Kyle Bird


Ronald Kyle Bird is an American professional baseball relief pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.

Amateur career

Bird attended Clay High School in Green Cove Springs, Florida. Undrafted out of high school in 2011, Bird attended Florida State University for two years, before transferring to Division II Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, for his junior season in 2014. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 35th round, 1,057th overall, of the 2014 MLB draft.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Rays

After signing with Tampa Bay, Bird was assigned to the rookie Princeton Rays to make his professional debut in 2014. In 19 innings pitched, he posted a 1–0 record with a 4.19 earned run average. He split the 2015 season between the Class A Bowling Green Hot Rods and the Triple-A Durham Bulls. Through 33 games, he accumulated 4–0 record with a 2.54 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 70.1 innings. He played the 2016 season with both the Class A-Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs and the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits. He appeared in 68 innings across 43 games, earning a 3–2 record with a 2.28 ERA and 60 strikeouts. He split the 2017 season between Montgomery and Durham. In 54 games, he posted a 4–2 record with a 2.89 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 74.2 innings. He again played the 2018 season at both Double-A and Triple-A. He appeared in 43 games, making 6 starts, and accumulated a 3–3 record with a 2.39 ERA and 88 strikeouts across 74 innings. After the 2018 regular season, Bird pitched for the Yaquis de Obregón of the Mexican Pacific League in winter ball. In 18 games with them, he went 1–0 with a 2.00 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 18 innings.
The Rays added Bird to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season.

Texas Rangers

On December 21, 2018, Bird was traded to the Texas Rangers as part of a three team deal in which the Rangers also acquired Brock Burke, Yoel Espinal, Eli White, and $750,000 of international signing bonus pool space; the Rays acquired Emilio Pagan, Rollie Lacy, and a competitive balance pick in the 2019 MLB draft ; and the Oakland Athletics acquired Jurickson Profar.
Bird made the Rangers' 2019 Opening Day roster on March 28, 2019, and made his major league debut that afternoon versus the Chicago Cubs, walking Anthony Rizzo, the only batter he faced. He split the season between the Rangers and the Nashville Sounds. With Texas he went 0–0 with a 7.82 ERA innings, and with Nashville he went 5–1 with a 2.86 ERA in innings.