Keaton Winn grew up in the small town of Ollie, Iowa.
Now, he’s headed to the big leagues.
The San Francisco Giants announced Monday they promoted a right-handed pitcher to the major league roster. Winn, a 25-year-old, will be available when the Giants begin a series in St. Louis with the Cardinals on Monday evening.
It caps off an incredible story for the pitcher who came from a tiny Iowa town and generated little interest while attending Pekin High School. Winn didn’t see his stock begin to soar until he attended Iowa Western Community College, a powerhouse junior college baseball program.
More: This small-town Iowa kid became a big-time MLB pitching prospect for San Francisco Giants
He was drafted not once, but twice by the Giants who eventually signed him after selecting him in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. Winn then quickly worked his way up through the system but did not pitch in 2020, when the Minor League Baseball season was cancelled, or in 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The Iowan had a breakout year in 2022 when he went 6-6 with a 4.08 ERA across three different levels. During the offseason, Winn was added to the club’s 40-man roster, a move that paved the way for him to reach the big leagues this season.
He’s spent the start of this season in Triple-A where he’s gone 0-3 with a 4.35 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 41.1 innings of work for the Sacramento River Cats.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: San Francisco Giants promote Iowa native Keaton Winn to big leagues