TJ Sikkema
Quick Facts
Biography
Tyler James Sikkema (born July 25, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the New York Yankees organization. He played college baseball for the Missouri Tigers.
Career
Sikkema attended Central DeWitt High School in DeWitt, Iowa. In 2016, his senior season, he went 8-1 with a 1.03 ERA, earning All-State honors. Undrafted in the 2016 MLB draft, he enrolled at the University of Missouri where he played college baseball.
In 2017, Sikkema's freshman year at Missouri, he appeared in 22 games (three starts), pitching to an 8-2 record with a 2.72 ERA and four saves, earning a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team. As a sophomore in 2018, Sikkema pitched in 16 games (making ten starts), going 3-5 with a 3.34 ERA. After the season, he played for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League where he went 1-3 with a 1.72 ERA in 31.1 innings. In 2019, his junior season, he compiled a 7-4 record with a 1.32 ERA in 17 games (13 starts), striking out 101 batters in 88.2 innings. He was named to the All-SEC Second Team.
Sikkema was selected by the New York Yankees in the Competitive Balance Round A, with the 38th overall selection, of the 2019 MLB draft. He signed with the Yankees for the slot value of $1,952,300 on June 7, and made his professional debut with the Staten Island Yankees. Over 10 ⁄3 innings, he gave up one run.