Angel Zerpa #61

Name is pronounced “AHN-hel SAIR-pah”...He and his wife, Leorysmar, have a daughter.

2025

Went 5-2 with a 4.18 ERA in a career-high 69 games (two starts) with Kansas City...Set career highs in wins (five), innings pitched (64.2) and strikeouts (58)...Retired 45 of 67 first batters faced (67.2%)...Stranded 27 of 39 inherited runners (69.2%)...Recorded a career-high 14 holds...Made starts as the opener on 7/12 vs. New York-NL and 7/30 vs. Atlanta...Traded to Milwaukee for INF/OF Isaac Collins and RHP Nick Mears on 12/14...Signed a one-year contract on 1/8/26, avoiding arbitration.

2024

Zerpa completed his fourth Major League season in 2024, but it marked his first with more than 15 appearances, as he set career highs in games (60), innings pitched (53.2) and strikeouts (49)...Made his first Opening Day roster in 2024, and was one of two Royals relievers to begin and end the season in the bullpen (John Schreiber)...He led the Royals in games pitched (60), one ahead of Schreiber (59)...Ranked second in MLB in 2024 with 52 inherited runners, trailing Oakland’s T.J. McFarland (66)…Zerpa stranded 39 of his 52 inherited runners (75.0%)...Became the eighth pitcher in Royals history to inherit at least 50 runners in a season and strand at least 75.0% of them...He pitched in five of Kansas City’s six games during the 2024 postseason, and was credited with the win in two of the Royals' three wins...Relieved Seth Lugo in the fifth inning in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series in Baltimore…inherited a bases-loaded, one-out jam in a tie game, and retired Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman to escape the jam…the Royals scored in the top of the sixth to make Zerpa the winner in his postseason debut...Pitched a scoreless fifth inning en route to a Game 2 win in the ALDS at Yankee Stadium, which included a strikeout of Aaron Judge and an inning-ending double play by Austin Wells.

2023

Zerpa made 15 appearances (three starts) for the Royals in his third season, posting a 4.85 ERA (23 ER in 42.2 IP) with 36 strikeouts (19.8 K%) and eight walks (4.4 BB%)...He was placed on the Injured List during Spring Training with left shoulder tendinopathy, which cost him the first 91 games of the season...he was reinstated on July 14 and optioned to Triple-A Omaha... Zerpa was recalled on Aug. 1 and earned three wins in 15 appearances, tied for third most on the team from Aug. 1 through season’s end, two behind Cole Ragans...Went 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA (5 ER in 19.2 IP) and 19 strikeouts in seven September appearances.

2022

Zerpa pitched at three levels in 2022, but made his first 13 starts at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he allowed three earned runs or fewer in 11 of 13 starts... He had four stints with the Royals but only made three appearances (two starts)…his final stint was on July 26, when he was recalled to start vs. the Angels and pitched 4.0 innings before exiting due to right knee discomfort…he was placed on the IL the following day with a strained left knee... Zerpa made five rehab starts with Triple-A Omaha in September, in which he recorded 6.2 scoreless and hitless innings and retired 19 of 23 batters.

2021

Pitched at four levels in 2021, starting at High-A Quad Cities, where he went 4-0 with a 2.59 ERA (12 ER in 41.2 IP) in eight starts to begin the season...He made his Double-A debut with Northwest Arkansas on June 16, and went 0-3 with a 5.96 ERA (30 ER in 45.1 IP) in 13 starts but struck out 54 batters in 45.1 innings, for a 10.7 K/9...Was promoted to Triple-A for a start on Sept. 26, before making his Major League debut in a start with Kansas City on Sept. 30 at Kauffman Stadium vs. Cleveland...Zerpa was the last of six Royals pitchers to make their Majors debut in 2021, joining Jake Brentz and Dylan Coleman in relief, and starting pitchers Daniel Lynch on May 3 vs. Cleveland, Jackson Kowar on June 7 at the Angels and Jonathan Heasley on Sept. 17 vs. Seattle… the Royals were one of four teams in the Majors in 2021 to have four different pitchers start in their Major League debut, joining Texas, Cincinnati and the Angels...In his debut on Sept. 30, he became the 11th pitcher since 1901 to record 5.0 innings without allowing an earned run as a starter in his debut and lose...Despite the tough-luck loss, he was the seventh pitcher in Royals history to record at least 5.0 innings a starter and not allow an earned run in his Majors debut, and the first since Eric Skoglund on May 30, 2017...At 22 years, three days, he was the youngest pitcher to start a game for the Royals since Zack Greinke (21 years, 344 days) in his final start of the 2005 season…only nine pitchers in Royals history have made their Majors debut as a starter at an age younger than what Zerpa was on Sept. 30...Was the fourth-youngest starting pitcher in the Majors in 2021, older only than San Diego’s Ryan Weathers, Tampa Bay’s Luis Patiño and Yankees pitcher Deivi García...Became just the fifth Venezuela-born pitcher to start a game in Royals history, following Carlos Hernández (14 starts), Dilson Torres (2), Yohan Pino (1) and Eduardo Villacis (1)...Combined with Carlos Hernández, Edward Olivares, Salvador Perez and Sebastian Rivero to mark the third time in franchise history that the Royals have had five Venezuela-born players appear at any point in one season, following 2012 and 2015.

2020

Participated in the Royals fall camp in Surprise, Ariz...Selected to the Royals’ 40-man roster on Nov. 20.

2019

Opened the year at Idaho Falls (Rookie), but assigned to Burlington (Rookie) on June 18 and spent the rest of the season with the B-Royals…tied for second in the Appalachian League in wins (6)...Named Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week on Aug. 11, two days after holding Danville to one hit over 5.0 scoreless innings, with nine strikeouts...Went 5-0 with a 1.09 ERA (3 ER in 24.2 IP) in his four starts (five appearances) at home...Made two starts for Burlington in the postseason, earning the win in Game 1 of the semifinals vs. Pulaski… tossed 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, with seven strikeouts.

2018

Spent the entire season with Surprise (Rookie)… his six losses were second-most in the Arizona League...Surrendered five earned runs (4.2 IP) in his July 3 start vs. the Cubs 1 and a season-high six earned runs (4.0 IP) on Aug. 3 vs. the Rangers…held opponents to a 2.25 ERA (10 ER in 40.0 IP) in his other nine appearances, allowing one earned run or fewer in his other five starts. 

2017

Named a Dominican Summer League All-Star by Baseball America...Five of his 12 starts were scoreless, including a 4-2 win on July 20 at Astros Blue, in which he allowed just five hits and no walks, with a career-high 10 strikeouts.