Robert William Stephenson (born February 24, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Tampa Bay Rays. A first-round pick of the Reds in the 2011 MLB draft, Stephenson made his MLB debut in 2016.
Amateur career
Stephenson began pitching when he was nine years old. He attended Alhambra High School in Martinez, California, which he graduated from with a 4.2 grade point average. Stephenson's senior season for the high school's baseball team began with two consecutive no-hitters. He finished the season with an 8–2 win–loss record and 1.19 earned run average (ERA) in 76+2⁄3 innings pitched. He recorded 142 strikeouts, while walking 23 and allowing 29 hits. Alhambra reached the North Coast Section Division III playoffs' second round.
Stephenson was named the Gatorade California Baseball Player of the Year. He was rated by Baseball America as the 25th-best prospect in that year's draft, and the 12th best right-handed pitching prospect in the draft. He was invited to participate in the 2010 Aflac All-America Game; Stephenson was named the starting pitcher for the West Team and pitched two scoreless innings. Stephenson committed to attend the University of Washington to play college baseball for the Washington Huskies baseball team.
2016-2020 |
2021-2022 |
2022-2023 |