Heath Fillmyer accomplished what many baseball players only ever dream of doing…he became a Major League Baseball player and pitched in “The Show”. And he used Mercer County Community College as a steppingstone to that opportunity.
Originally from Florence, NJ, Fillmyer was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 28th round of the MLB Draft during his freshman year but elected to remain at Mercer and continue playing for Coach Kevin Kerins. Mainly playing at the shortstop position, the Rockies were willing to draft him as a pitcher even though he had pitching fewer than 10 innings in 2013.
By the end of his sophomore year, his accomplishments at Mercer were impressive enough that the Oakland Athletics drafted him in the 5th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Fillmyer had led Mercer to an appearance in the NJCAA World Series in Enid, Oklahoma. He was named the NJCAA Division II Pitcher of the Year and the National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year. Fillmyer didn’t lose a game that year racking up 9 wins and posting a 0.68 Earned Run Average (ERA) while allowing just 6 runs on 38 hits in 66 innings. He was also named a 2014 First-Team NJCAA Division II All-American.
Early in 2018, Fillmyer was traded from the Oakland Athletics to the Kansas City Royals. In June 2018, Heath made his MLB pitching debut for the Royals coming out of the bullpen in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros. He would be the first Mercer Viking to appear in a Major League Baseball game since fellow Mercer Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Dave Gallagher. In September 2018, Heath collected his first major league hit; an RBI double against the Cincinnati Reds.
Heath is currently pitching with the Lancaster Barnstormers in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
