Aaron Lee Northcraft (born May 28, 1990) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who is currently a free agent. After spending time on the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

’ 40-man roster in 2013 and 2014, Northcraft made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) debut in 2021 for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

Career

Atlanta Braves

Northcraft was drafted in the 10th round, of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, 298th overall by the

out of Mater Dei High School. He made his professional debut in 2009 with the

GCL Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTo ...

. He split the 2010 season between the Rookie Ball

Danville Braves The Danville Braves were a Minor League Baseball team in Danville, Virginia. They were an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League and were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have played home games at American Legion Post 3 ...

and the Single-A

Rome Braves The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team served ...

, recording a cumulative 3.90 ERA and 7–4 record with 46 strikeouts. The next year, Northcraft spent the season in Rome, registering a 7–8 record and 3.34 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 113.1 innings pitched. He spent the 2012 season with the High-A

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinna ...

, pitching to a 10–11 record and 3.98 ERA in 151.2 innings of work. On November 19, 2012, Northcraft was selected to the 40-man roster. In 2013, Northcraft spent the season with the Double-A

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. T ...

, registering a 8–8 record and 3.42 ERA. The next year, he split the year with Mississippi and the Triple-A

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

, pitching to a 7–10 record and 4.70 ERA.

San Diego Padres

On December 19, 2014, Northcraft was traded to the

along with

Justin Upton Justin Irvin Upton (born August 25, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "J-Up", he has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tig ...

in exchange for

Jace Peterson Jace Ryan Peterson (born May 9, 1990) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Baltim ...

Max Fried Max Dorian Fried ( ; born January 18, 1994), nicknamed "Maximus", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Drafted in 2012 by the San Diego Padres in the first round, seventh overall, F ...

Dustin Peterson Dustin Allen Peterson (born September 10, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers. Career Peterson ...

, and

Mallex Smith Mallex Lydell Smith (born May 6, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves in 2016, Tampa Bay Rays from 2017 to 2018, and Seattle Mariners from 20 ...

. On February 11, 2015, Northcraft was designated for assignment by the Padres following the signing of James Shields. On February 17, Northcraft was outrighted to the Triple-A

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in El Paso, Texas, and play their home games at Southwest University ...

. He split the season between El Paso and the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded. ...

, recording a 4–6 record and 4.21 ERA in 39 games. He split 2016 between El Paso and San Antonio, pitching to a 7–3 record and 4.07 ERA in 90.2 innings of work. On November 7, 2016, Northcraft elected free agency. Northcraft spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons out of baseball due to injuries, missing 2017 with a partially torn flexor and UCL and missing 2018 after undergoing a January surgery to repair nerve damage in his right elbow. He appeared in 17 games for the

Tigres de Aragua The Tigres de Aragua ( en, Aragua Tigers) is a baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and represents the state of Aragua. Founded in 1965, the Tigres plays its home games at the Estadio José Pérez Colmenares i ...

in the

Venezuelan Winter League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

for the 2018/2019 season, pitching to a 1.53 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched.

Seattle Mariners

On January 2, 2019, Northcraft signed a minor league contract with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

organization. He spent the majority of the season with the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960. ...

, also appearing in 1 game for the Low-A

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seating capacity o ...

and 3 games for the Double-A

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners as members of the Texas League. History The team succeeded ...

, recording a cumulative 2.03 ERA with 39 strikeouts between the three clubs. On November 4, 2019, he elected free agency.

Miami Marlins

On December 18, 2019, Northcraft signed a minor league contract with the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

organization that included an invitation to Spring Training. Northcraft was included in the Marlins initial 60-man player pool for the 2020 season. He spent the season at the alternate site and elected free agency on November 2, 2020.

San Diego Padres (second stint)

On February 12, 2021, Northcraft signed a minor league contract with the

organization that included an invitation to Spring Training. He was assigned to the Triple-A

to begin the year. He was selected to the active roster on April 23, 2021 and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut the next day, pitching in relief against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. In the game, he also notched his first major league strikeout, punching out Dodgers outfielder

Luke Raley Lucas John Raley (born September 19, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Amateur career Raley graduated from High ...

. Northcraft recorded a 2.25 ERA in 5 appearances, walking 8 and striking out 5 before being designated for assignment on July 9. He was released on July 13, and resigned a minor league contract on July 19, 2021. He was released on August 10, 2022.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northcraft, Aaron Living people 1990 births Baseball players from Tucson, Arizona Major League Baseball pitchers San Diego Padres players Gulf Coast Braves players Danville Braves players Rome Braves players Lynchburg Hillcats players Mississippi Braves players Scottsdale Scorpions players Gwinnett Braves players Peoria Javelinas players San Antonio Missions players El Paso Chihuahuas players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Everett AquaSox players Arkansas Travelers players Tacoma Rainiers players Gigantes del Cibao players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic