Four More Former Wild Things Open Affiliated Seasons Today in Triple-A
The Washington Wild Things are thrilled to have four more former players begin their affiliated seasons with Triple-A Opening Day tonight.
Austin Kitchen (2020), a Mt. Lebanon High School product, pitched with the Steel City Slammin' Sammies in the 2020 COVID pod at EQT Park under the Wild Things umbrella, and, if not for a contract purchase, would've been with the club in 2021. The Coastal Carolina product in college baseball pitched three seasons at the school and was 12-6 with a 4.96 ERA in 62 games (14 starts) before getting his pro start with the Wild Things organization. The Rockies purchased the contract of the southpaw and he spent parts of the next four seasons with the Rockies organization, eventually having his contract selected to the 40-man and active rosters to make his major-league debut. He did not end up making it to the mound for Colorado, but after a waiver claim, made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins in 2024, becoming the seventh former Wild Thing to reach the majors and sixth to debut. His debut came on July 30, 2024, and he logged two innings with a pair of strikeouts.
Since then, he's been picked up into the Seattle Mariners organization, where he spent all of 2025 and the back end of 2024 with the Tacoma Rainiers, the club's Triple-A affiliate. Last season he was 3-3 with a 3.36 ERA in 48 appearances, one of which was a start, and struck out 53 with 20 walks issued in 69.2 innings. He had a spring training invite as a non-roster invitee, but will start the season with the Rainiers.
Spencer Bivens (2020-21) will start the season with Triple-A Sacramento after being optioned to Triple-A from the Giants roster. He remains on the 40-man and pitched in eight spring training games and allowed four runs in 10.1 innings with eight strikeouts. Last season at the MLB level, Bivens was 4-3 with a 4.00 ERA in 54 games. He had three saves and logged 81.0 innings of work with just 25 walks and 61 strikeouts. He made his major league debut in 2024 with the Giants and ended up 3-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 27 major-league appearances (two starts). In 48.2 innings he walked only 11 and struck out 37. He's been in the San Francisco organization since 2022 as he was signed out of the Atlantic League. With the aforementioned Slammin' Sammies in 2020, Bivens was 3-2 with a 3.74 ERA in six games (three starts) and struck out 19 in 21.2 innings. He made nine appearances for the Wild Things in 2021.
Turner Hill (2023 Spring Training) never actually ended up appearing in an official game for the Wild Things but had his contract purchased toward the end of camp in 2023 after coming to Washington via the MLB Draft League with the West Virginia Black Bears and through Marietta College, where he spent his last two college seasons. Hill will start the year in Triple-A Sacramento along with Bivens, after finishing last season with the River Cats. Most of his 2025 season was spent with Double-A Richmond, where he slashed .256/.356/.357 with 11 doubles, five triples, two homers and 26 RBI. He was 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in one game with Triple-A Sacramento last summer and played in six games in the complex league rehabbing an injury. He split time between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A in 2024 and split his 2023 between San Jose (Class A) and Sacramento. The standout at Marietta and multi-time All-American has a career MiLB slash line of .274/.369/.372 with 105 RBI and 77 stolen bases.
Finally, Alex Carrillo (2024), who made his major-league debut last summer with the New York Mets, is on the club's 40-man roster and just wrapped up a showing for Team Mexico in the WBC, will start his 2026 season with Triple-A Syracuse in the Mets sytem. The righty appeared in three games for the New York Mets last summer after splitting his minor-league time with Syracuse and Binghamton (Double-A). In total in the minors last year, he was 5-1 with a 4.10 ERA in 35 games, had two saves and logged 41.2 innings with 64 strikeouts. He was signed by the Mets while pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League after being with the Wild Things in 2024 on a one-year deal. With Washington, Carrillo was 3-1 with a 3.31 ERA in 35 appearances from the bullpen, had one save, pitched 35.1 innings and struck out 49. Alex had spent the previous few seasons in the Mexican League after beginning his career in the Rangers farm system before a 2021 stint with the New York Boulders. He pitched at Faulkner to conclude his collegiate career.
Those guys are joined at the affiliated level by a host of former Wild Things players and coaches, which will be detailed on our site as the other minor-league levels get started, and by the four former players now coaching or on the support staffs for big-league clubs. Isaac Mattson became the fourth former Wild Thing to make an Opening Day roster.
