Derek Eitel


Derek R. Eitel is an American baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He was originally drafted in the 17th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Athletic career

High school and college

Eitel grew up in the Wabash Valley of Illinois and attended Marshall High School, where he was a pitcher on the school's baseball team.
Eitel played both baseball and American football at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana, his alma mater. He was the football team's starting quarterback. As a college pitcher, his arsenal included a sinker, a slider, a splitter, and a changeup. He was the first Rose-Hulman player to be selected in the MLB draft or any other professional sports draft.

Professional baseball

After being drafted by Arizona, Eitel was assigned to the Missoula Osprey and worked his way through the Diamondbacks' minor league system, switching from a role as a starter to the bullpen in the 2013 season. As a relief pitcher for the Reno Aces, he was named a Class-AAA All-Star in 2014.
By 2015, Eitel still had yet to debut as a major league player, and the Diamondbacks released him on June 8, 2015. He signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers later that month, but his time in that organization was short-lived, as he was released again on August 2 after a brief stint with the Class-AA Biloxi Shuckers.
Eitel moved to independent ball, signing a contract with the Wichita Wingnuts of the American Association late in the 2015 season and then playing over the winter in the Mexican Pacific League and Dominican Winter League. On December 31, 2015, his contract was purchased by the San Diego Padres. Eitel played in the 2016 season for the Class-AAA El Paso Chihuahuas, developing his slider as his best offering.
After the 2016 season, Eitel elected to become a minor league free agent. He signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals that included an invitation to spring training on November 20, 2016. He was released by the Nationals on July 20, 2017.