Ryan Helsley

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Ryan Dalton Helsley

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Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Ryan Helsley who made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019, is a member of the Cherokee Tribe.

On May 1, 2022, one of his pitches was clocked at 103.1 mph on the radar gun, the fastest by anyone that season, although still a couple of mph off the all-time record held jointly by Aroldis Chapman and teammate Jordan Hicks. He took over as the Cardinals' closer during the season, ending up with 19 saves to go along with a 9-1 record and a 1.25 ERA in 54 games. He struck out 94 batters in 64 2/3 innings. In Game 1 of the Wild Card Series on October 7th, he was brought in to protect a 2-0 lead against the Philadelphia Phillies with one out in the 8th. Things started off very well as he retired two batters to end the 8th and then started off the 9th by striking out Rhys Hoskins, but after that he fell apart completely, losing his control as he allowed a single to J.T. Realmuto then walked Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos to load the bases. He hit Alec Bohm with a pitch to force in a first run, and was replaced by Andre Pallante. What could have been a double play grounder by Jean Segura, which would have ended the game, went past 2B Tommy Edman; two runs scored, and the Phils eventually scored six runs in the nightmarish inning, pinning the loss on Ryan.

He was limited to 33 outings in 2023, going 3-4, 2.45 with 14 saves. His numbers were good, however, with just 22 hits and 17 walks allowed in 36 2/3 innings and 52 strikeouts. He then put it all together in 2024 when he was named to the All-Star team for the second time and ended up leading the National League and the majors with 49 saves, a number that constituted a franchise record. He also led the league with 62 games finished and went 7-4, 2.04 in 65 outings with 79 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings. After the season, he was named the winner of the Trevor Hoffman Award. In 2025, he was at 3-1, 3.00 with 21 saves in 36 games after four months when he was traded to the New York Mets on July 30th. In return, the Cardinals obtained three prospects: Ps Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt and IF Jesus Baez. He pitched very poorly after the trade, going 0-3, 7.20 in 22 games for New York, while allowing 25 hits in 20 innings.

He became a free agent after the 2025 season and it was rumored that a number of teams were interested in him as a starting pitcher, a role he had not performed since reaching the majors in 2019. The point of comparison was Clay Holmes, who had made a successful transition to the starting rotation with the Mets in 2025 after losing his role as the closer of the New York Yankees the year before. On November 29th, it was reported that he had reached an agreement on a two-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles to be the team's closer with the expected absence of incumbent Felix Bautista.

Notable Achievements[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

  • John Denton: "Radar gun on the fritz? No, 103.1 mph is real", mlb.com, May 1, 2022. [1]
  • John Denton: "Cards get 2 of Mets' top 15 prospects for Helsley", mlb.com, July 30, 2025. [2]
  • Thomas Harrigan: "Clase, Helsley named Relievers of the Year", mlb.com, November 14, 2024. [3]
  • Thomas Harrigan: "2-time All-Star closer could be next to transition to starting", mlb.com, November 23, 2025. [4]
  • Chuck King: "Helsley developing cutter to add to an already impressive arsenal", mlb.com, March 10, 2025. [5]
  • Jake Rill: "Helsley agrees to 2-year, $28 million deal with Orioles", mlb.com, November 29, 2025. [6]

Related Sites[edit]

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