| Bailey Falter | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Falter with theLehigh Valley IronPigs in 2022 | |
| Kansas City Royals – No. 36 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1997-04-24)April 24, 1997 (age 28) Chino Hills, California, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 25, 2021, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 25–30 |
| Earned run average | 4.58 |
| Strikeouts | 346 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Bailey Falter (born April 24, 1997) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher for theKansas City Royals ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for thePhiladelphia Phillies andPittsburgh Pirates.
Born inChino Hills, California, Falter grew up idolizing pitcherSandy Koufax. He attendedChino Hills High School, pitching ano-hitter for their baseball team in 2013. The Phillies selected Falter in the fifth round of the2015 MLB draft, and he signed with the team that year. His rise through the Phillies'farm system was disrupted by an elbow injury in 2019 and the subsequentcancellation of the 2020 minor league season. Falter made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 2021, and he spent the next three seasons alternating between Philadelphia and theTriple-ALehigh Valley IronPigs, serving as both astarting pitcher and areliever. The Pirates acquired Falter in 2023, adding him to theirstarting rotation.
Falter was born April 24, 1997, inChino Hills, California.[1] He became interested in baseball when his father Darwin encouraged him to do a school project onSandy Koufax, apitcher whom Falter then sought to emulate.[2] In 2011, Falter helped take theUnited States national under-14 baseball team to a gold medal at theCOPABE Junior Olympic Pan Am Championship in Venezuela, pitching a scorelessinning inrelief of the championship game.[3] As a student atChino Hills High School, Falter was classmates with futureNational Basketball Association (NBA) playerLonzo Ball and developed a friendship with the Ball family.[4] As asophomore with the Chino Hills Huskies in 2013, Falter pitched ano-hitter,striking out 16 batters in an 11–0 victory overBloomington High School.[5] In his final season with Chino Hills, Falter had a 6–2win–loss record, a 1.20earned run average (ERA), and he struck out 97 hitters in75+2⁄3innings pitched. He pitched fourcomplete games and twoshutouts while securing twosaves.[6]
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ThePhiladelphia Phillies ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) selected Falter in the fifth round, with the 144th overall pick, of the2015 MLB draft.[6] At the time, Falter hadcommitted to playingcollege baseball for theUC Santa Barbara Gauchos.[7] He came to terms with the organization on a $420,000signing bonus and was assigned to theRookie-levelGCL Phillies.[8] Although his pitch velocity was not overpowering, Falter displayed good command in theGulf Coast League,[8] and he was 1–2 with a 3.45 ERA in his first season ofprofessional baseball, striking out 25 batters in28+2⁄3 innings.[9] The next year, the Phillies promoted Falter to theLow-AWilliamsport Crosscutters,[8] where he was part of a group of young Philliesprospects that also includedAdonis Medina,JoJo Romero, andCole Irvin.[10] Falter struggled in his first two Williamsport outings, and his performance improved as he demonstrated increased confidence on the mound.[11] He also made a mechanical adjustment partway through the season, using his lower body to generate more velocity on his pitches.[12] In 13New York–Penn League games, Falter was 1–6 with a 3.17 ERA, recording 59 strikeouts in59+2⁄3 innings.[9]
Falter joined theSingle-ALakewood BlueClaws for the 2017 season,[13] where the then-19-year-old pitcher was one of the youngest players on the roster.[14] In 21South Atlantic League starts that season, Falter went 8–7 with a 2.99 ERA, striking out 105 batters in114+1⁄3 innings and impressing director of player development Joe Jordan.[9][15] He continued his rise through the Phillies'farm system with a promotion to theHigh-AClearwater Threshers in 2018.[16] After going 4–2 with a 3.08 ERA in the first half of the season, Falter was named aFlorida State League midseason All-Star that June.[17] He missed about a month of the season, spending July 8 to August 7 on thedisabled list.[1] In 17 starts for Clearwater, Falter finished the year 8–4 with a 3.36 ERA, recording 83 strikeouts in93+2⁄3 innings.[9] After the regularMinor League Baseball season, he joined theIndios de Mayagüez of theLiga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente.[18] Falter went 2–0 with a 0.42 ERA in five starts there, striking out nine across21+1⁄3 innings.[9]
In 2019, Falter was named to the six-manstarting rotation for theDouble-AReading Fightin Phils.[19] His season ended on July 6, when he sustained anulnar collateral ligament injury of the elbow. The injury was not severe enough to necessitateTommy John surgery, and Falter was shut down from throwing to rest his arm.[2] Before his injury, Falter made 14 starts for Reading,[20] during which he went 6–5 with a 3.84 ERA and struck out 62 batters in77+1⁄3 innings.[9] When the 2020 Minor League Baseball season was cancelled due to theeffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Falter was not assigned to the Phillies' alternate training site.[2] Instead, he returned home to California and spent the season putting on muscle mass.[21] At the end of the 2020 season, the Phillies added Falter to their40-man roster, protecting him from being claimed by another team in theRule 5 draft.[22]
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The Phillies invited Falter tospring training in 2021,[23] at the end of which he was assigned to the team's 30-playertaxi squad.[24] Falter made his MLB debut on April 25, pitching two innings in relief during Philadelphia's 12–2 loss to theColorado Rockies. After pitching a scoreless seventh inning, he allowed a two-runhome run toC. J. Cron in the eighth.[25] After that outing, Falter was sent to theTriple-ALehigh Valley IronPigs, where he established himself as a consistent presence in the starting rotation.[26] He was recalled back to Philadelphia on June 15, where he served as the team'slong reliever behind startersSpencer Howard andVince Velasquez.[27][28] He missed most of July with two separate stints on theCOVID-19 injured list: once as aclose contact ofAlec Bohm, and again when he tested positive for theCOVID-19 virus.[29][30] Falter returned to the team on August 15, relievingAaron Nola in a 7–4 loss to theCincinnati Reds.[30] He finished his rookie season with a 2–1 record and 5.61 ERA in 22 major league games, recording 34 strikeouts across33+2⁄3 innings.[31] In eight appearances for Lehigh Valley, he was 2–0 with a 1.76 ERA and 44 strikeouts across30+2⁄3 innings.[9]
Despite making the Phillies' 2022Opening Day roster out of spring training as a reliever, Falter was sent down to Lehigh Valley at the end of April so that he could be stretched out into a starting pitcher.[32] Falter never found a consistent role in Philadelphia or Lehigh Valley during the 2022 season: between April 26 and September 17, he was called up to the majors seven different times, filling in for injured startersZach Eflin andZack Wheeler, before being sent back to the IronPigs.[33][34] He ultimately made 20 major league appearances that season, including 16 starts. In that time, he went 6–4 with a 3.86 ERA and struck out 74 batters in 84 innings.[31] Falter also started nine games for the IronPigs, going 4–1 with a 1.91 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 47 Triple-A innings.[9] The Phillies reached the MLB playoffs for the first time since 2011,[35] and Falter made his postseason debut when he started Game 4 of the2022 National League Championship Series against theSan Diego Padres.[36] His outing lasted only 24 pitches, as he allowed four runs before being relieved in the first inning, but the Phillies came back to win the game and ultimately take the series.[37] Falter did not appear in the2022 World Series,[31] which the Phillies lost to theHouston Astros in six games.[38]
When top pitching prospectAndrew Painter suffered an elbow injury during spring training, Falter was named to the Phillies' 2023 Opening Day starting rotation in his place.[39] He struggled in his major league outings, going 0–7 with a 5.13 ERA in eight games before he was optioned back to the IronPigs on May 15.[40] In Triple-A, Falter hoped to regain his pitching command, a task made more difficult as he adjusted to the smaller strike zone used by the newly implementedAutomated Balls and Strikes system in the minor leagues.[41] Despite his difficulties, other top pitchers in the Phillies farm system struggled with injury and command, and Falter remained the team's top choice of reserve starter should anyone in their rotation need to miss time to injury.[42] After his demotion, Falter went 2–1 with a 4.21 ERA in 11 Triple-A games, striking out 35 batters in 47 innings.[9]
On August 1, 2023, the Phillies traded Falter to thePittsburgh Pirates in exchange for infielderRodolfo Castro.[43] The Pirates had been interested in acquiring Falter for some time, and they hoped he would become a prominent member of their starting rotation.[44] Four days after the trade, the Pirates called Falter up from theIndianapolis Indians to start against theMilwaukee Brewers. He pitched four innings in his Pittsburgh debut, allowing one run on six hits while striking out two.[45] Falter's season ended on September 24, when he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left neck strain. He made 10 appearances for the Pirates after the trade, including seven starts.[46] He went 2–2 with a 5.58 ERA in those outings, striking out 32 hitters in40+1⁄3 innings.[31]
Despite posting a 7.88 ERA and allowing a team-worst six home runs in spring training, the Pirates named Falter their fifth starter for the 2024 season.[47] After a strong showing in the first two months of the season, during which he posted a 3.22 ERA and consistently went deep into games, Falter struggled with fatigue in June, which affected his performance.[48] On July 6, Falter left his start against theNew York Mets with an injury in the third inning, and he was subsequently placed on the injured list with left triceps tendinitis.[49] He missed three weeks with the injury, returning to the active roster on July 29.[50] Falter was inconsistent on the mound upon his return: in his first seven starts after the injury, he had a 5.52 ERA and failed to pitch six full innings in any of those outings. This streak was broken on September 11, when he pitched7+1⁄3 innings against theMiami Marlins, carrying ano-hitter into the seventh that was broken by aJonah Bride single.[51] Falter finished the season 8–9 with a 4.43 ERA in 28 starts, striking out 97 batters in142+1⁄3 innings.[31]
The2025 MLB season was the first time Falter began spring training knowing that he would make the major-league roster, which allowed him to focus on refining his pitches.[52] After an inconsistent April,[53] Falter had a 0.76 ERA in35+2⁄3 innings in the month of May.[54] It was the lowest ERA for any Pirates pitcher with six starts in a calendar month since 1920.[55] After that point, Falter struggled with his command, particularly allowing home runs to opposing batters.[56] After posting a 6.28 ERA in his first three July starts, Falter broke the slump on July 23 against theDetroit Tigers, allowing one run in seven innings and striking out a season-high eight batters.[57] It was also his first time pitching more than5+2⁄3 innings since May 31.[58] In 22 starts with the Pirates that season, Falter was 7–5 with a 3.73 ERA, striking out 70 batters in113+1⁄3 innings.[59]
On July 31, 2025, the Pirates traded Falter to theKansas City Royals in exchange forEvan Sisk and Callan Moss.[60] WithCole Ragans,Kris Bubic, andMichael Lorenzen all injured, the Royals needed more starting pitching depth, which they found in Falter.[61] Upon Lorenzen's return on August 13, Falter, who had struggled in his starts against theBoston Red Sox andWashington Nationals, was moved to the Royals' bullpen.[62] Pitching coachBrian Sweeney, who had previously worked with Falter in the Phillies farm system, altered the pitcher's grip on his slider, improving the pitch's efficiency.[63] On August 22, Falter was struck by aline drive off the bat ofDetroit Tigers playerZach McKinstry. Although he remained in the game after a brief evaluation, he was placed on the injured list the next day with a left biceps contusion.[64] Falter remained on the injured list through the end of the season.[65] In his four appearances with Kansas City, he was 0–2 with an 11.25 ERA, striking out 11 batters in 12 innings of work.[31]
As of 2024, Falter has a four-pitch repertoire: a 92 mph (148 km/h)four-seam fastball, an 86 mph (138 km/h)slider, a 77 mph (124 km/h)curveball, and a 92 mph (148 km/h)sinker.[66] Falter, who stands 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), combats his comparatively low fastball velocity by employing a long stride into his pitching motion. His 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) extension on the mound deceives hitters into thinking his pitches are faster than he actually throws them.[67] This delivery is modeled after Sandy Koufax, Falter's favorite childhood pitcher.[2][68] He supplements this extension with a small pause during hiswindup, which further disrupts the opposing hitter's timing.[69]
Falter married his wife Kylee inHonolulu, Hawaii, in November 2023.[70]
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