Brandon Kintzler, Relief Pitcher, San Diego Padres
Date of Birth: 8/1/1984
Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada
College: Dixie State College of Utah, Pasadena City College
Brandon Kintzler, relief pitcher for the San Diego Padres, was first drafted by the Padres in 2004. After pitching in the Padres' minor league system for two seasons, he was released on April 1, 2006. He didn't play professional baseball in 2006, and he spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons in the independent Northern League.
Kintzler signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers on July 24, 2009. He pitched in their minor league system for the remainder of the season. He spent most of the 2010 season in the minors, pitching in just 7 games with the Brewers that year.
Kintzler was on the DL for most of the 2011 season with an arm injury. He pitched 14.2 innings in 9 games with the Brewers and he had a 3.68 ERA. He spent most of the 2012 season in the minors, pitching in just 14 games with the Brewers.
In 2013, Kintzler had his first full season with the Brewers. He finished with a career low ERA of 2.69 and career highs in games played (71), innings pitched (77.0), and strikeouts (58 to 16 walks). The following season, he had a 3.24 ERA in 64 games. He spent most of the 2015 season on the DL, pitching just 7.0 innings in 7 games with the Brewers.
Kintzler became a free agent on October 5, 2015. Two months later, on December 14th, he signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. He finished the 2016 season with no wins and 2 losses, 17 saves, 35 strikeouts to 8 walks, and a 3.15 ERA in 54.1 innings in 54 games.
The Twins traded Kintzler to the Washington Nationals on July 31, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 4 wins and 3 losses, 29 saves, 39 strikeouts to 16 walks, and a 3.03 ERA in 45 games with the Twins and 27 games with the Nationals. In the postseason, he pitched 3.1 innings in 3 games and he gave up 1 hit and 2 runs.
The Nationals traded Kintzler to the Chicago Cubs on July 31, 2018. He spent time on the DL in 2018. He finished the season with 3 wins and 3 losses, 2 saves, 43 strikeouts to 22 walks, and a 4.60 ERA in 45 games with the Nationals and 25 games with the Cubs.
Kintzler finished the 2019 season with 3 wins and 3 losses, 1 save, 48 strikeouts to 13 walks, and a 2.68 ERA in 57.0 innings in 62 games.
Kintzler became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed with the Miami Marlins on February 3, 2020. He pitched in 24 games in 2020, and he finished the season with 2 wins and 3 losses, 14 strikeouts to 11 walks, 12 saves, and an ERA of 2.22 in 24.1 innings. In the postseason, he pitched 3.0 innings in 3 games and he gave up 3 hits and no runs.
Kintzler elected free agency on October 30, 2020. He signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on February 10, 2021. He spent time on the IL in 2021 with a neck strain. After pitching in 29 games with the Phillies, he was released on August 2nd. He finished the season with 2 wins and 1 loss, 22 strikeouts to 8 walks, and a 6.37 ERA in 29.2 innings.
Kintzler signed a minor league contract with the Padres on August 19, 2022.
Career pitching statistics for Kintzler through 2021 include:
- 483 games played
- 478.1 innings pitched
- 24-24 win-loss record
- 335 strikeouts to 129 walks
- 3.50 ERA
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Brandon Kintzler
ESPN - Brandon Kintzler