Andrew Heaney
Position: LHP
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/L
Born: 06/05/1991
College: Oklahoma State University
Drafted: Drafted 1st round, 9th Overall, 2012 (Marlins)
How Acquired: Free Agent
Bonus: $2,600,000
40-man Roster: Yes
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Minor League Free Agency: N/A
Options Left: N/A
Overview
The Marlins drafted Heaney ninth overall in 2012. He’s since evolved into a solid 4th starter. He throws a four-seamer in the low-90s. For much of his career, it averaged around 93, but it dropped over 2023-24 to 91.5. He relies heavily on a slider, although he dropped it in favor of a curve from 2017-21. He also throws a change. The three pitches seem to be about equally effective. Heaney has nearly always had very good control and usually good K rates as well, although that dropped off a bit in 2024. He’s a flyball pitcher and his biggest weakness has consistently been the gopher ball. For his career, Heaney has only a mild platoon split, but he’s been much more prone to home runs by right-handed hitters. The Pirates signed him as a free agent to a one-year deal for 2025.
2012-14
Heaney made six starts in his draft year, four of them in low A. In 2013, he made a dozen starts in high A with an 0.88 ERA, then moved up to AA. In six starts there, he had a 2.94 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP, although he struck out only 6.1 per nine innings.
The Marlins sent Heaney back to AA to open 2014, then moved him up to AAA in mid-May. After four starts there, they called him up. He made four starts in the majors, then went back to AAA for most of the season before finishing with three games with the Marlins. Heaney had a 3.94 ERA in AAA, but got knocked around some in the majors, allowing a home run better than every five innings.
After the season, Miami traded Heaney to the Dodgers as part of a six-player deal. The Dodgers sent him on the same day to the Angels for Howie Kendrick.
2015-17
The Angels sent Heaney back to AAA to start the 2015 season and stayed there until mid-June. He had a bad run over his last three weeks or so that left him with a 4.71 ERA. After the Angels called him up, though, he pitched much better, posting a 3.49 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 18 starts. He had a BB/9 of just 2.4, but he also had a K/9 of only 6.6.
After one start in 2016, Heaney went on the injured list with a sore elbow. He tried PRP injections without success, then had Tommy John surgery. After missing the rest of 2016, Heaney returned in July of 2017 and eventually worked his way back to the majors, making five starts with the Angels.
2018-21
Heaney made 30 starts for the Angels, throwing 180 innings and striking out 180, both still career highs. He had a BB/9 of 2.3, but did allow 27 home runs. He finished with an ERA of 4.15, which was just under the MLB average.
In 2019, Heaney missed the first two months with left elbow inflammation, and also missed several weeks around mid-season. He ended up making 18 starts with a 4.91 ERA and 11.1 K/9. Gopher balls were a bigger problem, as he allowed almost two per nine innings.
In the pandemic season, Heaney made a dozen starts with 4.46 ERA. He cut the home runs to 1.2 per nine innings. The following year he was shakier, with his home run and walk rates going up. He had a 5.27 ERA with the Angels through the end of July, at which point they traded him to the Yankees. Things got rougher there, as Heaney allowed 13 home runs in just 35.2 IP, leading to a 7.32 ERA over a dozen games, only five of them starts. The Yankees designated Heaney for assignment after the season and he elected free agency.
2022-24
Heaney signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers for 2022 and ended up having the best season of his career, or actually the best half-season. He went on the injured list in mid-April with a sore shoulder, returned in June to pitch one game, then returned for good near the end of July. One the season, Heaney pitched 16 games, 14 starts, and posted a 3.10 ERA. He also had a career-high K/9 of 13.6 while walking only 2.3 per nine innings, and had a career-low WHIP of 1.09. He did have trouble with home runs, allowing 1.7 ever nine innings.
After the 2022 season the Rangers signed Heaney for two years. He had similar seasons, although his records were very dissimilar. In 2023, he went 10-6 and had a strong start to win Game 4 of the World Series. In 2024, he went 5-14. His ERA was about the same both years, 4.15 in 2023 and 4.28 in 2024. His xFIP actually improved, from 4.58 to 4.18, and his WHIP did as well, from 1.38 to 1.25. In 2023, Heaney uncharacteristically walked 3.7 per nine innings, but he reduced that to 2.3 in 2024. His K/9 was 9.2 in 2023 and 8.9 in 2024, and he allowed 1.4 home runs per nine innings the first year and 1.3 the next.
Stats
Transactions
June 11, 2009: Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 24th round, 739th overall pick.
June 4, 2012: Drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 1st round, 9th overall pick; signed July 13.
June 16, 2014: Contract purchased by the Miami Marlins.
December 11, 2014: Traded by the Miami Marlins with Chris Hatcher, Enrique Hernandez and Austin Barnes to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Dee Gordon, Dan Haren, Miguel Rojas and cash.
December 11, 2014: Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Los Angeles Angels for Howie Kendrick.
July 30, 2021: Traded by the Los Angeles Angels with cash to the New York Yankees for Janson Junk and Elvis Peguero.
October 5, 2021: Designated for assignment by the New York Yankees; elected free agency on October 7.
November 10, 2021: Signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
November 6, 2022: Became a free agent.
December 9, 2022: Signed as a free agent by the Texas Rangers.
October 31, 2024: Became a free agent.
February 21, 2025: Signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates.