Biography
Tony Marcel Sipp (born July 12, 1983) is an American professional baseball relief pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians, Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, and Washington Nationals.
Amateur career
Born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Sipp graduated from Moss Point High School in Moss Point, Mississippi, where he also competed in football, winning a state title with the team in 2000. In baseball, Sipp also helped Moss Point High reach the state championship in baseball. Sipp and fellow major leaguer Joey Butler formerly played against one another, as they are both from Jackson County, Mississippi. Sipp played for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and also attended Okaloosa-Walton College, before transferring to Clemson University. In 2003, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and returned to the league in 2004 to play for the Cotuit Kettleers.
Professional career
Minor leagues
After being drafted by Cleveland in the 45th round in 2004, Sipp played with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Lake County Captains, Kinston Indians, Akron Aeros, and Columbus Clippers.
Cleveland Indians
He made his major league debut on April 22, 2009. Coming out of the bullpen, Sipp went 2–0 with an ERA of 2.92, recording 48 strikeouts. In 4 years in the Indians bullpen, he appeared in 248 games and recorded 167 holds, striking out 225 batters and recording a 3.68 ERA.
Arizona Diamondbacks
On December 12, 2012, Sipp was acquired by the Arizona Diamondbacks in a nine-player three-team blockbuster trade that sent Shin-Soo Choo to the Cincinnati Reds. He was designated for assignment on August 4, 2013. He became a free agent on November 27, 2013.
Houston Astros
Sipp signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres in February 2014. On May 1, he was released by the Padres, then he signed a major league deal with the Houston Astros. Sipp became a key component of the Astros' bullpen for the remainder of the 2014 season, posting a 2.94 xFIP and striking out 11.19 batters per nine innings of work. On December 11, 2015, the Astros re-signed Sipp to a 3-year, $18 million contract.In 2017, Sipp made 46 appearances out of the bullpen and finished the season 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA. The Astros finished 2017 with a 101-61 record, giving them an AL West pennant clincher. Sipp did not see any sort of postseason action, but was still on the 40-man roster at the time, as the Astros won the 2017 World Series.
Washington Nationals
On March 14, 2019, Sipp signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Washington Nationals. The deal includes a mutual option for the 2020 season. He was designated for assignment on August 2 after posting an ERA of 4.71 in 36 appearances. He was released shortly afterwards. Reports involving the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal state that prior to the 2019 World Series Nationals ace Max Scherzer reached out to Sipp and asked if the Nationals needed to be concerned about the Astros even with no runners on base, to which Sipp replied yes.
Pitching style
Sipp throws four pitches: a four-seam fastball (91-94 mph), a two-seam fastball (89–91), a slider (79–82), and a changeup to right-handed hitters (78–81). The slider is his most common two-strike pitch.