Kenneth Robert Giles was born on September 20,1990 and is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.
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30 Facts About Ken Giles
2.
Ken Giles previously played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, and Seattle Mariners.
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3.
Ken Giles quickly progressed through the Phillies' Minor League Baseball system, overcoming two oblique injuries to participate in major league spring training before the 2014 season.
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4.
One of the team's few bright spots that season, Ken Giles finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
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5.
Ken Giles opened the 2015 season as the team's primary setup man, but when the Phillies traded their closer, Ken Giles assumed that role.
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7.
Ken Giles attended Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he played baseball, although he was mainly an outfielder, and used his arm strength to throw out runners rather than pitch.
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8.
Ken Giles played football and basketball in college, but focused predominantly on baseball.
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9.
Ken Giles was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 44th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and instead attended Yavapai College, which Ken Giles praised as a great place to focus on baseball without having to go to a large university.
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10.
At Yavapai, the alma mater of Curt Schilling, Ken Giles began pitching regularly, and realized his talent on the mound.
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11.
Ken Giles was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed with the club despite initially committing to transfer to play college baseball for the University of Arizona.
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12.
Ken Giles made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Phillies that year, and made three appearances with the team, pitching to a 5.
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13.
Ken Giles opened the 2012 season with the Low-A Lakewood BlueClaws, and after finding success there – he recorded five saves and a 3.
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14.
Ken Giles finished the season facing an uncertain developmental future, as his velocity was universally acknowledged, but his durability and control universally questioned.
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15.
Ken Giles's primary focus was developing a secondary pitch, namely a slider, and working on locating his fastball within the strike zone.
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16.
On June 7,2014, Ken Giles was promoted to the major leagues after the Phillies placed Mike Adams on the disabled list.
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17.
Ken Giles ranked among the best relievers in the major leagues in many key statistical categories relating to strikeouts, ERA, and walks plus hits per innings pitched.
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18.
Ken Giles represented a bright spot for the Phillies – and a point of pride for the fan base – during a rebuilding phase for the team.
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19.
Ken Giles is one of the reasons we should all feel good about this offseason and the current rebuilding period.
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20.
Scouts observed that Ken Giles had an inclination to use his slider more often to compensate for command of his fastball that needed improvement.
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21.
However, Ken Giles was ineffective in the postseason; by the end of the World Series, the Astros had stopped using him.
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22.
On February 2,2018, Ken Giles won his arbitration case versus the Astros, for a $4.
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23.
Ken Giles struggled throughout the beginning of the 2018 season, allowing 17 earned runs on 36 hits in.
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24.
Ken Giles appeared in 21 games for the Blue Jays in 2018, pitching to a 4.
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25.
Ken Giles successfully converted 34 consecutive save opportunities in a streak that began on September 12,2017, when he was still a member of the Astros, and ended on April 11,2019 in a game against the Boston Red Sox.
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26.
Ken Giles's ERA was the seventh best among qualified relievers prior to the break, and his 1.
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27.
On February 19,2021, Ken Giles signed with the Seattle Mariners on a two-year, $7M major league contract.
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28.
Power pitcher, Ken Giles' fastball has hit as high as 103 miles per hour, and he relies on it in tandem with a slider in which he spent much of his developmental phase building confidence.
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29.
Ken Giles has always had an aptitude for striking out hitters, which potentially obviated the need for him to record as many groundouts as other pitchers needed to be successful.
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30.
Ken Giles married Estela Pinon, a former softball pitcher at the University of Arizona, in 2015.
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