Heath Totten

Heath Edward Totten

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 235 lb.
• School Lamar University
• Born September 30, 1978 in Port Arthur, TX USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Starter Heath Totten pitched in the minor and independent leagues from 2000 to 2008. He spent three full seasons and part of a fourth at Triple-A, but never ascended to the majors.

He was taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 5th round of the 2000 amateur draft, one pick ahead of pitcher Mike Smith, and began his pro career that year. He was 8-2 with a 2.30 ERA in 13 starts for the Yakima Bears in his debut, making the All-Star team and tying Brad Stiles and Dave Wolensky for second in the Northwest League in wins, behind Mark Freed's 9. He then slipped to 1-8, 5.93 in 11 games between two clubs in his sophomore campaign. He was 12-8 with a 3.42 ERA in 27 starts in 2002, then won 11 more games—to 12 losses—for the Jacksonville Suns in 2003. He led the Southern League in starts, innings pitched (181 1/3) and hits allowed (196), and tied for the lead in complete games (2) and shutouts (1), that year.

He reached Triple-A for the first time in 2004 and it stymied him. In 28 games (27 starts) for the Las Vegas 51s, he went 8-11 with a 5.46 ERA, allowing 213 hits (second in the 2004 IL, behind Jason Middlebrook's 220) in 160 innings. Returning to Las Vegas for 2005, he did even worse, going 7-9, 7.12 in 20 games (18 starts). He returned to Jacksonville for 2006, where he righted the ship, going 8-5 with a 3.29 ERA—though at 27 he was nearly three years older than the average league pitcher. He was a Southern League Mid-Season All-Star that year. He also pitched for the Aguilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Winter League, going 6-2 with a 2.74 ERA.

The Dodgers cut ties with him and he joined the Philadelphia Phillies system for 2007, going 3-10 with a 4.75 mark in 20 games (17 starts)—including a 1-5, 7.09 line in 5 starts for Triple-A Ottawa. He returned to Zulia that winter and, in a relief role, was 5-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 27 appearances. He played for three teams in 2008. He returned to the Dodgers chain and spent time in the Minnesota Twins system—both times playing at Triple-A—and went 8-7, 4.71 between them. He also pitched for the indy York Revolution, going 0-1, 7.94 in 4 relief outings.

Following his stateside career, he spent 2008-09 to 2011-12 in the Venezuelan Winter League. He was 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA for the Leones del Caracas in the 2010 Caribbean Series, losing to Efraín Nieves of the Indios de Mayagüez.

Blessed with excellent control, he averaged just 1.7 walks per nine innings throughout his career, which amounted to a little more than 22 in 117 innings per season, on average. Notable showings include 2003, when he surrendered just 17 walks in 181 1/3 frames, 2004 (29 BB in 160 IP), 2006-07 with Zulia (8 BB in 62 1/3 IP) and 2010-11 with the Bravos de Margarita (7 BB in 65 2/3 IP).

Overall, Totten went 90-95 with a 4.24 ERA in 286 games (235 starts) at all levels, including winter ball. In 1404 1/3 innings, he allowed 1,621 hits and 266 walks (1.344 WHIP), while striking out 886 batters. In the affiliated minors, he went 66-72 with a 4.38 ERA in 197 games (179 starts).