T.J. Sikkema

Tyler James Sikkema (born July 25, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization. He played college baseball for the Missouri Tigers.

T. J. Sikkema
Kansas City Royals
Pitcher
Born: (1998-07-25) July 25, 1998
Clinton, Iowa
Bats: Left
Throws: Left

Amateur career

Sikkema attended Central DeWitt High School in his hometown of DeWitt, Iowa. In 2016, his senior season, he went 8-1 with a 1.03 ERA, earning All-State honors.[1] [2]Unselected in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at the University of Missouri where he played college baseball for the Missouri Tigers.

In 2017, Sikkema's freshman year at Missouri, he appeared in 22 games (three starts), pitching to an 8-2 record with a 2.72 ERA and four saves, earning a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team.[3][4][5] As a sophomore in 2018, Sikkema pitched in 16 games (making ten starts), going 3-5 with a 3.34 ERA.[6] After the season, he played for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League where he went 1-3 with a 1.72 ERA in 31+1⁄3 innings, and was named a league all-star.[7][8][9] In 2019, his junior season, he compiled a 7-4 record with a 1.32 ERA in 17 games (13 starts), striking out 101 batters in 88+2⁄3 innings.[10] He was named to the All-SEC Second Team.[11]

Professional career

New York Yankees organization

Sikkema was selected by the New York Yankees with the 38th overall selection of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[12][13] He signed with the Yankees for the slot value of $1.95 million and made his professional debut with the Staten Island Yankees of the Class A Short Season New York–Penn League.[14][15] Over 10+2⁄3 innings, he gave up one run. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] He missed all of the 2021 season due to a shoulder injury.[17]

Sikkema was assigned to the Hudson Valley Renegades of the High-A South Atlantic League to begin the 2022 season.[18]

Kansas City Royals organization

On July 27, 2022, Sikkema, Beck Way, and Chandler Champlain were traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Andrew Benintendi.[19] He was subsequently assigned to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Double-A Texas League.[20] Over 18 starts between Hudson Valley and Northwest Arkansas, Sikkema went 1-6 with a 4.83 ERA and 83 strikeouts over 69 innings.[21] He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros after the season.[22] He returned to the Naturals for the 2023 season.[23] Over 34 relief appearances, Sikkema went 4-4 with a 5.85 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 72+1⁄3 innings.[24]

References
  1. Coss, Matt. "Q-C pitchers lead INA all-state selections". The Quad-City Times.
  2. "TJ Sikkema".
  3. Batterson, Steve. "Tigers' Sikkema embraces the battle". The Quad-City Times.
  4. "Missouri's Sikkema named second-team preseason All-American". Columbia Daily Tribune.
  5. Kurelac, Josh (May 22, 2017). "Mizzou's T.J. Sikkema makes All-SEC Freshman Team". KRCG.
  6. Raley, Clare. "On the mound: A look at Missouri baseball's pitching staff". Columbia Missourian.
  7. "Get ready to watch these Cape League stars soon at your favorite MLB ballpark". Capecodtimes.com.
  8. "TJ Sikkema". Pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  9. "2018 Cape League All-Stars Announced". Capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  10. Dave Matter. "Athletes of the year and more: Mizzou sports superlatives for 2018-19". Union-bulletin.com.
  11. Martin, Derek. "Mizzou's Sikkema named All-SEC Second-Team". KMAland.com.
  12. Malloy, Quinn. "Missouri baseball's Misner, Sikkema selected 35th, 38th in MLB Draft". Fairfield Sun Times.
  13. Kuty, Brendan (June 4, 2019). "MLB Draft 2019: Yankees pick T.J. Sikkema with No. 38 overall pick, thanks to Sonny Gray trade - Scouting report". nj.com.
  14. Rosenstein, Mike (June 7, 2019). "MLB Draft 2019: Yankees sign seven picks, including Missouri's TJ Sikkema - Who will be the fastest riser". Nj.com. NJ Advance Publications. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  15. "As pro career begins, Sikkema returns to his roots". Qctimes.com.
  16. "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
  17. "Kevin Goldstein FanGraphs Chat - 8/30/2021". Blogs.fangraphs.com. August 30, 2021.
  18. "Pinstriped Power: 2022 Break Camp Roster Revealed". Milb.com.
  19. "Yankees get 'boost of energy' with deal for Benintendi". Mlb.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  20. "Hottest pitching prospects in each system". MLB.com.
  21. "T.J. Sikkema Stats, Fantasy & News".
  22. "The Arizona Fall League rosters are here -- and they're loaded". MLB.com.
  23. https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/where-royals-top-prospects-are-starting-2023-season.html
  24. https://www.milb.com/player/t-j-sikkema-674674
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