Chris Flexen

BIOGRAPHY

Chris Flexen was born on July 1, 1994, in Newark, California. He is a pitcher in the MLB.

Flexen attended Newark Memorial High School in Newark, California where he was the quarterback of the school's football team and made the varsity baseball team as a freshman. His outstanding ability in two sports led to him earning his nickname Chris "Flex” Flexen. Flexen initially committed to play college baseball for the Arizona State Sun Devils but was drafted in the 14th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft by the New York Mets and was lured away from his commitment by a $375,000 signing bonus.

Flexen made his MLB debut on July 27, 2017, against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

On December 9, 2020, Flexen signed a two-year, $4.75MM contract with the Seattle Mariners.

Flexen made the starting rotation to start the 2021 season and made his first start of the year on April 3 against the San Francisco Giants. He pitched five scoreless innings, allowed four hits and two walks, struck out six batters, and was credited with the win. His 2021 season with Seattle represented a marked improvement from his past performances in MLB. Among qualified American League pitchers that year, he finished in the top 10 in ERA (3.61), wins (14), ERA+ (111), Fielding Independent Pitching (3.89), and games started (31). He also recorded the most starts of 7 innings pitched with 1 earned run or fewer allowed among all AL pitchers. Over the course of the 2021 season, he attempted pickoffs at first base 141 times, more than any other major league pitcher, and picked off three runners.

In July 13, 2023, Flexen signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies organization. After two starts for the Triple–A Albuquerque Isotopes, Flexen had his contract selected to Colorado's major league roster on July 29.

Flexen signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox good for the 2024 season.