Austin Bibens-Dirkx
Austin Mitchell Bibens-Dirkx is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. He played in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers and for the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
Amateur career
Bibens-Dirkx attended McNary High School in Keizer, Oregon, Chemeketa Community College, and later the University of Portland.Professional career
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners drafted Bibens-Dirkx in the 16th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. He began his professional career that summer, splitting time between the short season Everett AquaSox, the Class-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, and the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. He went a combined 2–2 with a 1.64 ERA and five saves in 38 innings pitched. In, Bibens-Dirkx played for the Class-A Advanced High Desert Mavericks of the California League. He went 3–1 with a 4.42 ERA, 26 strikeouts and eight saves. Bibens-Dirkx split the season between High Desert and the Rookie-level Peoria Mariners. He was placed on the disabled list twice and made rehab starts in Peoria. He went a combined 3–1 with a 7.06 ERA in 38 games. The Mariners released him on April 3, 2009.Victoria Seals
In, Bibens-Dirkx played for the Victoria Seals of the Golden Baseball League.Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs purchased his contract partway into the season. He was then assigned to the Class-A Peoria Chiefs. Bibens-Dirkx finished the season with a 7–2 record with a 2.04 ERA, 50 strikeouts and one save in 12 games, eight starts. He remained with the Cubs organization for the next two seasons while also pitching in the offseasons in the Venezuelan winter league with Águilas del Zulia.Washington Nationals
In January 2012, Bibens-Dirkx signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals that included an invitation to spring training. He pitched for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators and Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs in 2012.Colorado Rockies
After leaving the Nationals, Bibens-Dirkx finished 2012 pitching for the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox in the Colorado Rockies organization. He once again pitched with Zulia in Venezuela in the winter.Toronto Blue Jays
Bibens-Dirkx played for the High-A Dunedin Blue Jays and Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2013 in the Toronto Blue Jays organization and also with Zulia again in the offseason. In 2014, he played for New Hampshire and the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. He pitched again in the offseason but this time with Toros del Este in the Dominican winter league. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Blue Jays in November 2014 and spent the 2015 season with Buffalo and New Hampshire. On November 6, 2015, Bibens-Dirkx elected free agency. He spent that offseason back in Venezuela, this time with Tigres de Aragua.Lancaster Barnstormers
On April 5, 2016, Bibens-Dirkx signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.Texas Rangers
On June 14, 2016, Bibens-Dirkx signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers organization. In 17 games for the Triple-A Round Rock Express, he compiled a 3–2 record and 4.34 ERA with 62 strikeouts across 85 innings pitched. Bibens-Dirkx elected free agency following the season on November 7. Bibens-Dirkx re-signed with the Rangers on a new minor league contract on December 16, 2016. He began the 2017 season with the Express.On May 7, 2017, the Rangers promoted Bibens-Dirkx to the major leagues. He made his major league debut on May 17, 2017, pitching one inning and giving up one earned run. Bibens-Dirkx struck out Tommy Joseph of the Philadelphia Phillies for his first major league strikeout. He was outrighted to Triple-A on November 6, but declined the assignment and became a free agent. On December 19, he re-signed with the Rangers on another minor league contract.
He was assigned to Triple-A Round Rock Express to begin the 2018 season but also pitched 13 games with the Rangers during the season. On June 20, he and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa became the first two battery members with hyphenated last names. That night, he earned his first win of the season. Bibens-Dirkx made 17 appearances for Round Rock, compiling a 3–6 record and 5.68 ERA with 79 strikeouts across innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 2, 2018.