Ethan Small

Ethan Small
Small playing with the Mississippi State Bulldogs
Free agent
Pitcher
Born: (1997-02-14) February 14, 1997 (age 29)
Jackson, Tennessee, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
May 30, 2022, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Win–loss record0–0
Earned run average8.71
Strikeouts13
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Ethan Robert Small (born February 14, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Amateur career

Small attended Lexington High School in Lexington, Tennessee. He was not drafted out of high school in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, thus enrolling at Mississippi State University.

As a freshman at Mississippi State in 2016, Small pitched only ten innings. After the season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League. After his freshman campaign, he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2017. He returned as a redshirt sophomore in 2018, starting 18 games, going 5–4 with a 3.20 earned run average (ERA). In 2019, Small went 10–2 with a 1.93 ERA in 18 starts, striking out 176 batters in 107 innings, and was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year. He won the 2019 National Pitcher of the Year Award.

Professional career

Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers selected Small in the first round, with the 28th overall selection, of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for $1.8 million. He made his professional debut with the Arizona League Brewers, and, after two games, was promoted to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Over seven starts between the two teams, he went 0–2 with a 0.86 ERA, striking out 36 over 21 innings. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the season.

Small began the 2021 season with the Biloxi Shuckers and was promoted to the Nashville Sounds during the season. That June, he was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game. Over 18 starts in 2021, Small went 4–2 with a 1.98 ERA and 92 strikeouts over 77+1⁄3 innings.

Small was assigned to Triple-A Nashville to begin the 2022 season. On May 30, 2022, Small was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time to make a spot start against the Chicago Cubs.

Small was optioned to Triple-A Nashville to begin the 2023 season. He made two major league appearances for Milwaukee on the year, struggling to an 11.25 ERA with 6 strikeouts across 4.0 innings of work. On February 1, 2024, Small was designated for assignment by the Brewers.

San Francisco Giants

On February 5, 2024, the Brewers traded Small to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for cash considerations. He was placed on the 60–day injured list to begin the season after suffering a moderate right oblique strain. Small was activated from the injured list on August 16 and was subsequently optioned to the Triple–A Sacramento River Cats. On November 22, the Giants non–tendered Small, making him a free agent.

On December 5, 2024, Small re–signed with the Giants organization on a minor league contract. He made seven appearances for Sacramento in 2025, struggling to a 7.11 ERA with six strikeouts across 6+1⁄3 innings pitched. Small elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2025.

Pitching style

Small features a lively low- to mid-90 mph fastball—scouts often described it as a "rising" fastball—a curveball and changeup. He has been known to vary his windup timing on his pitches, to give him an advantage over hitters, similar to pitchers such as Marcus Stroman and Johnny Cueto.

References

  1. ↑ Odom, Michael (April 26, 2015). "Small isn't affected by Major League scouts at his games". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Ethan Small – Profile". Pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  3. ↑ Sammon, Will (April 6, 2016). "Thriving after Tommy John, Ethan Small gives Mississippi State hope now and in future". The Clarion Ledger. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  4. ↑ Lowery, Logan (February 12, 2018). "Healthy arms bolster Bulldogs' pitching staff". Daily Journal. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  5. ↑ Lowery, Logan (February 15, 2019). "Bulldogs open new stadium, Lemonis era today". Daily Journal. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  6. ↑ Mehring, Chris (July 30, 2019). "Ethan Small, Milwaukee Brewers #1 Pick in 2019, to Make Timber Rattlers Debut on Friday Night". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  7. ↑ Portnoy, Ben (May 21, 2019). "Ethan Small named SEC pitcher of the Year". The Dispatch. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  8. ↑ Horka, Tyler (May 6, 2019). "How Mississippi State's Ethan Small earned SEC Pitcher of the Week". The Clarion Ledger. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  9. ↑ Lowery, Logan (June 12, 2019). "Small selected National Pitcher of the Year". Daily Journal. Archived from the original on July 26, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  10. ↑ Wagner, Andrew (June 4, 2019). "Patience pays off: Brewers pick left-hander Ethan Small in first-round after lengthy scouting process". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved November 23, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ↑ Portnoy, Ben (June 4, 2019). "Brewers take Small in first round of MLB draft". The Commercial Dispatch. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  12. ↑ Haudricourt, Tom (June 3, 2019). "The Brewers see their top pick, Mississippi State left-hander Ethan Small, as 'the consummate pitcher'". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  13. ↑ Jacobson, Jordan (July 31, 2019). "Milwaukee Brewers top draft pick Ethan Small excited for Timber Rattlers debut Friday". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  14. ↑ Carroll, Matt (June 22, 2021). "Brewers Minors: No. 4 Prospect Ethan Small Promoted to Triple-A". Reviewing the Brew. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  15. ↑ Wagner, James (June 30, 2020). "Minor League Baseball Season Is Canceled for the First Time". The New York Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ↑ McCalvy, Adam (June 23, 2021). "No. 4 prospect Small pitches way to Triple-A". MLB.com. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Roster – SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  18. ↑ "After a positive experience in winter ball, Brewers pitching prospect Ethan Small is on the doorstep of the major leagues". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Brewers' Ethan Small: Contract officially selected". cbssports.com. RotoWire. May 30, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Brewers' Ethan Small: Sent to Triple-A camp". cbssports.com. RotoWire. March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  21. ↑ Franco, Anthony (February 1, 2024). "Brewers Designate Ethan Small For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  22. ↑ Franco, Anthony (February 5, 2024). "Giants Acquire Ethan Small". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  23. ↑ Adams, Steve (March 28, 2024). "Giants Option Marco Luciano, Select Nick Ahmed, Release Pablo Sandoval". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  24. ↑ Franco, Anthony (August 16, 2024). "Giants Reinstate Ethan Small From Injured List". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  25. ↑ Guardado, Maria (November 22, 2024). "Yaz in the fold for 2025; SF non-tenders two". San MLB.com. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  26. ↑ "SF Giants bring back 2019 first-round pick on a minors pact". aroundthefoghorn.com. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Minor League Free Agents 2025". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Transactions". MiLB.com. November 6, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  29. ↑ Murray, Robert (June 10, 2019). "'This guy is the best pitcher out there': Behind the Brewers' scouting process of Ethan Small". The Athletic. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  30. ↑ Friedman, Rob [@PitchingNinja] (May 24, 2019). "Ethan Small, 4 Windups (quick pitch, regular, pause and long pause), Overlay. https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/D7VGq2QXkAAc_t7.mp4" (Tweet). Retrieved November 23, 2024 – via Twitter.