Drew James Rucinski (born December 30, 1988) is an American
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 ...
for the
Oakland Athletics of
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). He has previously played in MLB for the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
,
Minnesota Twins, and
Miami Marlins, and in the
KBO League
The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...
for the
NC Dinos
The NC Dinos ( ko, NC 다이노스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Changwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Since 2019, their home stadium is Changwon NC Park. NC Dinos are owned by video game developer NCSoft Corp ...
.
Career
Cleveland Indians
Rucinski played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
for the
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tre ...
from 2008 to 2011. He was signed by the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2011. In 2012 and 2013 he played for the
Rockford RiverHawks / Aviators of the
Frontier League
The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...
.
Los Angeles Angels
In August 2013 he signed a minor league deal with the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
.
Rucinski was called up to the majors for the first time on July 10, 2014. He was designated for assignment on September 1, 2015.
Minnesota Twins
In December 2016, Rucinski signed a minor league contract with the
Minnesota Twins. On September 6, 2017, Rucinski was released by the Twins.
Miami Marlins
On November 30, 2017, Rucinski signed a minor league contract with the
Miami Marlins. He had his contract purchased on June 3, 2018. He elected free agency after the season.
NC Dinos
On November 29, 2018, Rucinski signed a one-year, $600,000 contract with the
NC Dinos
The NC Dinos ( ko, NC 다이노스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Changwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Since 2019, their home stadium is Changwon NC Park. NC Dinos are owned by video game developer NCSoft Corp ...
of the
KBO League
The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...
. On January 1, 2021, Rucinski re-signed with the Dinos on a one-year, $1.6 million contract. He posted a 15–10 record with a 3.17 ERA and 177 strikeouts over 178 ⅔ innings. On December 21, 2021, Rucinski re-signed with the Dinos to a $2 million deal, which tied for the second-most lucrative contract for a foreign player at the time of his signing. He became a free agent after the 2022 season.
Oakland Athletics
On December 21, 2022, Rucinski signed a one-year contract with the
Oakland Athletics that contains a club option for the 2024 season.
References
External links
Ohio State Buckeyes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rucinski, Drew
1988 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Neenah, Wisconsin
Baseball players from Wisconsin
Major League Baseball pitchers
Los Angeles Angels players
Minnesota Twins players
Miami Marlins players
Ohio State Buckeyes baseball players
Arizona League Indians players
Mahoning Valley Scrappers players
Lake County Captains players
Rockford RiverHawks players
Inland Empire 66ers players
Arkansas Travelers players
Salt Lake Bees players
Iowa Cubs players
Rochester Red Wings players
Rockford Aviators players
New Orleans Baby Cakes players
Las Vegas Aviators players
NC Dinos players
KBO League pitchers
American expatriate baseball players in South Korea