Exposed to baseball at an early age, Giles played it when he attended Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Although he was drafted to play baseball out of high school, he decided to enroll at Yavapai College, where he played until the Phillies drafted him in the seventh round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. He quickly progressed through the Phillies\' minor league system, overcoming two oblique injuries to participate in major league spring training before the 2014 season. Although he began that season in the minors, he received a promotion to the major leagues in June, making his debut on June 12. One of the team\'s few bright spots, Giles finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting. He opened the 2015 season the team\'s primary setup man, but when the Phillies traded their closer, Giles assumed that role. Renowned for his fastball that can reach upwards of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), Giles is a power pitcher who pairs his fastball with a slider to compile high strike-out rates.\n', '

Giles was born on September 20, 1990 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. From an early age, he was exposed to baseball. His father, Glenn, who had never played baseball himself, apparently saw potential in Ken when he was in pre-school to be a baseball player, and encouraged him to pursue the sport at that young age. Giles attended Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he played baseball, although he was mainly an outfielder, and used his arm strength to throw out runners rather than pitch. He also played football and basketball in college, but focused predominantly on baseball.\n', '

Giles was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 44th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and instead attended Yavapai College, which Giles praised as a great place to focus on baseball without having to go to a large university. At Yavapai, the alma mater of Curt Schilling, Giles began pitching regularly, and realized his talent on the mound. At Yavapai, he posted a 1.18 earned run average (ERA) with 67 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched (15.9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched (K/9)).\n', '

Return to Ken Giles Autograph Profile