Andrew Heaney

Andrew Mark Heaney (born June 5, 1991) is a former American professional baseball pitcher. Over his MLB career, he pitched for the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He played college ball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, was drafted by the Marlins in the first round of the 2012 draft, and made his big-league debut in 2014. Heaney won 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 picked him in the 24th round of the 2009 draft, but he chose not to sign and instead went to Oklahoma State University. There, he pitched for the Cowboys in the Big 12 Conference. In 2011, he played summer ball 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, led all NCAA pitchers with 140 strikeouts, and was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. He also 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 moved up to the Double-A Jacksonville Suns in August, putting together a 34-inning scoreless streak between the two stops. He began 2014 back in Jacksonville, then was promoted to the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs in May. In his Triple-A debut against the Oklahoma City Redhawks, he threw five innings, allowed one run on seven hits, struck out seven, and walked none, 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 with three strikeouts, but took the loss in a 1–0 game. For the Marlins that season, 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 after injuries hit the Angels’ rotation, he made 18 starts in 2015, going 6–4 with a 3.49 ERA and 78 strikeouts over 105 innings, posting a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.79.

In 2016, Heaney began the season as the Angels’ No. 2 starter. In his only start, he allowed four runs over six innings before leaving with elbow discomfort. He was placed on the disabled list, received a platelet-rich plasma injection on April 30, and was sidelined for six weeks. After evaluations on June 28 showed no improvement, he underwent Tommy John surgery on July 1, missing the rest of the season. He finished 2016 with a 6.00 ERA in six innings. In 2017, he went 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 in a 1–0 Angels 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 No. 1 starter but developed elbow inflammation after his first spring start and was shut down. He suffered a setback during a side session on March 28 and was shut down again. On July 6, 2019, Heaney started the game following the death of teammate Tyler Skaggs. His first pitch—a slow, overhand curveball, Skaggs’ signature pitch—was thrown to George Springer of the Houston Astros, who took it for a called strike without swinging. Over 18 starts that season, Heaney went 4–6 with a 4.91 ERA.

Heaney was the Angels’ opening day starter in 2020. In a 3–7 no-decision loss to the Oakland Athletics, he pitched 4 2/3 innings, struck out six, and allowed one run. In the shortened season, he made 12 starts, went 4–3, and struck out 70 batters in 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 pitched five innings, giving up five hits, seven runs, three walks, and three home runs while striking out five, and the Yankees lost 9–8. 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.