Chad Nicholas Sobotka (born July 10, 1993) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 ...

. He played in

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) for 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) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

Early life

Chad Sobotka was born in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

, on July 10, 1993, to parents David and Kim. He has a brother Matt and a sister Stefanie.

Career

Amateur career

Sobotka attended Riverview High School in

, where he first became a pitcher. Sobotka attended University of South Carolina–Upstate, playing for the

USC Upstate Spartans The USC Upstate Spartans are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Carolina Upstate, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in intercollegiate sports at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...

baseball team. In his first collegiate season, Sobotka saved twelve games, pitched innings, and recorded a .196 batting average against, a 1.72 earned run average, and 34 strikeouts. The next year, Sobotka made 26 appearances, with a 3.86 earned run average and .225 batting average against in innings pitched. In 2013, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Chatham Anglers The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Sobotka sat out the 2014 season with a stress fracture in his back.

Atlanta Braves

The

selected Sobotka in the fourth 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 ...

. Sobotka received a signing bonus of $400,000 from the organization. Upon his selection by the Braves, Sobotka became the first Spartan baseball player to be drafted as high as the fourth round. The Braves assigned Sobotka to the

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 serve ...

in 2015. During his first season, Sobotka missed two months due to injury. He returned to Rome at the start of the 2016 season. In July, Sobotka was promoted to the

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and play their home games at Five County Stadium. ...

, and ended the season with the

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. ...

. Sobotka was placed on the Mississippi Braves' Opening Day roster in 2017, and also spent time with the

Florida Fire Frogs The Florida Fire Frogs were a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League from 2017 to 2020. They were located in North Port, Florida, and served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Founded in 2017, the Fire Frog ...

. In the Southern League, Sobotka pitched to a 5.52 ERA. His Florida State League earned run average was 6.75. Sobotka started the 2018 season on the Fire Frogs' roster. He joined the Mississippi Braves on May 15, prior to his selection as a Florida State League All-Star. On July 21, 2018, Sobotka was promoted to the

Gwinnett Stripers 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 ...

, making his International League debut three days later. On August 10, 2018, the Braves promoted Sobotka to the major leagues. He faced the Milwaukee Brewers later that night, pitching one inning in relief of

Kevin Gausman Kevin John Gausman (born January 6, 1991), nicknamed "Gaus", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, a ...

and recording his first career strikeout. In 2019 for Atlanta, Sobotka made 32 appearances, pitching to an ugly 6.21 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 29.0 innings pitched. In 2020, Sobotka only appeared in 4 games for the Braves, recording a ghastly 12.27 ERA with only 2 strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.

Milwaukee Brewers

On April 6, 2021, the Braves traded Sobotka and Patrick Weigel to the Milwaukee Brewers for

Orlando Arcia Orlando Jesús Arcia (born August 4, 1994) is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Milwaukee Brewers signed Arcia as an international free agent in 2010. He made his MLB debut in ...

. On June 16, Sobotka was outrighted off of the 40-man roster without making a major league appearance for Milwaukee.

Gastonia Honey Hunters

On June 22, 2022, Sobotka signed with the

Gastonia Honey Hunters The Gastonia Honey Hunters are a professional baseball team based in Gastonia, North Carolina. They play in the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball, at CaroMont Health Park ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He made 11 appearances for Gastonia, allowing zero runs and striking out 15 across 11.0 innings pitched. On July 25, Sobotka retired from professional baseball.

Pitching style

Sobotka is known for the speed of his fastball. During the 2017 minor league season, Sobotka issued five walks per nine innings pitched, a rate that was reduced in 2018 when he adjusted the grip on his slider.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sobotka, Chad 1993 births Living people Baseball players from Sarasota, Florida Major League Baseball pitchers Atlanta Braves players USC Upstate Spartans baseball players Chatham Anglers players Rome Braves players Gulf Coast Braves players Danville Braves players Carolina Mudcats players Mississippi Braves players Florida Fire Frogs players Gwinnett Stripers players Riverview High School (Sarasota, Florida) alumni Nashville Sounds players