Leahy is the 329th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Waterloo Buck Kyle Leahy made his Major League debut for the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, July 7, 2023. Lea
Leahy, who played collegiately at Colorado Mesa University, played for the Bucks in 2016 and 2017. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 17th round of the 2018 MLB Draft.
In 2016 with the Bucks, Leahy appeared in three games and was 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA. He struck out nine batters in 16.0 innings while walking five. In 2107 he pitched in five games and was 4-0 with a 1.21 ERA. Over 37.1 innings he had 20 strikeouts, one shutout and two complete games.
Leahy started his professional career in 2018 with the Johnson City Cardinals of the Short-Season A Rookie League. In 13 games he was 4-3 with a 5.52 ERA. He struck out 45 batters in 58.2 innings and had two saves.
In 2019 Leahy started the season with the Peoria Chiefs of the Lo-A Midwest League. After 16 games he was promoted to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Hi-A Florida State League. He would receive another promotion to end the season to the Springfield Cardinals of the AA Texas League. For the season he appeared in 23 games and was 5-13 with a 3.73 ERA. He struck out a career-high 102 batters in 123.0 innings.
Leahy spent the full 2021 season in Springfield. He appeared in 25 games and was 0-8 with a 8.20 ERA. In 86.2 innings he struck out 63 batters
Leahy began the 2022 season in Springfield and then moved up to the Memphis Redbirds of the AAA International League. Between the two clubs he was a combined 10-7 with a 5.29 ERA in 28 games. He struck out a new career-high 146 batters in 144.2 innings.
Prior to his call-up to the Cardinals, Leahy had started the season in Memphis and was 3-3 with a 4.06 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 51.0 innings. In his Major League debut against the Chicago White Sox, Leahy entered the game in relief and pitched .2 innings allowing two hits while striking out two.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 325 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.