Austin Cox

Austin Cox (born March 28, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Austin Cox
Cox with the Omaha Storm Chasers in 2022
Kansas City Royals – No. 53
Pitcher
Born: (1997-03-28) March 28, 1997
Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
May 4, 2023, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics
(through May 4, 2023)
Win–loss record0–0
Earned run average0.00
Strikeouts0
Teams

Amateur career

Cox attended First Presbyterian Day School in Macon, Georgia, where he played baseball and football. For his high school career, he went 15–6 with a 2.19 ERA.[1] Undrafted in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, he fulfilled his commitment to play college baseball at Mercer University.[2]

In 2016, Cox's freshman year at Mercer, he pitched 24 innings, compiling a 2–2 record and a 10.13 ERA. As a sophomore in 2016, he started 15 games, going 4–2 with a 5.69 ERA.[3] In 2018, his junior season, he was named Mercer's Friday night starter.[4] Over 17 starts, Cox pitched to a 7–4 record with a 4.52 ERA, striking out 124 batters over 87+2⁄3 innings.[5]

Professional career

The Kansas City Royals selected Cox in the fifth round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[6][7] He signed with the Royals and made his professional debut with the Burlington Royals of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, pitching to a 1–1 record and a 3.78 ERA over nine starts.[8] In 2019, he began the year with the Lexington Legends of the Class A South Atlantic League, with whom he was named an All-Star alongside earning Pitcher of the Week honors in early June.[9][10] He was promoted to the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League in June, and finished the season there.[11] Over 24 games (23 starts) between the two teams, he went 8–6 with a 2.76 ERA, compiling 129 strikeouts and 38 walks over 130+2⁄3 innings.[12] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 since the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Double-A Central, and was promoted to the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Triple-A East in late September.[14] Over 17 games (16 starts) between the two clubs, Cox went 4-1 with a 4.10 ERA and 56 strikeouts over 63 innings.[15][16] He returned to Omaha for the 2022 season.[17] Over 29 games (24 starts), he went 7-7 with a 4.21 ERA and 105 strikeouts over 147+1⁄3 innings.[18]

Cox began the 2023 season with Omaha, posting a 2.21 ERA, 22 strikeouts, and 11 walks in 20+1⁄3 innings pitched across five games (four starts). On May 3, 2023, Cox was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[19]

References
  1. "Austin Cox - Baseball".
  2. "Middle Georgia native among Mercer baseball's 2015 signees - 41NBC News | WMGT-DT". 41Nbc News | WMGT-Dt. 41nbc.com. November 21, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  3. Mastroianni, Jake (January 22, 2018). "2018 CBD Season Preview and Predictions: Southern Conference". College Baseball Daily. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  4. "FPD's Austin Cox thriving on the mound in junior year with Mercer | WGXA". Wgxa.tv. March 21, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  5. The Wichita Eagle (subscription required)
  6. "Six SoCon players taken on day two of MLB Draft - SoConSports.com - Official Web Site of The Southern Conference". Nmnathletics.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  7. Wolf, Jordan (June 5, 2018). "Royals draft more college players on Day 2 | Kansas City Royals". Mlb.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  8. Por William Boor (July 23, 2019). "Top prospect performers for Tuesday July 23". MLB.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  9. "Lexington's Southpaw Austin Cox Named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week | Legends". Milb.com. June 7, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  10. "2019 South Atlantic League All-Star Game rosters | Lexington Herald Leader". Archived from the original on 2019-06-08.
  11. The News and Observer
  12. "Exploring the timelines for the Royals' top pitching prospects – The Athletic". Theathletic.co.uk. December 16, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  13. "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
  14. "KC Royals: Omaha club is bursting with good things". May 31, 2021.
  15. "With Rule 5 draft deadline approaching: Who will the Royals protect? And what does it say about the club's future?".
  16. "MJ Melendez, Nick Pratto added to Royals' 40-man roster". MLB.com.
  17. "Storm Chasers reveal preliminary roster for 2022 season".
  18. "Austin Cox Stats, Fantasy & News".
  19. "Royals' Austin Cox: Contract selected by KC". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
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