Bio
RHP Zach Willeman is set to join the Explorers this season following a year in the Miami Marlins organization. Willeman will be entering his sixth season of professional baseball, spending the past five between the Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals organizations. Last year was Willeman’s one and only year in Miami’s organization after signing a minor league contract in the offseason. In 2023, the righty pitched in 14 games with AA Pensacola, putting up a 7.13 ERA with 15 strikeouts and a 1.64 WHIP. He finished his season with a 3.60 ERA over five innings across his final four appearances.
As a 26-year-old in 2022, it was Willeman’s first professional season outside of the Dodgers organization, splitting time between AA and AAA for the Royals. He made the move to Kansas City’s organization as the PTBNL from the Danny Duffy trade that was made in July 2021. The righty started at AA Northwest Arkansas, pitching 22.2 innings across 16 games with a 5.16 ERA, but by the end of May, he had earned a 1.59 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 11.1 innings between May 4 and May 26. After a strong showing in May, the Royals promoted him to AAA Omaha where he posted a 3.29 ERA over 13.2 innings between June 10 and July 11. He ended the season with a 0.96 ERA over 9.1 innings during his final seven games of the season.
In 2021, Willeman returned to the mound in the minors after the 2020 hiatus. Throughout the season, he put up a 3.78 ERA across 47.2 innings out of the bullpen, also striking out 59 batters during that span. His season included a span of nearly two months where he held a 1.73 ERA over 26 innings between June 25 and Aug. 22 for the Drillers.
Prior to the shutdown, Willeman had an adjustment year at Single-A Great Lakes. Across the season, he had a 5.38 ERA with a 1.68 WHIP, starting his first five games of the season before being moved to a bullpen role.
After being selected in the 19th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Dodgers, the then-22-year-old first appeared for the AZL Dodgers in rookie ball, allowing one earned run over 10.2 innings in five games. He was promoted to Single-A Great Lakes, where he held a 2.16 ERA with 10 strikeouts over 8.1 innings.
Willeman was drafted out of Kent State, where he played all three of his college years. His 2017 season was his first as a true starter, beginning games in 13 of his 14 appearances. Across the season, he had a 4.91 ERA with 57 strikeouts over 66 innings. During his sophomore year of 2016, he led the Golden Flashes with 14 saves, striking out 38 in his 36.2 innings with a 2.70 ERA. He led the team in saves, posting a 2.81 ERA with 34 strikeouts over 25.2 innings, not allowing a run over his final six appearances. Willeman attended Napoleon High School in Ohio before his time in college, posting a 0.63 ERA with 121 strikeouts as a senior.