Chris Bassitt

Chris Bassitt (full name Christopher Michael Bassitt, born February 22, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher currently with the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also pitched for the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays. Bassitt made his MLB debut with the White Sox in 2014. Before turning pro, he was a standout in both basketball and baseball at Genoa Area High School in Ohio and later played college baseball for the University of Akron.

In high school, Bassitt earned first-team All-Suburban Lakes League honors in both sports during his senior year. On the baseball diamond that season, he posted a 1.56 ERA and struck out 65 batters over 56 innings. Though recruited to play college basketball, he chose to attend the University of Akron and redshirted his first year. As a redshirt freshman in 2009, he served as the Zips’ closer, going 1–2 with a 3.52 ERA and seven saves. His sophomore year saw him pitch in just one game while focusing on academics. In his junior year (2011), Bassitt posted a 1.42 ERA and held opponents to a .183 batting average, earning a spot on the All-MAC second team.

The Chicago White Sox selected Bassitt in the 16th round of the 2011 MLB draft (501st overall). He signed and began his pro career with the rookie-level Bristol White Sox. In 2013, he started with the High-A Winston-Salem Dash, where he was named an all-star, then moved up to the Double-A Birmingham Barons. That year, the White Sox converted him from a reliever to a starter, and he went 11–4 with a 3.08 ERA and 138 strikeouts over 26 starts for Birmingham. He later pitched in the Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs, posting a 0.90 ERA in 10 innings. Before the 2014 season, Bassitt broke his right hand. After three rehab appearances in the rookie-level Arizona League, he returned to Birmingham, where he went 3–1 with a 1.56 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings.

Bassitt made his MLB debut on August 30, 2014, starting against the Detroit Tigers. He finished the season with a 3.94 ERA in six appearances for Chicago. After the regular season, he returned to Glendale in the AFL, striking out 22 batters and walking just three over 13 innings, with a 0.69 ERA.

Following the 2014 season, the White Sox traded Bassitt, Josh Phegley, Marcus Semien, and Rangel Ravelo to the Oakland Athletics for Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa. Bassitt began 2015 with Triple-A Nashville and was called up to the majors on April 23. In 18 games (13 starts) that year, he went 1–8 with a 3.56 ERA. His 2016 season was cut short after five starts (0–2, 6.11 ERA) when he underwent Tommy John surgery on May 5, sidelining him for the rest of the year. He missed most of 2017 recovering, then returned to the A’s rotation on June 9, 2018, for his first start in two years. After a leg injury landed him on the injured list on March 26, 2019, Bassitt finished that season with a 10–5 record in 28 games (25 starts), striking out 141 batters over 144 innings.

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Bassitt went 5–2 with a 2.29 ERA in 11 starts. He was named American League Pitcher of the Month for September after going 3–0 in four starts while allowing just one run in 26 2/3 innings. On May 27, 2021, he threw his first career complete game—a 5–0 shutout of the Los Angeles Angels, allowing only two hits and striking out nine. On August 17, 2021, Bassitt was struck in the face by a line drive and left the field on a motorized stretcher; he returned to the mound on September 23.

On March 12, 2022, the Athletics traded Bassitt to the New York Mets for J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller. Bassitt and the Mets agreed to a one-year, $8.65 million contract for 2022, with a $19 million option (or $150,000 buyout) for 2023. On November 8, 2022, he opted out of the contract, receiving the buyout, and became a free agent.

On December 16, 2022, Bassitt signed a three-year, $63 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. On May 12, 2023, he threw a complete-game shutout against the Atlanta Braves, allowing only two hits. That year, he was nominated for the All-MLB Team. Over 33 starts in 2023, he went 16–8 with a 3.60 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 200 innings. In 2024, Bassitt made 31 starts, going 10–14 with a 4.16 ERA and 168 strikeouts in 171 innings. During the 2025 season, he appeared in 32 games (31 starts) for Toronto, posting an 11–9 record and 3.96 ERA with 166 strikeouts.

On February 13, 2026, Bassitt signed with the Baltimore Orioles.