Zack Littell
Zachary Stuart Littell (born October 5, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, and Boston Red Sox. Littell was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 11th round of the 2013 MLB draft and made his MLB debut with the Twins in 2018. Early life Littell attended Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane, North Carolina. Professional career Seattle Mariners (2013–17) Littell was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 11th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with Seattle, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at Appalachian State University. Littell made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona League Mariners. He was 0–6 with a 5.94 earned run average (ERA) and a 1.560 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) in innings in 2013. He pitched in 2014 for the Advanced Rookie League Pulaski Mariners, going 5–5 with a 4.52 ERA in 13 starts. Littell pitched in 2015 for the Single-A Clinton LumberKings, compiling a 3–6 record and 3.91 ERA in 21 starts. He started 2016 with Clinton, and was promoted to the Bakersfield Blaze in July. In 28 total games (27 starts) between the two clubs, Littell collected a 13–6 record, 2.66 ERA, and 1.16 WHIP. New York Yankees (2017) On November 18, 2016, the Mariners traded Littell to the New York Yankees in exchange for pitcher James Pazos. Littell started 2017 with the Tampa Yankees and was promoted to the Trenton Thunder in late June. Minnesota Twins (2017–20) On July 30, 2017, the Yankees traded Littell and pitcher Dietrich Enns to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for pitcher Jaime García and cash considerations. The Twins then assigned him to the Chattanooga Lookouts where he finished the season. In 27 total games (25 starts) between Tampa, Trenton, and Chattanooga, he went 19–1 with a 2.12 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. The Twins added him to their 40-man roster after the season. Littell made his MLB debut on June 5, 2018. In eight games in the majors in 2018, Littell went 0–2 with a 6.20 ERA, 25 hits, 14 strikeouts, and 11 walks in 20.1 innings. In the minors, he was 6–9 with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.357 WHIP. Littell moved to the bullpen full time in 2019. He went 6–0 in 29 games with a 2.68 ERA, 32 K, and 9 BB in 37 innings, while in the minors in 63 innings, he was 3–3 with a 3.71 ERA and 25 walks. He had a hard-hit rate of 52.5%. In 2020 in 6.1 innings he gave up five home runs among 12 hits. He had a 9.95 ERA with a 2.368 WHIP. On September 17, 2020, Littell was outrighted off the 40-man roster. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020. San Francisco Giants (2021–22) On February 3, 2021, Littell signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants, and