Texas Border Business
TAMPA, Florida – Right-handed pitcher Kevin Stevens, who pitched for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) baseball team from 2020-22, was promoted to the single-A Tampa Tarpons by the New York Yankees and will be active for Wednesday’s game against the Dunedin Blue Jays at 5:30 p.m.
Stevens has been working with Yankees staff since signing a professional contract in July and is sitting at 96-98 miles per hour with his fastball coming out of the bullpen.
He made one appearance in the rookie-level Florida Complex League (FCL), recording his first professional strikeout against the FCL Blue Jays on Aug. 22.
The Tarpons have five games against Dunedin at home through Sunday before closing out the season Sept. 6-11 on the road against the Daytona Tortugas.
The Tarpons are in third place in the Florida State League West standings, 2.5 games back of the first place Blue Jays, who close their season at home against the Florida State League East-leading Palm Beach Cardinals.
Should the Tarpons finish first, they will reach the playoffs and face the first half champion Fort Myers Mighty Mussels in a best-of-three division series. The winner of each division series advances to a best-of-three championship series.
Stevens is looking to become the sixth alum to ever reach the major leagues as a player. Five have done it previously, including Dusten Knight, who made his debut with the Baltimore Orioles last season and has seen time with the Tampa Bay Rays this year, third baseman George Williams, who played for the Oakland A’s from 1995-97 and the San Diego Padres in 2000, catcher Dan Firova, who played for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1981-82 and the Cleveland Indians in 1988, infielder Wayne Tyrone, who played for the Chicago Cubs in 1978, and outfielder Jim Tyrone, who played for the Cubs in 1972, 1974 and 1975 as well as the A’s in 1977.
A two-time All-WAC First Team and a 2022 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-Central Region Second Team selection, Stevens went 9-2 with a 2.66 ERA this past season. In 81.1 innings, he racked up 100 strikeouts, tied for the 10th-highest single-season total in program history, while walking 29, allowing 69 hits, and holding opponents to a .230 batting average.
Stevens finished his career with 228 strikeouts, the sixth-highest total in program history.
For his career, Stevens went 18-7 with a 2.99 ERA. In 33 games and starts, he pitched four complete games, including two shutouts, and was a part of two one-hitters. In 195.2 innings, Stevens allowed 162 hits, holding opponents to a .226 batting average. He also issued just 56 walks, giving him better than a 4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Stevens is one of five alumni known to currently be playing professional baseball along with Dusten Knight(2012-13), who has seen time in the majors with the Rays while spending most of the season with the Durham Bulls (AAA), Andy Atwood (2019-21), who is playing with the Winston-Salem Dash (High-A, Chicago White Sox), Christian Sepulveda (2019-21), who is playing for the Tri-City Dust Devils (High-A, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Conrado Diaz (2019-21), who is playing with Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, and Diego Ramirez, who is going to training camp with the Águilas de Mexicali of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico.
Knight has made four appearances with the Rays this year, striking out six in 6.0 innings and holding opponents to a .250 batting average. At Durham, he’s 2-3 with eight saves, seven holds, and a 3.20 ERA. In 45.0 innings, he has struck out 53 while holding opponents to a .185 batting average.
Atwood was promoted to Winston-Salem from the Class A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers on Aug. 23 after hitting .286/.394/.462 with five home runs, four doubles, one triple, 12 RBI, 21 runs scored and nine stolen bases in 35 games. He is currently 3-for-25 with two doubles, one RBI, and two runs scored in six games for Winston-Salem.
Sepulveda was promoted to Tri-City from the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Angels on Aug. 1 after hitting .283/.372/.550 with six home runs, eight doubles, three triples, 23 RBI, 25 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 35 games. Since being promoted, Sepulveda is hitting .289/.326/.482 with one home runs, 11 doubles, one triple, 14 RBI, 14 runs scored and two stolen bases in 23 games.
