Tony Marcel Sipp is an American professional baseball relief pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball.
Education
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. Sipp played for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and also attended Okaloosa-Walton College, before transferring to Clemson University.
Career
He previously played for the Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diamondbacks. 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.
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 European Research Area 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 European Research Area. 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.
San Diego Padres
Sipp signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres in February 2014.
On May 1, he was released in order to sign a major league deal with the Astros. Houston Astros
The same day he was released by the Padres, 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.
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 2-strike pitch.