Nate Karns
Nathan Alan Karns (born November 25, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and Baltimore Orioles.
Nate Karns | |||
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Karns with the Washington Nationals | |||
Free agent | |||
Pitcher | |||
Born: Franklin, Pennsylvania | November 25, 1987|||
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MLB debut | |||
May 28, 2013, for the Washington Nationals | |||
MLB statistics (through April 8, 2019) | |||
Win–loss record | 16–12 | ||
Earned run average | 4.30 | ||
Strikeouts | 326 | ||
Teams | |||
Career
Amateur
Karns attended James W. Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, where he played for the school's baseball team.[1] He enrolled at Texas Tech University, where he played college baseball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team. In 2008, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2]
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals selected Karns in the 12th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. His professional career was delayed as he had shoulder surgery in 2010, and didn't make his minor league debut until 2011.[3]
In 2012, he started at Class A Hagerstown, and then was promoted to Class A Advanced Potomac. His combined record was 11–4,[4] and was named the Nationals Minor Pitcher of the Year in 2012.[5] He was added to the 40-man roster on November 20, 2012.
When Ross Detwiler suffered an injury, Karns was called up to take his place in the pitching rotation, and made his major league debut on May 28, 2013.[6] He started, and lasted 4 1⁄3 innings, allowing three earned runs, five hits, and two walks, in a game the Nats won, 9–3.[7]
Tampa Bay Rays
On February 13, 2014, Karns was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for José Lobatón, Felipe Rivero and Drew Vettleson.[8] Karns spent the majority of the season in the Rays' AAA system. He finished the season appearing in 2 starts only.
Due to numerous injuries to begin the 2015 season, the Rays gave Karns a rotation spot for opening day. On July 21, 2015 pitching against the Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia, Karns hit his first Major League home run as Rays defeated the Phillies, 1–0.[9] It was the first time since 1962 that an American League pitcher had homered in a 1-0 game.[10] Karns appeared in 26 starts for the Rays, averaging nine strikeouts per nine innings despite just logging under 6 innings per start.
Seattle Mariners
On November 5, 2015, the Rays traded Karns, C. J. Riefenhauser, and Boog Powell to the Seattle Mariners for Brad Miller, Danny Farquhar, and Logan Morrison.[11] Karns began the Mariners season in the rotation but was then demoted to the bullpen after struggling. He made seven relief appearances before being shut down for the season in early August with a back strain. Karns finished the season with a 6–2 record, 5.15 ERA, and 101 strikeouts in 941⁄3 innings.[12]
Kansas City Royals
On January 6, 2017, Karns was traded to the Kansas City Royals for Jarrod Dyson.[13] His 2017 season with Kansas City was cut short due to injury, undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in July.[14] He finished the season 2-2 with a 4.17 ERA in 9 games, 8 starts. He missed the entire 2018 season with right elbow inflammation. He elected free agency after the Royals outrighted him to the minors on October 31, 2018.[15]
Baltimore Orioles
Karns signed a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles on February 7, 2019.[16] The deal was worth a reported $800,000 guaranteed, with $200,000 in incentive bonuses for 100 innings pitched.[17] He appeared in 4 games before being placed on the disabled list with a forearm strain. On July 26, Karns was designated for assignment and outrighted on August 2.[18] Karns was released on August 7, 2019.
Personal life
Nathan Karns was married in December 2015 to Jennifer Karns (formerly Jennifer Boecker).
References
- MacMahon, Tim (April 20, 2006). "Arlington Martin: Top two pitchers succeed in different fashions". dallasnews.com.
- "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- Reddington, Patrick. "Washington Nationals' Tuesday Night Lineup: Nathan Karns vs The Baltimore Orioles". Federal Baseball. SB Nation. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- "Nate Karns Baseball Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- Nationals name Matthew Skole minor league player of the year, Nathan Karns minor league pitcher of the year
- Kilgore, Adam (May 27, 2013). "Nationals choose Nathan Karns to start Tuesday in place of Ross Detwiler". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- Hughs, Chase (May 29, 2013). "Karns strong in debut, will start Sunday". CSN Washington. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- Comack, Amanda (February 13, 2014). "Nationals acquire catcher Jose Lobaton, LHP Felipe Rivero and OF Drew Vettleson from Tampa Bay". Curly W Live. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- "Rarefied air: Karns' bat, arm lead Rays". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- SABR Records Committee newsletter, October 2015
- Stecker, Brent (November 5, 2015). "Mariners send Brad Miller, Logan Morrison to Rays in 6-player trade". mynorthwest.com. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- "Nate Karns Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- Johns, Greg (January 6, 2017). "Mariners acquire Dyson from Royals for Karns". MLB.com. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- Dodd, Rustin (July 15, 2017). "Royals' Nathan Karns to undergo season-ending surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome". Kansas City Star. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- Adams, Steve (October 31, 2018). "Nate Karns Elects Free Agency". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-nate-karns-20190207-story.html
- "Why signing Nate Karns to a MLB deal — despite the lack of splash — is exactly the kind of move the Orioles should make in 2019". theathletic.com. February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- RotoWire Staff (July 26, 2019). "Orioles' Nate Karns: Activated, DFA'd by Baltimore". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Texas Tech Red Raiders bio
- Nate Karns on Twitter