Wikipedia

Ricky Karcher

Richard Thomas Karcher (born September 18, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds.

Ricky Karcher
Karcher with the Louisville Bats in 2023
Free agent
Pitcher
Born: (1997-09-18) September 18, 1997 (age 27)
Saline, Michigan, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 12, 2023, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Win–loss record0–0
Earned run average0.00
Strikeouts0
Teams

Early life and amateur career

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Karcher grew up in Ponte Vedra, Florida, and initially attended Ponte Vedra High School.[1] Prior to his senior year of high school his family relocated to Saline, Michigan, and he transferred to Saline High School.[2] In his lone season at Saline, Karcher had a 9–0 win–loss record with 0.41 earned run average (ERA).[3]

Karcher enrolled at the University of Michigan and began his college baseball career with the Michigan Wolverines. After his freshman season, he transferred to Walters State Community College.[4] Karcher went 7–3 with a 4.27 ERA in 15 appearances with 12 starts in his lone season at Walters State.[5]

Professional career

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Cincinnati Reds

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The Cincinnati Reds selected Karcher in the 13th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[6] He spent his first three seasons with the team primarily as a starting pitcher and was assigned to the Arizona League Reds, Greeneville Reds, and Billings Mustangs.[5] Karcher did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

He began the 2021 season with the Daytona Tortugas of Low-A Southeast and was moved to the bullpen.[8] He made nine appearances and struck out 19 batters with Daytona before being promoted to the High-A Dayton Dragons.[5] Karcher was assigned to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts at the start of the 2022 season. He was promoted to the Triple-A Louisville Bats after posting a 3.24 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched.[9] On November 15, 2022, the Reds added Karcher to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[10]

Karcher was optioned to the Triple-A Louisville Bats to begin the 2023 season.[11] On June 9, 2023, he was promoted to the major leagues for the first time after Graham Ashcraft was placed on the injured list.[12] Karcher made his debut on June 12, 2023, in the 10th inning of the Reds' 5–4 victory over the Kansas City Royals and earned the save after pitching a scoreless inning to end the game.[13] In 29 appearances for Louisville, he struggled to a 7.18 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 2 saves in 31+1⁄3 innings pitched. On July 6, Karcher was designated for assignment after Tony Santillan was activated from the injured list.[14] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Louisville on July 10.[15] Karcher elected free agency following the season on November 6.[16]

Arizona Diamondbacks

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On November 17, 2023, Karcher signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.[17] In 21 games for the Triple–A Reno Aces, he struggled to an 8.46 ERA with 31 strikeouts across 22+1⁄3 innings pitched. On June 16, 2024, Karcher was released by the Diamondbacks organization.[18]

Kansas City Royals

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On July 4, 2024, Karcher signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals.[19] On November 6, he elected free agency.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Cincinnati Reds draft former Shark Ricky Karcher". Ponte Vedra Recorder. June 22, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  2. ^ "How Saline baseball became a midwest college breeding ground". MLive.com. March 30, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  3. ^ Wickliffe, Greg (June 9, 2023). "Cincinnati Reds call up former Saline pitcher Ricky Karcher for MLB debut". MLive.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  4. ^ Hawkins, Kenny (June 14, 2017). "Five players with Walters State ties selected in MLB Draft". WJHL.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Nichols, Tom (March 29, 2022). "Dayton Dragons 2022 Team Preview: Part 8—The Relief Pitchers". MiLB.com. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  6. ^ "2017 MLB draft: Players taken with Tennessee ties". The Tennessean. June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  7. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  8. ^ "Cincinnati Reds Minor League Daytona Tortugas have top pitching staff". Cincinnati Enquirer. May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  9. ^ "Cincinnati Reds top prospects: Brandon Williamson promoted to Triple=A". Cincinnati Enquirer. June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  10. ^ "De La Cruz, Marte among 6 added to Reds' 40-man spot". mlb.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  11. ^ "Reds' Ricky Karcher: Optioned to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "Reds' Ricky Karcher: Summoned to big leagues". cbssports.com. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  13. ^ Sheldon, Mark (June 13, 2023). "Karcher earns save in debut to remember". MLB.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  14. ^ "Reds' Ricky Karcher: Designated for assignment". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  15. ^ "Reds' Ricky Karcher: Remains in organization". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  16. ^ "2023 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  17. ^ "Transactions". MLB.com. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  18. ^ https://www.milb.com/transactions/2024-06-16
  19. ^ https://www.milb.com/player/ricky-karcher-676689
  20. ^ Eddy, Matt (November 6, 2024). "Minor League Free Agents 2024". Baseball America. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
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