Christopher Schwinden is a Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 for the New York Mets

New York Mets

The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

.

Professional career

Schwinden was drafted by the Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

 in the 43rd round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft

2004 Major League Baseball Draft

The 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...

 out of Golden West High School

Golden West High School

-Students Enrollment by Grade:* Grade 9: 452* Grade 10: 522* Grade 11: 522* Grade 12: 621-Student Enrollment by Ethnic Background:* African American: 0.6%* White: 45.7%* Native American or Alaska Native: 0.7%...

 in Visalia, California

Visalia, California

Visalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles...

, however he did not sign and attended Fresno Pacific University

Fresno Pacific University

Fresno Pacific University also known as FPU is an accredited Christian university located in Fresno, California, United States. It was founded in 1944 by the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. The university awarded its first bachelor of arts degree in 1965...

. He was then drafted by the New York Mets

New York Mets

The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

 in the 22nd round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft

2008 Major League Baseball Draft

The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008.-First round selections:* Did not sign...

.

He was called up to the majors for the first time on September 5, 2011 after a stellar season for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons

Buffalo Bisons

The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...

. Schwinden began the season at Double-A Binghamton but made the most of a spot start on April 17 to secure a spot in the Triple-A rotation. From there, he led the Bisons in starts (26), innings pitched (145.2), ERA (3.95) and strikeouts (134) while tying for the team lead with eight wins and being named to the Triple-A All-Star team. Schwinden's 134 strikeouts were the 3rd-most in a single season by a Bisons pitcher in the modern era.

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