From Newport to Majors
December 13, 2017 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
NEWPORT, RI- Left-Handed Pitcher Kyle McGrath, a member of the 2013 Newport Gulls was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 36th round (1,077th overall) of the 2014 MLB Draft after pitching collegiately at the University of Louisville. Kyle was called up to the Majors on July 27, 2017, and made his debut on July 30th.
The Louisville, Kentucky native appeared in 48 games during his two-year career as a Cardinal, 2013 & 2014. He sat out the 2012 season after transferring from Eastern Kentucky University. Predominately coming out of the bullpen, McGrath finished his career with a 1.84 ERA in 88 innings pitched. Opposing batters had a minuscule .191 batting average against the 6' 2" Southpaw, ultimately striking out 88 of the 350 total batters he faced.
McGrath served a similar role for the 2013 Gulls Pitching Staff as a key reliever. Hurling 24 Innings between the regular and post-season, he finished with a sub-two earned run average (1.13 ERA) over 13 appearances. Kyle recorded one of his two saves that season in the Gulls 3-1 playoff victory on August 8th at Eastern Division adversary Mystic. Kyle McGrath's final contribution as a Gull came in Game 1 of the Fay Vincent Cup Championship Series against the Keene Swamp Bats. Kyle contributed to the Gulls only win in that series throwing four outs (1.1 innings) of scoreless ball in the 6-0 victory. Keene beat the Gulls the next two games to win the series 2-1, capturing their fourth NECBL title.
Kyle was called up to the Major Leagues on July 27, 2017, after spending time in both AA (San Antonio Missions) and AAA (El Paso Chihuahuas). He joined the big-league San Diego Padres in New York for the final game of a four-game series against the Mets. The club returned home the next day for a weekend tilt against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Three days after getting the call, July 30th, Kyle made his debut relieving starter Clayton Richard in the 7th inning. Kyle struck out two of the three Pirate batters he faced, allowing no hits and no runs.
The 25-year-old remained on the Major League roster for much of the final part of the Padres 2017 schedule; ending the Major League season with 17 appearances and a total of 19 innings pitched. He ultimately struck out 16 and gave up six earned runs (2.84 ERA).
Austin Slater (San Francisco Giants) and Andrew Kittredge (Tampa Bay Rays) also made their MLB debut's in 2017. The Gulls could not be happier for all of their alumni and wish Kyle the very best as he continues to make an impact at the Major League level.
The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation's top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the youth of Newport County via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations - totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are six-time champions of the NECBL - the winningest franchise in league history - and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.
For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter and Instagram @NewportGulls, or visit www.newportgulls.com. Please contact the Gulls Front Office at 401-845-6832 or operations@newportgulls.com for all media inquiries.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from December 13, 2017
- From Newport to Majors - Newport Gulls
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