Michael Byrne (baseball)
| Michael Byrne | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: April 16, 1997 Orlando, Florida, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Michael Byrne (born April 16, 1997) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Florida Gators.
Playing career
[edit]Amateur
[edit]Byrne attended Olympia High School in Orlando, Florida. He played for the school's baseball team as a starting pitcher. Byrne enrolled at the University of Florida to play college baseball for the Florida Gators.[1] He became their closer in 2017, his sophomore year.[2][3][4] After the 2017 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[5] In 2018, Byrne won the Stopper of the Year Award.[6]
Cincinnati Reds
[edit]The Cincinnati Reds selected Byrne in the 14th round, with the 409th overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[7] Byrne signed with the Reds and began his professional career with the Daytona Tortugas of the High-A Florida State League.[8] In 21+2⁄3 innings relief innings, he went 1–1 with a 1.25 ERA.[9] He returned to Daytona in 2019, going 7–3 with a 4.27 ERA over 37 games (six starts).[10] Byrne did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] He was assigned to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts to begin the 2021 season.[12]
Byrne split the 2024 season between the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Reds, Single-A Daytona, and the Triple-A Louisville Bats. In 11 appearances for the three affiliates, he recorded a combined 5.06 ERA with 16 strikeouts and two saves across 10+2⁄3 innings pitched. Byrne elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2024.[13]
Coaching career
[edit]On January 29, 2025, Byrne returned to the Florida Gators as a student assistant on the coaching staff.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ Brockway, Kevin. "'Special' Gators closer Michael Byrne getting it done in important spots". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "UF closer Michael Byrne plays key role for Gators". Orlando Sentinel. May 4, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- ^ Ryzewski, Steven (June 7, 2017). "Olympia alum, Gators pitcher Michael Byrne named finalist for national award – Observer Preps | Windermere Observer | West Orange Times & Windermere Observer". Orangeobserver.com. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ Bauer, Ethan (March 29, 2018). "Florida Gators closer Michael Byrne leading UF's arms race". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- ^ "#18 Michael Byrne – Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ "UF closer Byrne named Stopper of the Year". GatorSports.com. June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- ^ "Reds complete MLB draft with new rookie-ball team in mind". Cincinnati.com. June 6, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- ^ Parry, Roy. "UF's Jonathan India, Michael Byrne sign with Cincinnati Reds". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "Michael Byrne Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Chris Boyle. "Tortugas to open season minus top prospect – Sports – Daytona Beach News-Journal Online – Daytona Beach, FL". News-journalonline.com. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season shelved". MiLB.com. June 30, 2020.
- ^ "Lookouts Announce 2021 Opening Day Roster".
- ^ "Minor League Free Agents 2024". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
- ^ "Former Florida baseball pitcher, program's saves leader returning to help UF pitching staff".
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from MLB · Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Florida Gators bio