# Kyle Freeland
**Kyle Freeland** (Kyle Richard Freeland, born 1993 in Denver, Colorado) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball. A left-hander drafted eighth overall by the Rockies in 2014, he debuted in 2017 and holds the Rockies franchise record for career starts.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536) • [3](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/jiec2tdl04pwzllykh5r.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993, Denver, Colorado; bats left, throws left; 6' 4", 202 lb[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536) |
| Draft | First round, eighth overall, 2014, by Colorado; previously taken in the 35th round in 2011 by Philadelphia but did not sign[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freelky01.shtml) |
| MLB debut | April 7, 2017 vs. Los Angeles (NL): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 6 SO, 2 BB, 1 ER, win[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freelky01.shtml) |
| Career (through 2026) | 262 games, 69-102, 4.75 ERA, 1,395.2 IP, 1,052 strikeouts, 1.43 WHIP[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536) |
| Franchise records | 229 career starts, most in Rockies history; 109 quality starts, second-most; 64 wins, tied with Jeff Francis for fourth-most[3](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/jiec2tdl04pwzllykh5r.pdf) |
| Contract | Five-year extension signed April 19, 2022, through 2026; 5 yrs/$64.5M (2022-26) with a 2027 vesting option[3](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/jiec2tdl04pwzllykh5r.pdf) • [2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freelky01.shtml) |
| Signature game | Sept. 5, 2025 vs. San Diego: eight scoreless innings, two hits, no walks, 10 strikeouts, the first such line in Coors Field history[3](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/jiec2tdl04pwzllykh5r.pdf) |
## Background and draft
Freeland grew up in Denver and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, about 15 minutes south of [Coors Field](https://www.edgepedia.org/coors-field).[3](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/jiec2tdl04pwzllykh5r.pdf) The Philadelphia Phillies drafted him in the 35th round of the 2011 amateur draft out of high school, but he did not sign and attended the [University of Evansville](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-evansville) in Indiana instead.[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freelky01.shtml) • [6](https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Kyle_Freeland) The Rockies selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, the third player in University of Evansville history taken in the first round.[3](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/jiec2tdl04pwzllykh5r.pdf) MLB.com rated him the seventh-best overall player in that draft and [Baseball America](https://www.edgepedia.org/baseball-america) the fifth-best, and Baseball America credited him with the best command by a college pitcher entering the draft.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536) • [9](https://www.mlb.com/news/rockies-select-lhp-kyle-freeland-with-8th-overall-pick/c-78421368)
He moved through the Rockies' minor league system from 2014 to 2016, starting with rookie-level Grand Junction, where his professional debut included striking out the first batter he faced, and reaching Triple-A Albuquerque in 2016.[10](https://www.mlb.com/rockies/news/colorado-rockies-top-pick-kyle-freeland-debuts-with-two-scoreless-innings/c-83985008) • [1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536)
## Major league career
**Debut and 2017.** Freeland reached the majors on April 7, 2017, at age 23, winning his debut against the Dodgers with six innings of one-run ball.[2](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freelky01.shtml) He went 11-11 as a rookie and finished seventh in National League Rookie of the Year voting.[11](https://texastech.com/documents/download/2026/4/23/42-44_OSU_Notes.pdf)
**2018.** Freeland started the game in which Colorado clinched a postseason berth on September 29, 2018, holding the Nationals to two runs over six innings in a 5-2 win before a Coors Field sellout crowd of 48,084; the victory was the Rockies' eighth straight and sent them to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in club history.[8](https://www.mlb.com/news/rockies-clinch-2018-postseason-berth-c296461956) He also started for Colorado in the 2018 National League Wild Card Game against the Cubs, dueling [Jon Lester](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-lester) for 6.2 innings of four-hit, six-strikeout ball in the 13-inning game.[12](https://as.com/us/us/2018/10/03/mlb/1538540835_771646.html) • [1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536)
**Injuries and setbacks, 2019-2021.** In 2019 he made his first career Opening Day start and won it, but a blister on his left middle finger and a left groin strain put him on the injured list twice, he was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque from May 31 to July 13, and he allowed a career-high 25 home runs with a 9.25 ERA in 10 home starts.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536) In the shortened 2020 season he made 13 starts, tied for the most in the Majors, and opened with six consecutive quality starts, the second-longest such streak to begin a season in franchise history.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536) A left shoulder strain suffered in a March 2021 Cactus League start cost him the first two months of the season; he returned to go 7-8 with a 4.33 ERA in 23 starts, with career-best rates of 7.83 strikeouts and 2.83 walks per nine innings.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536)
**Extension and franchise records, 2022-2023.** On April 19, 2022, Freeland signed a five-year extension through the 2026 season.[3](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/jiec2tdl04pwzllykh5r.pdf) That year he made 31 starts with a 4.53 ERA and set career highs in runs allowed (96) and hit batters (16).[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536) In 2023 he led the club's qualified starters with a 5.03 ERA over 29 starts, went 6-14, and allowed a career-high 29 home runs while losing nine consecutive decisions from May 20 to August 13.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536)
**2024-2025.** Freeland was the Rockies' Opening Day starter in 2024 for the third time, tying Germán Márquez for the most by a Rockies starting pitcher, but allowed a career-high 10 earned runs in 2.1 innings at Arizona and went on the 15-day injured list on April 19 with a left elbow strain; after returning he posted a 3.78 ERA over 17 starts and finished with a career-low 2.06 walks per nine innings.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536) In 2025 he made a franchise-record fourth Opening Day start and led the Rockies with 31 starts and 14 quality starts, going 5-17 with a 4.98 ERA; his 17 losses were the most in the Majors and tied [Darryl Kile](https://www.edgepedia.org/darryl-kile)'s 1998 mark for the most in a single season in franchise history.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536) On September 5, 2025, against San Diego, he threw eight scoreless innings with two hits, no walks, and a career-high-tying 10 strikeouts, becoming the first pitcher in franchise history with that line and the first by any team to do it at Coors Field; he made the start on two days' rest after being ejected two batters into his previous outing, the first pitcher since [Jim Bunning](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-bunning) in 1964 to throw eight scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks on two days' rest.[3](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/jiec2tdl04pwzllykh5r.pdf)
By the end of 2025 his 229 career starts were the most in Rockies history, his 109 quality starts second-most, and his 64 wins tied with Jeff Francis for fourth-most in franchise history.[3](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/jiec2tdl04pwzllykh5r.pdf) Since his debut he also ranked second in the Majors and first in the [National League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-league) with 120 ground-ball double plays induced, behind only Kyle Gibson's 131.[4](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/g5czchvubzkyvcgrgwq5.pdf)
## Pitching style
Freeland throws a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a changeup, and a slider, and is described as a pitcher who spots all of his pitches, working low and away with the sinker, slider, and changeup.[5](https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-particular-skill-of-kyle-freeland/) Statcast counts six pitches in his repertoire.[7](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/kyle-freeland-607536) Ahead of the 2024 season, Freeland learned a changeup grip from [Adam Wainwright](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-wainwright), the former Cardinals standout who had been his Team USA teammate at the 2023 [World Baseball Classic](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-baseball-classic), and also experimented with a one-seam fastball grip that placed his index finger on a seam.[13](https://www.mlb.com/news/kyle-freeland-pitching-plan-for-rockies-in-2024)
His career has been shaped by pitching half his games at Coors Field, baseball's most offense-friendly park: through the 2024 season he was 32-29 with a 4.80 ERA in 91 starts there, with his 32 home wins fourth-most in franchise history.[4](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/g5czchvubzkyvcgrgwq5.pdf) The high rate of ground-ball double plays he induces is a practical fit for that environment.[4](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/g5czchvubzkyvcgrgwq5.pdf)
## Personal life
Freeland is the son of Don and Susan Freeland and has an older brother, Colin; his mother worked at Holm Elementary, the Denver school he attended. He married Ashley in December 2021, and the couple live in [Scottsdale, Arizona](https://www.edgepedia.org/scottsdale-arizona), in the offseason.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536) In 2024 the Freelands announced a $3 million donation to their alma mater, the University of Evansville, to build a baseball clubhouse named The Freeland Clubhouse, and the school retired his number 21 on January 25, 2025.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536) He and Ashley support Special Olympics Colorado, volunteering at events and raising money for the organization through their social media channels.[1](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536)
## References
1. [Kyle Freeland player page, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/player/kyle-freeland-607536)
2. [Kyle Freeland, Baseball-Reference](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freelky01.shtml)
3. [Colorado Rockies media guide, Kyle Freeland section (2025)](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/jiec2tdl04pwzllykh5r.pdf)
4. [Colorado Rockies media guide, Kyle Freeland section (2024)](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/g5czchvubzkyvcgrgwq5.pdf)
5. [The Particular Skill of Kyle Freeland, FanGraphs Baseball](https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-particular-skill-of-kyle-freeland/)
6. [Kyle Freeland, BR Bullpen](https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Kyle_Freeland)
7. [Kyle Freeland Statcast page, Baseball Savant](https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/kyle-freeland-607536)
8. [Rockies clinch 2018 postseason berth, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/news/rockies-clinch-2018-postseason-berth-c296461956)
9. [Rockies select LHP Kyle Freeland with 8th overall pick, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/news/rockies-select-lhp-kyle-freeland-with-8th-overall-pick/c-78421368)
10. [Top pick Freeland debuts with two scoreless innings, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/rockies/news/colorado-rockies-top-pick-kyle-freeland-debuts-with-two-scoreless-innings/c-83985008)
11. [Oklahoma State baseball game notes (Freeland ROY voting note)](https://texastech.com/documents/download/2026/4/23/42-44_OSU_Notes.pdf)
12. [En extra innings, los Colorado Rockies derrotan a Chicago Cubs, AS.com](https://as.com/us/us/2018/10/03/mlb/1538540835_771646.html)
13. [How Freeland plans to rebound and find more success in '24, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/news/kyle-freeland-pitching-plan-for-rockies-in-2024)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Baseball and related bat sports › Professional baseball in the Americas › MLB players and personnel biographies › Starting pitchers › Starters debuting after 2015*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license