Ethan Small
American baseball player (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ethan Robert Small (born February 14, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers.
| Ethan Small | |
|---|---|
Small playing with the Mississippi State Bulldogs | |
| Free agent | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: February 14, 1997 Jackson, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 30, 2022, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 0–0 |
| Earned run average | 8.71 |
| Strikeouts | 13 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Amateur career
Small attended Lexington High School in Lexington, Tennessee.[1] He was not drafted out of high school in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, thus enrolling at Mississippi State University.
As a freshman at Mississippi State in 2016, Small pitched only ten innings. After the season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2] After his freshman campaign, he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2017.[3][4] He returned as a redshirt sophomore in 2018, starting 18 games, going 5–4 with a 3.20 earned run average (ERA).[5] In 2019, Small went 10–2 with a 1.93 ERA in 18 starts, striking out 176 batters in 107 innings,[6] and was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year.[7][8] He won the 2019 National Pitcher of the Year Award.[9]
Professional career
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers selected Small in the first round, with the 28th overall selection, of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for $1.8 million.[10][11][12] He made his professional debut with the Arizona League Brewers, and, after two games, was promoted to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.[13] Over seven starts between the two teams, he went 0–2 with a 0.86 ERA, striking out 36 over 21 innings.[14] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the season.[15]
Small began the 2021 season with the Biloxi Shuckers and was promoted to the Nashville Sounds during the season.[16] That June, he was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game.[17] Over 18 starts in 2021, Small went 4–2 with a 1.98 ERA and 92 strikeouts over 77+1⁄3 innings.[18]
Small was assigned to Triple-A Nashville to begin the 2022 season. On May 30, 2022, Small was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time to make a spot start against the Chicago Cubs.[19]
Small was optioned to Triple-A Nashville to begin the 2023 season.[20] He made two major league appearances for Milwaukee on the year, struggling to an 11.25 ERA with 6 strikeouts across 4.0 innings of work. On February 1, 2024, Small was designated for assignment by the Brewers.[21]
San Francisco Giants
On February 5, 2024, the Brewers traded Small to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for cash considerations.[22] He was placed on the 60–day injured list to begin the season after suffering a moderate right oblique strain.[23] Small was activated from the injured list on August 16 and was subsequently optioned to the Triple–A Sacramento River Cats.[24] On November 22, the Giants non–tendered Small, making him a free agent.[25]
On December 5, 2024, Small re–signed with the Giants organization on a minor league contract.[26] He made seven appearances for Sacramento in 2025, struggling to a 7.11 ERA with six strikeouts across 6+1⁄3 innings pitched. Small elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2025.[27][28]
Pitching style
Small features a lively low- to mid-90 mph fastball—scouts often described it as a "rising" fastball—a curveball and changeup.[29] He has been known to vary his windup timing on his pitches, to give him an advantage over hitters, similar to pitchers such as Marcus Stroman and Johnny Cueto.[30]