Chase Silseth

Chase Robert Silseth (born May 18, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Silseth was born and raised in Farmington, New Mexico, where he played baseball for Piedra Vista High School. He played college baseball at the University of Tennessee, College of Southern Nevada, and the University of Arizona. Silseth was selected in the 11th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Angels and signed with the team, forgoing his senior year of college. He made his MLB debut on May 13, 2022, becoming the first player in the 2021 draft class to reach the major leagues.

Amateur career
Silseth grew up in Farmington, New Mexico and attended Piedra Vista High School. As a junior, he pitched to a 8–2 record with a 0.56 ERA and 116 strikeouts. Silseth committed to play college baseball at Tennessee in November of his senior year. He was named the New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year in his senior season after he went 7–3 with a 1.25 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 56 innings pitched and also batted .328.

Silseth began his college baseball career at Tennessee. He went 1–1 with a 4.35 ERA in 18 appearances as a freshman. Silseth transferred to the College of Southern Nevada after his freshman year and played one season before transferring to the University of Arizona. In his lone season with the Wildcats, he posted a 8–1 record with a 5.55 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 18 starts.

Professional career
Silseth was selected in the 11th round by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft. After signing with the team he was assigned to the Arizona Complex League Angels before being promoted to the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas. Silseth returned to the Trash Pandas to start the 2022 season and was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Month for April. After the season, he was chosen for the Southern League Pitcher of the Year Award.

2022 season
On May 13, 2022, the Angels selected Silseth's contract and promoted him to the active roster. He made his major league debut that night against the Oakland Athletics, pitching six scoreless innings while striking out four batters. Silseth became the first player from the 2021 MLB draft to debut in MLB. Silseth made seven starts for the Angels in his rookie campaign, posting a 1-3 record and 6.59 earned run average (ERA) with 24 strikeouts in 28.2 innings pitched.

2023 season
Silseth began incorporating a cutter the next year in spring training, but struggled and was optioned to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees to begin the 2023 season. He was promoted to the active roster on April 26, 2023. He made his first appearance of the season that night against the Oakland Athletics, pitching 2 scoreless innings in relief. On August 26, Silseth was struck in the head by a thrown ball from Trey Cabbage while running to back up third base in the fourth inning of a game against the New York Mets. He was assisted off the field and taken to a hospital for tests. Silseth was alert and able to speak en route, and was released from the hospital the same night. However, the Angels placed him on the 7-day injured list with a concussion on August 29. After making two rehab starts with Salt Lake, Silseth returned to the Angels and made one last major league start before the end of the season, in which he pitched four innings and allowed one run. He finished the season with a 3.96 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched.

2024 season
Silseth began the 2024 season out of the Angels' rotation, logging a 6.75 ERA with 12 strikeouts across 2 starts. He was placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation on April 8, 2024, and was later transferred to the 60–day injured list on April 30. On June 25, Silseth was activated from the injured list and optioned to Triple–A Salt Lake.