Kyle Zimmer (2010-12) was one of the greatest pitchers - and greatest players, period - of all-time to play for the USF baseball program
2020 Hall of Fame Honoree: Kyle Zimmer, Uncovering Greatness
2/21/2020 7:03:00 AM | Baseball, General
SAN FRANCISCO — Kyle Zimmer wasn't even supposed to be a pitcher.
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The La Jolla, Calif., native was a slugging third baseman at La Jolla High School and came to The Hilltop as such. But when he arrived, he was behind all-West Coast Conference third baseman Stephen Yarrow on the depth chart.
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So, head coach Nino Giarratano tried Zimmer's strong cross-infield arm coming out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2010.
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It was the start of something special.
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Zimmer only threw 5 1/3 innings in his first collegiate season, but he struck out seven in what was just five appearances – a preview of things to come.
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In his sophomore campaign of 2011, Zimmer blossomed into the Dons' Friday starter, going 6-4 and leading the team in strikeouts with 89 – a top-10 single season program mark at the time. He earned all-WCC First Team accolades and was also a WCC all-academic honoree. He wiped out a career-high 14 against rival Saint Mary's that year, and he earned his first save to clinch the Dons' WCC championship with a one-hit ninth inning against Gonzaga on May 29.
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The talented flamethrower asserted himself on the national stage in the Dons' NCAA Los Angeles Regional game against host and then-No. 12 UCLA. He outdueled the 2011 first overall draft pick, Gerrit Cole, by throwing his first career shutout. In the 3-0 victory, Zimmer scattered four hits and struck out 11 en route to being named to the Los Angeles Regional All-Tournament Team.
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Zimmer didn't slow down in his final year on The Hilltop, either. He continued to dominate, going 5-3 with a 2.85 ERA and a WCC-leading 104 strikeouts – still a top-five single-season mark at USF. The right-hander also finished first in the conference in shutouts (2) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.6). In addition, Zimmer was among the nation's elite in the D-I baseball circuit, ranking 15th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (104-to-17), 20th in strikeouts per nine, and 26th in strikeouts.
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Zimmer's 200 career strikeouts still rank No. 7 all-time on the USF career list. In his three-year stay at USF, Zimmer amassed an 11-7 record with a 3.45 ERA and 200 strikeouts against just 41 walks in 185 1/3 innings pitched.
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With all of his successes in the Green and Gold, Zimmer became the highest-drafted baseball player ever from USF, going No. 5 overall to the Kansas City Royals in the 2012 MLB Draft. He is one of only four all-time MLB first round draft picks out of San Francisco, cementing his legacy as one of the all-time greats to play on The Hilltop.
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A long and hard-fought journey to get to the Major Leagues finally came to an end– and to its pinnacle – last spring for Zimmer.
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After being named to the Royals' Opening Day roster on March 28, 2019, Zimmer finally made his Major League Baseball debut on March 31, 2019, throwing a scoreless eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox with two strikeouts in front of the home crowd at Kauffman Stadium.
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It was a debut that was nearly seven years in the making, as Zimmer battled elbow injuries, a bicep injury, and numerous shoulder injuries since the year he was drafted which continued to knock him back and delay his rise to the Big Show.
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But all that finally came to an end last season. And Zimmer will look to continue his rise in 2020, just as he did when he arrived on The Hilltop a decade ago and rose from a rarely used bullpen arm to an all-time USF great and a Major Leaguer.
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The La Jolla, Calif., native was a slugging third baseman at La Jolla High School and came to The Hilltop as such. But when he arrived, he was behind all-West Coast Conference third baseman Stephen Yarrow on the depth chart.
Â
So, head coach Nino Giarratano tried Zimmer's strong cross-infield arm coming out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2010.
Â
It was the start of something special.
Â
Zimmer only threw 5 1/3 innings in his first collegiate season, but he struck out seven in what was just five appearances – a preview of things to come.
Â
In his sophomore campaign of 2011, Zimmer blossomed into the Dons' Friday starter, going 6-4 and leading the team in strikeouts with 89 – a top-10 single season program mark at the time. He earned all-WCC First Team accolades and was also a WCC all-academic honoree. He wiped out a career-high 14 against rival Saint Mary's that year, and he earned his first save to clinch the Dons' WCC championship with a one-hit ninth inning against Gonzaga on May 29.
Â
The talented flamethrower asserted himself on the national stage in the Dons' NCAA Los Angeles Regional game against host and then-No. 12 UCLA. He outdueled the 2011 first overall draft pick, Gerrit Cole, by throwing his first career shutout. In the 3-0 victory, Zimmer scattered four hits and struck out 11 en route to being named to the Los Angeles Regional All-Tournament Team.
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Zimmer didn't slow down in his final year on The Hilltop, either. He continued to dominate, going 5-3 with a 2.85 ERA and a WCC-leading 104 strikeouts – still a top-five single-season mark at USF. The right-hander also finished first in the conference in shutouts (2) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.6). In addition, Zimmer was among the nation's elite in the D-I baseball circuit, ranking 15th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (104-to-17), 20th in strikeouts per nine, and 26th in strikeouts.
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Zimmer's 200 career strikeouts still rank No. 7 all-time on the USF career list. In his three-year stay at USF, Zimmer amassed an 11-7 record with a 3.45 ERA and 200 strikeouts against just 41 walks in 185 1/3 innings pitched.
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With all of his successes in the Green and Gold, Zimmer became the highest-drafted baseball player ever from USF, going No. 5 overall to the Kansas City Royals in the 2012 MLB Draft. He is one of only four all-time MLB first round draft picks out of San Francisco, cementing his legacy as one of the all-time greats to play on The Hilltop.
Â
A long and hard-fought journey to get to the Major Leagues finally came to an end– and to its pinnacle – last spring for Zimmer.
Â
After being named to the Royals' Opening Day roster on March 28, 2019, Zimmer finally made his Major League Baseball debut on March 31, 2019, throwing a scoreless eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox with two strikeouts in front of the home crowd at Kauffman Stadium.
Â
It was a debut that was nearly seven years in the making, as Zimmer battled elbow injuries, a bicep injury, and numerous shoulder injuries since the year he was drafted which continued to knock him back and delay his rise to the Big Show.
Â
But all that finally came to an end last season. And Zimmer will look to continue his rise in 2020, just as he did when he arrived on The Hilltop a decade ago and rose from a rarely used bullpen arm to an all-time USF great and a Major Leaguer.
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