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Jacob Timothy Bird (born December 4, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the UCLA Bruins, and led the Pac-12 Conference in ERA in 2018. He was selected by the Rockies in the fifth round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut in 2022.

Jake Bird
Bird with the Albuquerque Isotopes in 2022
Colorado Rockies – No. 59
Pitcher
Born: (1995-12-04) December 4, 1995 (age 26) Newhall, California
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 16, 2022, for the Colorado Rockies
MLB statistics (through 2022 season)
Win–loss record	2–4
Earned run average	4.91
Strikeouts	42
Teams
Colorado Rockies (2022–present)

Early life

Bird was born in Newhall, California, to Joel and Heidi Bird, was raised in Valencia, California, and is Jewish.[1][2][3] He has one older brother, Josh, and two younger brothers, Travis and Trent.[3][2]

When Bird was eight years old, at the end of second grade he signed his friends' yearbooks as follows: "Save this autograph for when I’m playing in the major leagues."[2]

Amateur career

Bird attended West Ranch High School in Stevenson Ranch, California, pitching and playing outfield for the baseball team, and playing for the basketball team.[2][4][5] In his senior year of high school he pitched to a 1.55 ERA with 72 strikeouts and 11 walks over 58 innings.[6][7][3] He was an All-Foothill League selection in 2014.[8] He committed to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to play college baseball for the UCLA Bruins during his senior year.[9]

Unselected in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at UCLA, majoring in economics.[2] In 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League, going 3-2 with a 2.77 ERA as a starter.[3][10] As a junior he was 5-5 with a 2.75 ERA.[11] His pitching repertoire consisted of a heavy sinker that reached 94 mph, a hard slider in the 86-88 mph range, a changeup, and a curveball.[2]

As a senior at UCLA in 2018, he compiled a 7–4 record and started 16 games, leading the Pac-12 Conference with a 2.18 ERA, and striking out 61 batters over 111+2⁄3 innings.[12][13] He said: "I'm just trying to pitch contact. My stuff is pretty heavy ... which gets a lot of ground balls... (Just) let the defense do their thing."[14] He was named All-Pac-12, Pac-12 All-Academic first team, and Academic All-America third team.[3] Following the season, he was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the fifth round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[15]

Professional career

Bird signed with the Rockies for a signing bonus of $50,000.[16] He made his professional debut in 2018 with the Grand Junction Rockies of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, going 4–1 with a 3.38 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 26+2⁄3 innings pitched in relief.[17] In 2019, he played with the Asheville Tourists of the Class A South Atlantic League, with whom he earned mid-season All-Star honors. He went 7–2 with two saves and a 3.62 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 40 games (second in the league) over 97 innings.[18]

To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Hartford Yard Goats of the Double-A Northeast, where he induced a 70.9% ground ball rate.[19] He was then promoted to the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Triple-A West in early June.[20] Over 39 appearances between the two clubs, Bird went 6-1 with a 3.38 ERA and 59 strikeouts over 58+2⁄3 innings.[21] He pitched as a reliever in the Arizona Fall League for the Salt River Rafters after the season, and was 0-1 with a save and a 2.84 ERA.[22] He returned to the Isotopes to begin the 2022 season, where before he was called up he had a 2.77 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 26 innings over 22 games, and induced a 64.4% ground ball rate.[23][19][24]

On June 11, 2022, the Rockies selected Bird's contract and promoted him to the major leagues.[25] He made his MLB debut on June 16, throwing one scoreless inning in relief versus the Cleveland Guardians.[26]

International career

Bitd committed to play for the Israel national baseball team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, to be held in March 2023.[27] He will be playing for Team Israel manager Ian Kinsler, and alongside All Star outfielder Joc Pederson, Gold Glove outfielder Harrison Bader, starting pitcher Dean Kremer, and others.[28][29]

Pitching repertoire

Bird is a ground ball pitcher with a low-slot, sidearm delivery. His sinker averages 95.3 mph, and has significant tailing action, inducing ground balls. He throws a low-90s cutter, and a breaking ball at 81-83 mph.[19]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)

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