Miami Marlins Focus: Tyler Cloyd’s Season Review

Throughout the 2018/2019 offseason, Marlin Maniac will devote one article each for every player who appeared in the Miami Marlins system for the 2018 season. Every. Single. Player. This is Part 72 of 286. Stay tuned.

Tyler James Cloyd is a 6’3″, 210 lb. right-handed pitcher from Papillion, Nebraska. Born on May 16th, 1987, he played two seasons of Division II baseball with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. In 28 appearances, he went 15-3 with a 2.42 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 160 innings of work. Opponents collected a 1.13 WHIP against him.

In the 2008 MLB Amateur Entry Draft, Cloyd was chosen in the 18th round by the Philadelphia Phillies, with the 556th overall choice. You can follow him on Twitter @Tyler_Cloyd. He’s one of five members of the “556 club” to eventually play in the major leagues, led by Caleb Thielbar (2009, Milwaukee Brewers, 2.1 career WAR) and P.J. Forbes (1990, California Angels, 0.0 WAR).

Cloyd worked his way up through the Phillies system for the next four seasons before making his major league debut with Philadelphia in 2012. Also in 2012, he won the International League’s Most Valuable Pitcher Award, going a combined 15-1 with a 2.26 ERA between the double-A Reading Phillies in the Eastern League and the triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the International League.

Cloyd started 19 games for the Phillies over the next two seasons, going 4-9 with a 5.98 ERA and 71 K’s in 93 innings. Despite the small measure of success involved with making it to baseball’s top level, Cloyd did not remain in the majors for very long. Days after the 2013 season ended, the Phillies placed him on waivers, where he was picked up by the Cleveland Indians.

Cloyd toiled away in the minors for the next four seasons, first with the Tribe. After a season with the Samsung Lions in the Korean Baseball Organization, he joined the New York Yankees and later the Seattle Mariners. Granted free agency after the 2017 campaign, the Miami Marlins tendered him a minor league offer on January 12th.

Cloyd remained on the 40-man roster throughout the season, spending 85 innings with the triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes in the Pacific Coast League, and also playing in seven contests for the Marlins. During that time, he was called up to Miami four different times.

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For New Orleans, Cloyd went 6-5 with a 5.17 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 85 innings of work. He allowed 25 hits in 17 2/3 innings for the Fish, striking out 13 and registering an 8.66 ERA with a disconcerting 1.96 WHIP. Despite his struggles at the major league level, he was not without his good moments.

Although he made no starts, Cloyd averaged over 2 and a half innings per appearance, specializing in long relief. Over his last 9 1/3 innings of work, comprising three appearances, he held opposing hitters to a .152 average and a 0.96 ERA, surrendering only five hits and striking out five.

Cloyd was recalled from New Orleans on October 2nd, just after the end of the season, and was outrighted back to the minors on October 11th. He declared free agency a day later, and is now free to sign with any club.

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