“Has absolutely the worst delivery I have ever seen, except possibly Floyd Youmans.”
- From The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers (2004)
In the year 2000…
A funky sidearming lefty made his MLB debut on opening day, then went on to tie for the MLB lead with 83 appearances for the season.
That would be Kelly Wunsch. Born July 12, 1972, in Houston, Tex., Wunsch was drafted twice. First, he was drafted out of high school by the Braves in the 54th round in 1990, but opted for college. The Brewers came calling in 1993, when they selected Wunsch in the first round (26th overall) out of Texas A&M, where he majored in mechanical engineering. He was the free agent compensation pick from the Blue Jays when Toronto signed Paul Molitor.
On April 15, 1994, pitching for Beloit of the Class-A Midwest League, Wunsch made history when he struck out five batters in the third inning in a game against Springfield. He was the first minor leaguer since Ron Necciai on May 17, 1952, with five whiffs in an inning (side note – Necciai struck out 24 in that game – for the Bristol Twins in the Class-D Appalachian League… after pitching a 27-strikeout no-hitter in his previous start four days earlier).
Wunsch continued making his way through the minors. He struggled to a 5.51 ERA as a starter for Beloit (A) and Stockton (Advanced A) in 1995, then missed all of 1996 with injuries. As noted in the 2003 White Sox media guide, he “proposed to his wife in 1997 while disguised as the Class A Stockton team mascot.” The team was the Stockton “Ports,” and the mascot is apparently a large fuzzy red thing and not an actual port, though it would be interesting to see someone try to pull off dressing as a port.
MLB
In any event, Wunsch was granted free agency by the Brewers in Oct. 1999 without yet reaching the majors. One month later he signed with the White Sox as a non-roster invitee to spring training and made the team. He went on to have a great rookie season, posting a 2.93 ERA in 61 1/3 innings with 51 strikeouts and a 1.288 WHIP. He finished fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Kazuhiro Sasaki, Terrence Long, Mark Quinn and Bengie Molina. His 83 games in 2000 remain a White Sox rookie record (15 more than the next highest total). The rookie lefty even appeared in three games in the 2000 ALDS against the Mariners, collecting a loss in one inning work with one unearned run allowed.
2001 was tough. Wunsch pitched to a 7.66 ERA in 33 games before shoulder surgery ended his season in June. The lefty specialist returned to the mound in May 2002 and bounced back with a 3.41 ERA in 50 games (31.2 IP). Wunsch started 2003 on fire. His sidearm funk held opponents hitless over his first nine appearances (7 IP), scoreless over his first 14 appearances (11 1/3 IP), and had a 1.15 ERA and .102 opponent batting average in 22 appearances when he suffered a strained left lat at home against the Giants. He wasn’t quite as good when he returned, walking 16 in 20 1/3 IP with a 3.98 ERA.
He made only three appearances for the White Sox in 2004; by now the lefty reliever spots belonged to Damaso Marte and Neal Cotts. He pitched fairly well with Triple-A Charlotte and signed a free agent deal with the Dodgers in 2005, where he took the mound 45 times to the tune of a 4.56 ERA. Despite an attempt to come back with the Astros in spring 2007, he never made it back to the majors.
Since 2007, Wunsch has worked as a home builder and realtor, running Kelly Wunsch Homes in Austin, Tex. He has also worked as a color analyst for the Round Rock Express on radio and television.
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