Andrew Heaney

Andrew Mark Heaney (born June 5, 1991) is a former American professional baseball pitcher who spent parts of a decade in Major League Baseball. He suited up for the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Before turning pro, Heaney played college ball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Marlins picked him in the first round of the 2012 draft, and he debuted in the majors in 2014. Heaney earned a World Series ring with the Rangers in 2023.

Heaney grew up in Oklahoma City and attended Putnam City High School in Warr Acres, Oklahoma. The Tampa Bay Rays drafted him in the 24th round of the 2009 draft, but he chose not to sign and instead enrolled at Oklahoma State. There, he pitched for the Cowboys in the Big 12 Conference. In the summer of 2011, he played for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League. As a junior in 2012, Heaney went 8–2 with a 1.60 ERA over 118 1/3 innings, leading all NCAA pitchers with 140 strikeouts. He was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and earned unanimous first-team All-America honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, the American Baseball Coaches Association, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

The Marlins selected Heaney ninth overall in the 2012 draft, and he signed for an estimated $2.6 million. In 2013, he started with the High-A Jupiter Hammerheads and later moved up to the Double-A Jacksonville Suns, stringing together a 34-inning scoreless streak across both stops. He began 2014 back in Jacksonville before being promoted to the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs in May. In his Triple-A debut against the Oklahoma City Redhawks, he threw five innings, allowing one run on seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks, earning a no-decision. Heaney made his MLB debut on June 19, 2014, against the New York Mets, pitching six innings and allowing one run while striking out three, but took the loss in a 1–0 game. For the Marlins that year, he appeared in seven games (five starts), going 0–3 with a 5.83 ERA and 20 strikeouts.

On December 10, 2014, the Marlins traded Heaney to the Los Angeles Dodgers alongside Chris Hatcher, Austin Barnes, and Enrique Hernández for Dan Haren, Dee Gordon, and Miguel Rojas. Just five hours later, the Dodgers flipped him to the Los Angeles Angels for Howie Kendrick. Heaney joked on Twitter about his brief Dodgers tenure, writing, “Well, @Dodgers we had a good run! Great to be a part of such a storied franchise. #thanksforthememories.” Called up due to injuries in the Angels’ rotation, he made 18 starts, going 6–4 with a 3.49 ERA and 78 strikeouts over 105 innings, posting a solid 2.79 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

In 2016, Heaney began the season as the Angels’ No. 2 starter. After his only start—six innings with four runs allowed—he felt elbow discomfort and landed on the disabled list. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection on April 30, sidelining him for six weeks, but follow-up evaluations on June 28 showed no improvement. On July 1, he underwent Tommy John surgery, ending his season with a 6.00 ERA over six innings. In 2017, he was 1–2 with a 7.06 ERA and 27 strikeouts. On his 27th birthday, June 5, 2018, Heaney threw a one-hit complete-game shutout, leading the Angels to a 1–0 win over the Kansas City Royals. He was the only Angels starter to make 30 starts that year, finishing 9–10 with a 4.15 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 180 innings.

Heaney entered 2019 as the projected Opening Day starter but developed elbow inflammation after his first spring start and was shut down. A setback during a side session on March 28 delayed him further. On July 6, 2019, he became the first pitcher to start after the death of teammate Tyler Skaggs. His first pitch to George Springer of the Houston Astros was a slow, overhand curveball—Skaggs’ signature pitch—and Springer took it without swinging. Heaney made 18 starts that season, going 4–6 with a 4.91 ERA. He was named the Angels’ Opening Day starter for the shortened 2020 season, pitching 4 2/3 innings in a 3–7 no-decision loss to the Oakland Athletics, striking out six and allowing one run. He finished the year 4–3 in 12 starts with 70 strikeouts over 66 2/3 innings.

On July 30, 2021, the Angels traded Heaney to the New York Yankees for Janson Junk and Elvis Peguero. On August 12, he started the first Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa, against the Chicago White Sox. He lasted five innings, giving up five hits, seven runs, three walks, and three home runs while striking out five in a 9–8 Yankees loss. Before the 2021 American League Wild Card Game, the Yankees designated Heaney for assignment. He rejected an outright assignment on October 8 and elected free agency.