Cooper Criswell (born July 24, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Los Angeles Angels.
| Cooper Criswell | |
|---|---|
Criswell pitching for the Angels in 2021 | |
| Tampa Bay Rays | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1996-07-24) July 24, 1996 (age 26) Carrollton, Georgia | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 27, 2021, for the Los Angeles Angels | |
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 0-1 |
| Earned run average | 7.71 |
| Strikeouts | 4 |
| Teams | |
| |
Criswell grew up in Carrollton, Georgia and attended Carrollton High School.[1]
Criswell began his college baseball career at Southern Union State Community College. As a sophomore, he compiled a 10-1 record with a 2.54 ERA and committed to continue his college career at the University of North Carolina.[2] In his lone season with the Tar Heels, Criswell went 6-2 with a 2.99 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 75+1⁄3 innings.[3]
Criswell was selected in the 13th round by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[4] He began his professional career the following year with the Inland Empire 66ers of the Class A-Advanced California League. Criswell was assigned to the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas at the beginning of the 2021 minor league season.[5] Criswell made 12 starts for Double-A Rocket City, going 6-4 with a 3.71 ERA and 85 strikeouts. On July 31, Criswell was promoted to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. After going 2-1 with a 3.98 ERA and 27 strikeouts through four starts, on August 27, the Angels selected Criswell's contract.[6] He made his debut the same night, giving up three runs in 1.1 innings pitched.[7] He was optioned back to Salt Lake the next day.[8] On April 7, 2022, Criswell was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain[9] and was moved to the 60-day injured list the next day to make room on the 40-man roster for Kyle Tyler.[10]
On July 16, 2022, Criswell was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays.[11] He was designated for assignment on July 19, 2022. He was added back as a covid replacement player on September 12, 2022 and returned to Triple-A the next day.