| Troy Neiman | |
| Team: | Free agent |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | 13 November 1990 |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
Troy Davenport Neiman (born November 13, 1990) is an American professional baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. He is 6' 6", and weighs 230 pounds.[1]
Neiman pitched in college for the Chico State Wildcats, finishing his career there with the second-lowest ERA in university history (1.89), and the 10th-best career winning percentage (.722) and number of strikeouts (126). In July 2013 the Colorado Rockies signed him as a free agent to a minor league contract. Through 2017, in his minor league career—exclusively as a relief pitcher—he was 23-10 with a 3.34 ERA, had struck out 304 batters in 301.2 innings, and kept opposing batters to a batting average of .230.
Neiman pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Neiman was born in Castaic, California, and is Jewish.[2] His paternal grandfather is a sound technician who has won an Academy Award for technical innovation and two Emmy Awards.[3] He pitched for Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, California.
Neiman pitched in college for the Chico State Wildcats, finishing his career there with the second-lowest ERA in university history (1.89), and the 10th-best career winning percentage (.722) and number of strikeouts (126).[4] In February 2013 he pitched the first six innings of the first no-hitter in team history, and was only removed because he was on a strict pitch count.[5] For February 4–10, 2013, he was named Rawlings/California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Baseball Pitcher of the Week.[6] [7] He was voted to the 2013 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-West-Region Second Team and the 2013 All-CCAA Baseball Second Team.[8] [9]
Neiman was undrafted out of Chico State University in the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.[10] [11] In July 2013 the Colorado Rockies signed him as a free agent to a minor league contract.[12]
He began his professional career in 2013 with the Tri-City Dust Devils of the A− Northwest League.[13] In 12 games he was 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA.
In 2014 Neiman pitched for the Asheville Tourists of the A South Atlantic League. In 47 games he was 7-1 with a 1.59 ERA, and in 79 innings he struck out 89 batters. In 2015 and 2016 he pitched for the Modesto Nuts of the A+ California League.[14] In 2015, in 40 games he was 3-2 with a 4.76 ERA, and in 2016 in 45 games he was 7-4 with a 3.55 ERA and struck out 83 batters in 71 innings.
In 2017 he pitched for the Hartford Yard Goats of the Double-A Eastern League, again playing for Manager Jerry Weinstein who had managed him months earlier as manager of Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. In 35 relief appearances he was 4-2 with a 3.66 ERA.
Through 2017, in his minor league career—exclusively as a relief pitcher—he was 23-10 with a 3.34 ERA, had struck out 304 batters in 301.2 innings, and kept opposing batters to a batting average of .230.[15] On December 19, 2017, Neiman was released by the Rockies.
Neiman was on the roster for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifier,[16] but he did not make an appearance during the tournament.
He pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, in March 2017.[17] [18] Neiman pitched against Chinese-Taipei and the Netherlands.