Anthony Dennis Gonsolin (born May 14, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gonsolin played college baseball for the Saint Mary's Gaels and was selected by the Dodgers in the ninth round of the 2016 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2019.
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Early life and amateur career
Gonsolin attended Vacaville High School in Vacaville, California. As a senior, he went 4–1 with a 2.60 earned run average (ERA). After going undrafted in the 2012 MLB draft, Gonsolin played college baseball at St. Mary's College of California.
In summer 2015, Gonsolin played for the Madison Mallards of the Northwoods League. Although he pitched 14.1 innings over the summer stint, he was primarily an outfielder for the Mallards. As a position player, he was named a Northwoods League All-Star, posting a .316 batting average (.913 OPS) across 293 plate appearances, hitting 11 home runs and stealing 16 bases.
As a senior with the Gaels in 2016, he pitched to a 3–3 record with a 3.86 ERA in 18 games. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth round of the 2016 MLB draft.
Professional career
Los Angeles Dodgers
Gonsolin spent his first professional season with the rookie-level Ogden Raptors and Single-A Great Lakes Loons, pitching to a combined 1–2 record with a 3.77 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 19 relief appearances. He spent 2017 with Great Lakes and the High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, where he went 7–6 with a 3.86 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 42 games. After spending his first two seasons as a relief pitcher, Gonsolin was converted into a starter in 2018. He started the season with Rancho Cucamonga and was promoted to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers during the season. In 26 starts with both affiliates, Gonsolin went 10–2 with a 2.60 ERA and 155 strikeouts over 128 innings. The Dodgers named him as the organization's minor league pitcher of the year for 2018.
Gonsolin began 2019 with the Oklahoma City Dodgers and was called up to the Dodgers on June 26 to make his debut as the starting pitcher against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He pitched four innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on six hits with three strikeouts. He also singled to center field in his first major league at bat. On July 30, in his second MLB game, Gonsolin picked up his first career save against the Colorado Rockies after pitching four innings of relief in a 9–4 win. On August 5, Gonsolin picked up his first major league win after pitching six shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. He allowed only two hits and one walk, while striking out seven batters. He pitched 40 innings in 11 games for the Dodgers, with six starts, and finished with a 4–2 record and a 2.93 ERA.
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 regular season, Gonsolin went 2–2 with a 2.31 ERA, in nine games (eight starts) during which he struck out 46 batters in 46+2⁄3 innings. In the postseason, he made two appearances in the NLCS, starting game two and appearing in relief in game seven. He pitched a total of 61⁄3 innings, allowing seven runs and picking up the loss in game two. In the World Series, he was selected by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to start Game 2, on two days' rest, against the Tampa Bay Rays. He only pitched 1+1⁄3 innings in the game and allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk as he was awarded the loss in the game. He also got the start in Game 6 and this time pitched 1+2⁄3 innings while allowing one run on three hits and two walks; however, the Dodgers came from behind to win that game and clinch the championship. Gonsolin received eleven votes in 2020 National League Rookie of the Year voting, finishing in fourth place. On October 26, 2020, Baseball America named Gonsolin its 2020 Rookie of the Year.
Kansas City Royals
On August 13, 2026, Gonsolin signed a major league contract with the Kansas City Royals that included a club option for the 2027 season.