Kyle Joseph Zimmer (born September 13, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2019 to 2021. The Royals selected Zimmer in the first round of the 2012 MLB draft. Amateur career Zimmer was born in San Francisco, California and grew up in San Diego and attended La Jolla High School. He played first base, third base, and pitched 22.1 innings during his senior year and was named team MVP after batting .410 with a .492 on-base percentage and a .701 slugging percentage with four home runs and 23 RBI. On the mound, he had a record of 3-3 with a 4.39 ERA. Zimmer was also named to the San Diego All-Academic team with a 4.20 GPA and graduated as a member of the Cum Laude Society. Zimmer played college baseball at University of San Francisco and committed with the intention of playing third base for the Dons. The Dons moved him to pitcher due to having an all-conference player, Stephen Yarrow, starting at third base. As a freshman in 2010, Zimmer pitched 5.1 innings in five appearances. After his freshman year, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Alexandria Aces of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. In 2011, he was named first team All-West Coast Conference (WCC) after posting a 6-4 record with 89 strikeouts. Following the season, he played for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League and went 2-5 with a 3.38 ERA in 48 innings pitched. In 2012, Zimmer went 5-3 with a 2.85 ERA and a WCC-leading 104 strikeouts and was again named first team all-conference. Zimmer was inducted into USF's athletic hall of fame in 2020. Professional career Minor leagues The Kansas City Royals selected Zimmer with the fifth overall pick of the 2012 MLB draft, and he signed with the Royals three days after being drafted. He was assigned to the AZL Royals, and after posting a 0.90 ERA in ten innings, was promoted to the Kane County Cougars, where he pitched to a 2-3 record and 2.43 ERA in six games started. He pitched for the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Class AA Texas League in 2013, posting a combined 6-9 record with a 4.32 ERA in 22 games between