Alexander James McRae (born April 6, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

and Chicago White Sox.

Career

McRae attended Eisenhower High School in

New Berlin, Wisconsin New Berlin () is a city located along the Milwaukee /Waukesha County Border in the U.S. State of Wisconsin. The population was 40,451 at the 2020 census, making it the third-largest community in Waukesha County after the cities of Waukesha and ...

and played college baseball at Jacksonville University. As a junior, he was 5–7 with a 6.06 ERA in 16 games (15 starts).

Pittsburgh Pirates

After his junior year, he was drafted by the

in the 10th round of the

2014 Major League Baseball Draft The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...

, and he signed. After signing, McRae made his professional debut with the

Jamestown Jammers The Jamestown Jammers were a minor league baseball team based in Jamestown, New York from 1994 until 2014. The team was the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in the New York–Penn League. The team playe ...

where he was 3–6 with a 6.21 ERA in 15 starts. In 2015 he played for the

West Virginia Power The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dir ...

where he pitched to an 8–9 record and 4.98 ERA in 28 games (27 starts), and in 2016 he pitched for both the Bradenton Marauders and Altoona Curve, compiling a combined 11–10 record and 3.88 ERA in 28 games (27 being starts). He spent 2017 with Altoona where he was 10–5 with a 3.61 ERA in 27 games (25 starts). He began 2018 with the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

. McRae was called up to the majors for the first time on July 7, 2018. The Pirates

designated Designation (from Latin ''designatio'') is the process of determining an incumbent's successor. A candidate that won an election for example, is the ''designated'' holder of the office the candidate has been elected to, up until the candidate's i ...

him for assignment after the season. He had his contract selected on May 27, 2019. McRae was outrighted off the Pirates roster on November 4, and elected free agency on November 7.

Chicago White Sox

On January 8, 2020, McRae signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox that included an invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. His contract was purchased on September 5, 2020, and he was called up to the major leagues and made two relief appearances. He pitched three scoreless innings. McRae was designated for the assignment on September 29, the same day the White Sox were slated to play the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

in the Wild Card round. McRae re-signed with the White Sox before the start of the 2021 season. The deal was a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. On April 20, 2021, McRae was selected to the active roster. McRae recorded a 4.50 ERA in 2 appearances with Chicago before being outrighted off of the 40-man roster on June 26. On October 8, McRae elected free agency.

Lake Country DockHounds

On January 25, 2022, McRae signed with the Lake Country DockHounds of the American Association of Professional Baseball. McRae started 14 games for Lake Country, pitching to a 5-4 record and 4.01 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 83.0 innings of work, and was named an American Association All-Star. McRae made 3 appearances (1 start) for the DockHounds in 2023, struggling to an 11.25 ERA with 3 strikeouts in 4.0 innings pitched. On June 21, 2023, McRae was released by the team.https://aabaseball.com/transactions/

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:McRae, Alex 1993 births Living people People from West Allis, Wisconsin Sportspeople from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Baseball players from Wisconsin Major League Baseball pitchers Pittsburgh Pirates players Chicago White Sox players Jacksonville Dolphins baseball players Jamestown Jammers players West Virginia Power players Bradenton Marauders players Altoona Curve players Surprise Saguaros players Indianapolis Indians players Charlotte Knights players Lake Country DockHounds players