Cole Winn Stats, Fantasy & News".
  29. ^ "2022 Register Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  30. ^ Weaver, Levi (November 15, 2022). "Martín Pérez returns to Texas, Dennis Santana traded, 6 added to 40-man roster". The Athletic. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  31. ^ Wilson, Jeff (November 17, 2023). "Friday on the Farm: Top minor-league hitters wrap up offseason camp". Jeff Wilson's Texas Rangers Today. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  32. ^ "Cole Winn Stats, Fantasy & News". Major League Baseball.
  33. ^ Cooper, J. J. (January 3, 2024). "Nine MLB Prospects Who Starred In Winter Ball". Baseball America. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  34. ^ "Rangers' Cole Winn: Sent to minor-league camp". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  35. ^ "Texas Rangers place Cody Bradford on IL with back issue; Cole Winn recalled". dallasnews.com. Retrieved April 14, 2024.

External links

  • Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
  • Cole Winn on Twitter
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