Chase Lee
| Chase Lee | |
|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers – No. 53 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: August 13, 1998 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 22, 2025, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics (through May 27, 2025) | |
| Win–loss record | 1–0 |
| Earned run average | 1.26 |
| Strikeouts | 14 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Chase Alexander Lee (born August 13, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Amateur career
[edit]Lee grew up in McCalla, Alabama and attended McAdory High School. He played mostly shortstop in high school and was used as a pitcher sparingly in one season.[1]
Lee enrolled at the University of Alabama after having received no offers to play college baseball. He tried out for the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team as a freshman, but was not offered a spot on the team. Lee changed his pitching motion to a sidearm delivery at the recommendation of Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon and joined the Alabama club baseball team, where he posted a 7–0 record and a 0.21 ERA.[2]
Lee made the Crimson Tide as a walk-on the following season and posted a 2.67 ERA in 22 appearances with 24 strikeouts over 31+1⁄3 innings pitched. After the end of the season he played collegiate summer baseball for the Bethesda Big Train of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League and was named the league's Pitcher of the Year after leading the league with 51 strikeouts and seven saves with an ERA of 1.03.[3] Lee was named Alabama's closer going into his redshirt sophomore season and had a 1.64 ERA and 19 strikeouts in five appearances before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.[4] As a junior, he was named a third team All-American after posting a 7–0 record with a 1.33 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 40+2⁄3 innings pitched.[5]
Professional career
[edit]Texas Rangers
[edit]Lee was selected by the Texas Rangers in the sixth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.[6][7] After signing with the team he was assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Rangers, where he made one appearance before being promoted to the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders.[8] He finished the season going 0–1 with a 3.71 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 17 innings for Frisco.[9] Lee returned to Frisco to open the 2022 season, going 1–1 with a 2.25 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 24 innings, before being promoted to the Round Rock Express of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League on June 14.[10] With Round Rock, Lee went 1–1 with a 5.46 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 31+1⁄3 innings. Lee was named the Texas Rangers 2022 minor league Reliever of the Year.[11]
Lee received a non-roster invitation to major league spring training in 2023 and returned to Round Rock for the 2023 season, going 3–4 with a 3.98 ERA and 87 strikeouts over 63+1⁄3 innings.[12]
Detroit Tigers
[edit]On July 30, 2024, Lee and Joseph Montalvo were traded to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Andrew Chafin.[13] In 17 appearances for the Triple–A Toledo Mud Hens, he logged a 1–3 record and 3.27 ERA with 31 strikeouts across 22 innings pitched. Following the season, the Tigers added Lee to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[14]
Lee was optioned to Triple-A Toledo to begin the 2025 season.[15] On April 22, 2025, Lee was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[16] He made his major league debut that evening against the San Diego Padres, tossing 1+2⁄3 scoreless innings with one strikeout.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ Jones, Mike (February 1, 2019). "Dream now a reality for Alabama baseball walk-on". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ delos Santos, Justice (July 13, 2021). "'The Viper': Lee's unusual path to MLB Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ "2019 CRCBL Pitcher of the Year – Chase Lee | Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League".
- ^ Blackwell, Joey (May 7, 2021). "'The Viper': The Unconventional Journey of Alabama Baseball's Chase Lee". SI.com. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ "Alabama baseball pitcher Chase Lee named third team All-America". The Tuscaloosa News. July 17, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ Stephenson, Creg (July 12, 2021). "Alabama's Chase Lee drafted by Texas Rangers". AL.com. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ delos Santos, Justice (July 13, 2021). "'The Viper': Lee's unusual path to MLB Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ Weaver, Levi (August 5, 2021). "Projecting a 2023 Rangers Opening Day roster, Part 2: Pitchers". The Athletic. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ Weaver, Levi (October 18, 2021). "For Rangers pitching prospects Chase Lee, Tai Tiedemann and Daniel Robert, the path to Frisco has been unusual". The Athletic. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ Callis, Jim; Mayo, Jonathan; Dykstra, Sam (June 16, 2022). "Best 2021 Draft prospect from each system". MLB.com. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- ^ Bigley, Zach (October 3, 2022). "Former Riders sweep 2022 Rangers MiLB awards". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ Postins, Matthew (January 28, 2023). "Rangers Invite Top Prospects to Spring Training". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
- ^ "Rangers acquire lefty reliever Andrew Chafin from Tigers". ESPN.com. July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Tigers Designate Three Players For Assignment". mlbtraderumors.com. November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Detroit Tigers make second round of cuts from major league camp". blessyouboys.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
- ^ "Tigers Promote Chase Lee For MLB Debut". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ^ "Padres vs. Tigers Final Box". mlb.com. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from MLB · ESPN · Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Alabama Crimson Tide bio