Collin Balester

Who is Collin Balester?

Collin Thomas Balester is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He has played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers.

Balester was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 2004, making his professional debut that year. By 2007, he was considered a top prospect for the newly relocated Nationals, with him participating in that season's All-Star Futures Game. On July 1, 2008, he made his MLB debut with the Nationals, winning in his debut as a starter, becoming the first Expo or National to do so since 1999. That season, he went on to make 14 starts for Washington, recording a 5.51 earned run average. In 2009, Balester began the season in Triple-A with the Syracuse Chiefs. He split the year between Syracuse and Washington, making a combined 27 starts. Balester was converted a relief pitcher the following season, in 2010, after struggling with Syracuse at the beginning of the year. In both 2010 and 2011, he would continue to split time between Syracuse and Washington before being designated for assignment in July 2011, before getting recalled a month later. The Nationals traded Balester to Detroit on December 9, 2011, for pitcher Ryan Perry.