Heath Fillmyer


Heath Devon Fillmyer is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization of Major League Baseball.

Career

A resident of the Roebling section in Florence Township, New Jersey, Fillmyer attended Florence Township Memorial High School and played college baseball at Mercer County Community College. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 28th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and returned to Mercer County.

Oakland Athletics

He was then drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB draft.
Fillmyer made his professional debut with the Arizona League Athletics, going 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA in six games, and pitched 2015 with the Beloit Snappers, where he posted a 3-13 record with a 4.98 ERA in 23 games. He started 2016 with the Stockton Ports and was promoted to the Double-A Midland RockHounds during the season; he went a combined 7-6 record with a 3.29 ERA. In 2017, he pitched for Midland, posting an 11-5 record with a 3.49 ERA. The Athletics added him to their 40-man roster after the season.

Kansas City Royals

On January 29, 2018, Fillmyer and Jesse Hahn were traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Brandon Moss and Ryan Buchter. On June 19, 2018, the Royals called up Fillmyer. He made his major league debut on June 24, 2018, pitching four innings of mop-up duty in an 11-3 loss against the Houston Astros. Fillmyer was permanently made a part of the Royals’ rotation on July 23, where he made 12 starts. He finished the season with a 4.26 ERA. His finest start of the 2018 season came on August 9, when he threw seven shutout innings against the Chicago Cubs. He also collected his first Major League hit on September 26, an RBI double off of Cincinnati Reds reliever Matt Wisler.
Fillmyer spent most of the 2019 season in the minors, although he did see some limited major league action. On January 22, 2020, the Royals designated Fillmyer for assignment to make room for Alex Gordon on the roster.