Andrew Wantz

Andrew Hunter Wantz (born October 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.

Amateur career
Wantz attended and played baseball at Holly Springs High School in Holly Springs, North Carolina. He then played college baseball for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League where he was named a league all-star. Wantz was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the seventh round of the 2018 MLB draft.

Professional career
Wantz made his professional debut with the rookie-level Orem Owlz. He also played for the Single-A Burlington Bees, pitching to a cumulative 1–2 record and 2.74 ERA in 18 games. In 2019, Wantz split the season the High-A Inland Empire 66ers and the Double-A Mobile BayBears, posting a 5–9 record and 5.34 ERA with 112 strikeouts in 96.0 innings of work.

Wantz did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was assigned to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees to begin the 2021 season, where he recorded a 2.10 ERA in 8 appearances.

On July 3, 2021, Wantz was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut the following day, pitching $1 1⁄3$ innings of relief against the Baltimore Orioles.

On April 19, 2022, the Angels recalled Wantz from Triple-A Salt Lake and added him to the active roster. Wantz made his first major league starting appearance on June 27, at the last minute as an opener, but was ejected for the first time in his career after one pitch in the second inning (and twelve pitches total), which hit Seattle Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker, triggering a bench-clearing brawl which resulted in eight players and both team managers being ejected, including Wantz and Winker. Wantz threw a pitch behind the head of the second batter of the game, Julio Rodríguez, in the first inning. The day after, Wantz was suspended three games by Major League Baseball, with his manager Phil Nevin receiving a ten-game suspension for ordering a beanball despite both teams being warned not to. He ultimately pitched in 42 contests for the Angels in 2022, logging a 3.22 ERA with 52 strikeouts.

In 2023, Wantz made 27 appearances for Los Angeles, registering a 3.89 ERA with 33 strikeouts across $39 1⁄3$ innings of work. He was optioned to Triple–A Salt Lake to begin the 2024 season. Wantz made only one appearances for the Angels before he was placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation on July 2. He was transferred to the 60–day injured list three days later.