Touki Toussaint facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Touki Toussaint |
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Toussaint with the Columbus Clippers in 2023
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| Free agent | ||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | ||||||||||||||
| Born: June 20, 1996 Pembroke Pines, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| August 13, 2018, for the Atlanta Braves | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) |
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| Win–loss record | 15–16 | |||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 5.39 | |||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 292 | |||||||||||||
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Dany Gilbert Kiti "Touki" Toussaint (born June 20, 1996) is an American baseball pitcher. He is currently a free agent, meaning he can sign with any team. Touki has played for several teams in Major League Baseball (MLB). These include the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland Guardians, and Chicago White Sox. The Arizona Diamondbacks first chose him in the 2014 MLB draft. He made his big league debut in 2018 with the Braves.
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Early Life and High School Baseball
Touki Toussaint was born in Pembroke Pines, Florida. His parents are Dany Toussaint and Kahaso Kiti. He has family roots from Haiti and Kenya. Touki also has an older sister named Garielle. His nickname, Touki, comes from combining parts of his parents' last names.
When Touki was three months old, his family moved to Haiti. He and his mother moved back to Florida when he was six years old. Touki stopped playing baseball at age 10 because he struggled as a batter. He then focused on playing soccer and hockey. Two years later, he returned to baseball after a friendly bet with a friend.
Touki went to Coral Springs Charter School for his first year of high school. He then moved to Coral Springs Christian Academy in Florida. In 2013, when he was a junior, Touki was a MaxPreps All-American. He had a great pitching record of 6 wins and 2 losses. His earned run average (ERA) was very low at 0.78, and he had 83 strikeouts. He was also a strong hitter, batting .458 with six home runs. He also had 32 runs batted in. Touki was named the Player of the Year for his area in Broward County. He planned to play college baseball at Vanderbilt University.
Professional Baseball Career
Arizona Diamondbacks
Touki Toussaint was seen as one of the best young players for the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. The Arizona Diamondbacks chose him in the first round, as the 16th overall pick. He signed his contract on June 20, agreeing to a $2.7 million bonus. He started his professional career with the Arizona League Diamondbacks on July 2. On August 3, he moved up to the Missoula Osprey. Touki pitched his first game in the Pioneer League on August 8, 2014.
Touki finished his first year with a record of 2 wins and 4 losses. His ERA was 8.48 over 12 games. He started the 2015 season with extra spring training. Then, he joined the Kane County Cougars in May.
Atlanta Braves
On June 20, 2015, the Diamondbacks traded Touki to the Atlanta Braves. He was traded along with Bronson Arroyo for Phil Gosselin. Touki finished the 2015 season with a 4.83 ERA in 17 starts. This included a 5.73 ERA in ten starts with the Rome Braves. His struggles were partly because the Diamondbacks asked him to use his curveball less. They thought relying too much on it early could cause injuries. Not throwing his curveball helped Touki improve his changeup pitch.
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Touki played for the Rome Braves in 2016. He had a tough start to the season. However, he improved after changing how he pitched. In 2017, Touki started with the Florida Fire Frogs. He was promoted to the Mississippi Braves in July. He pitched 145 innings that year. He had a 6-13 record with a 4.53 ERA and 167 strikeouts. He also played in the Arizona Fall League.
Touki began the 2018 season in Mississippi. He had a 2.93 ERA and 107 strikeouts. He was then promoted to the Gwinnett Stripers. He played his first game in the International League on July 5, 2018. He pitched well, giving up only one run. He was also chosen for the All-Star Futures Game.
On August 13, 2018, the Braves brought Touki up to the major league team. He made his MLB debut that same day against the Miami Marlins. He pitched six innings and gave up only one run. Touki spent time in spring training before the 2019 season. He started the year back in Gwinnett.
On July 4, 2020, it was announced that Touki had tested positive for COVID-19. In 2020, he had a record of 0 wins and 2 losses. His ERA was 8.88 over 24.1 innings.
On March 27, 2021, Touki was placed on the injured list. He had a strain in his throwing shoulder. He returned to play on July 16. In 2021, he had a 3-3 record with a 4.50 ERA for the Braves. The Braves won the 2021 World Series that year. This was their first championship since 1995.
The Braves removed Touki from their team on July 2, 2022.
Los Angeles Angels
On July 3, 2022, the Los Angeles Angels got Touki Toussaint from the Atlanta Braves. He appeared in eight major league games for the Angels. He had two starts with a 1-1 record and a 4.62 ERA. On November 15, the Angels removed Touki from their team. He became a free agent on November 18.
Cleveland Guardians
On January 4, 2023, Touki signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Guardians. This deal included an invitation to their major league spring training camp. He played 20 games for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. He had a 4.06 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 3 saves. On June 16, Touki was called up to the major league team. He started that day against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He pitched 3.2 innings and allowed 2 runs. The Guardians removed him from their team the next day.
Chicago White Sox
On June 20, 2023, the Chicago White Sox claimed Touki Toussaint. He played in 19 games, starting 15 of them. He had a 4-6 record and a 4.97 ERA. He also had 83 strikeouts in 83.1 innings pitched.
The White Sox removed Touki from their team on March 24, 2024. He was sent to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. In 17 games for Charlotte, he had a 5.15 ERA with 49 strikeouts. On July 29, the White Sox called Touki back up to their main team. In 11 games for Chicago, he had a 7.43 ERA. Touki was removed from the White Sox again on September 3. He chose to become a free agent on September 30.
