Dylan Davis Haines Axelrod (born July 30, 1985) 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

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

and the Cincinnati Reds. At

Santa Barbara High School Santa Barbara Senior High School, "Home of the Dons," is situated on a sprawling campus in Santa Barbara, California in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Among the oldest high schools in California and one of five high schools in the Dis ...

Axelrod was the 2003 Channel League Most Valuable Player, and First Team All-County. After college, he was drafted in the 30th round of the

2007 MLB Draft The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players and was held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the fir ...

by 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 penn ...

. In 2009, he was a

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 ...

All Star. In 2011, he was named a AA Southern League All-Star and an MiLB.com 2011 Cincinnati Reds Organization All Star. He has pitched in the major leagues for the

(2011–13) and the Cincinnati Reds (2014–15).

Early life

Axelrod was born in Santa Barbara,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, to Dennis and Joni Axelrod.John Zant (September 29, 2011)
"S.B. Pitcher Dylan Axelrod Makes the Majors,"
''Santa Barbara Independent''.
UC Irvine.

High school and college

He had a 13–1 record his senior year at

, where Axelrod was named team Most Valuable Player (MVP)."Dylan Axelrod,"
UC Irvine. He was 2003 Channel League MVP, and First Team All-County. He was undrafted out of high school. The Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table held inducted Axelrod into its Hall of Fame in 2018. Axelrod went on to

Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) is a public community college in Santa Barbara, California. It opened in 1909 and is located on a campus. History Santa Barbara City College was established by the Santa Barbara High School District in 1909, ma ...

(SBCC). He 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 ...

there in 2004 and 2005, had a school-record 117 strikeouts in 2004, and was named Outstanding Pitcher. After two years at SBCC, Axelrod transferred to

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and p ...

(UC Irvine), where he played for the Anteaters from 2006 to 2007. He was a reliever with UC Irvine, and was seventh in the

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...

in appearances in 2006 with 28 and had a 3–3 record with a 4.59 ERA. He played for the Santa Barbara Foresters in the California Collegiate League (CCL) during the summer of 2006, and the team won the

National Baseball Congress The National Baseball Congress of Wichita, Kansas is an organization of 17 amateur and semi-professional baseball leagues operating in the United States and Canada. Since its founding in 1935 by Hap Dumont, it has conducted an annual North America ...

World Series title as he went 5-0 with a 2.01 ERA. He recorded 34 appearances (leading the league) in 2007, and went 6–4 with a 3.96 ERA, striking out 79 in 72.2 innings. In February 2014 he was inducted into the Foresters Hall of Fame. Axelrod was drafted in the 30th round, 927th overall, of the

by the

Minor leagues

Axelrod debuted in 2007 with the

Arizona League Padres The Arizona Complex League Padres are a Rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona, which is also ...

of the Rookie

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it ...

, going 0–2 with 2 saves in 11 games exclusively as a reliever with a 5.40 ERA, before earning a promotion to the

Fort Wayne Wizards A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

of the A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

, where in 10 games out of the pen he had a 1.27 ERA."Dylan Axelrod Minor, Independent & Winter Leagues Statistics & History,"
Baseball-Reference.com. He started 2008 with the

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The Storm plays their home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond (Pete Lehr Field), which opened in 1994; the park s ...

of the A+ California League, going 2–1 as a reliever in 32 games with a 5.29 ERA, before being sent back to Fort Wayne, where he finished the year going 1-1 with a 3.95 ERA. He started 2009 with Lake Elsinore, but after 11 games with a 4.50 ERA Axelrod was cut. He signed with the

Windy City ThunderBolts The Windy City ThunderBolts are a professional baseball team based in the Chicago suburb of Crestwood, Illinois, in the United States. The ThunderBolts are a member of the Frontier League, which is a partner league of Major League Baseball. Sinc ...

of the Independent

, where, after he had a 2.21 ERA in 22 games with 6 saves, and being a Frontier League All Star, he drew the attention of the Chicago White Sox, signing a deal on August 2, 2009. When he made it to the major leagues, he became the second Thunderbolt to do so."Dylan Axelrod in Uniform During Chicago White Sox Doubleheader on Monday,"
OurSports Central, September 6, 2011. He pitched for the

Kannapolis Intimidators Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. The ...

of the A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

where, after 2 games, he was promoted to the

Winston-Salem Dash The Winston-Salem Dash are a Minor League Baseball team in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They are a High-A team in the South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Chicago White Sox since 1997. The Dash began playing their home games a ...

of the A+

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

, where he started 5 games and had a 1.91 ERA. Axelrod started 2010 with Winston-Salem, going 8-3 with a 1.99 ERA in 99.1 innings, and pitched two games for the Birmingham Barons of the AA Southern League. He started 2011 with Birmingham as their opening day starter, going 3–2 with a 3.34 ERA and was a Southern League All-Star, before being promoted to the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

of the AAA International League, by then a full-time starter, going 6–1 with a 2.27 ERA in 15 starts before being promoted again to the major leagues. ''Baseball America'' rated him as having the Best Control in the Chicago White Sox system after the 2010 season. At the time of his promotion to the major leagues in 2011, he led all White Sox minor leaguers in ERA (2.69), strikeouts (132), and opponents' batting average (.227), and was 9-3. He was named an MiLB.com 2011 Cincinnati Reds Organization All Star.">"Dylan Axelrod Stats, Fantasy & News,"
mlb.com In 2012 Axelrod pitched 16 starts for Charlotte, going 7-5 with a 2.88 ERA. In 2014, he pitched for both Charlotte and the Louisville Bats, both of the International League, going a combined 8-9 with a 4.01 ERA. He was named International League Pitcher of the Week on August 11, 2014. During the summer he pitched for the

Toros del Este The Los Toros del Este (formerly Azucareros del Este) are a 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 pl ...

of the

Dominican Winter League Dominican may refer to: * Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean ** People of the Dominican Republic ** Demographics of the Domi ...

, going 3-1 with a 3.23 ERA in 7 starts. In 2015, he pitched again for Louisville, going 6-8 with a 4.68 ERA. In 2016 Axelrod pitched for the New Orleans Zephyrs of the AAA Pacific Coast League, going 9-7 with a 4.48 ERA. On November 7, 2016, he elected to be a free agent.

Major Leagues

Chicago White Sox

On September 5, 2011, Axelrod was promoted to the Chicago White Sox.

Tony Peña Antonio Francisco Peña Padilla (; born June 4, 1957) is a Dominican former professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Pirates, Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians, White Sox, and Astros. ...

was transferred to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster. He made his Major League Baseball debut on September 7, 2011, pitching 2 scoreless innings in relief of starter

John Danks John William Danks (born April 15, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox. Personal life Danks graduated from Round Rock High School in Texas in 2003 and wa ...

in a game the White Sox lost, 5–4, to the Minnesota Twins. Axelrod made his first Major League start a week later, on September 14 vs. the first-place Detroit Tigers, who were on an 11-game win streak. He exited after six innings with a 5–2 lead, after striking out eight Tigers. Unfortunately for Axelrod, the White Sox bullpen blew the lead in the 9th inning and he did not pick up the win. It was announced prior to his start that Axelrod would assume

Jake Peavy Jacob Edward Peavy (born May 31, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw right- ...

's place in the White Sox rotation for the remainder of the 2011 season. Axelrod started two more games in the 2011 season: September 20 against Cleveland, pitching innings and allowing seven hits and four runs; but was back on form September 26 against Toronto, pitching six shutout innings, allowing three hits while striking out six, and recording his first Major League win. For the season, he was 1-0 for the White Sox with a 2.89 ERA. Axelrod was 2-2 with a 5.17 ERA in 2012, and struggled in 2013, with a 4–11 record and 5.68 ERA for the White Sox. Among pitchers who threw as many innings or more as Axelrod () in 2013, only four had worse ERAs. After the 2013 season, Axelrod was non-tendered by the White Sox, making him a free agent. He was re-signed to a minor league deal on January 9, 2014.

Cincinnati Reds

Axelrod was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on July 17, 2014. He was 2-1 for the Reds in 2014, with a 2.95 ERA, striking out 9.82 batters per nine innings and walking 1.96 batters per nine innings. In 2015, he pitched in half a dozen games for the Reds.

Miami Marlins

On December 11, 2015, Axelrod was signed to a minor-league deal by the Miami Marlins. Pitching for the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs, he was 9-7 with a 4.19 ERA in 25 starts (7th in the league), with a complete game (6th). He elected free agency on November 7, 2016.

World Baseball Classic; Team Israel

Axelrod pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, in March 2017.

Pitching coordinator

In January 2020 Axelrod joined the

Los Angeles Angels 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 ...

organization as a Pitching Coordinator.

Scouting report

Axelrod's broad repertoire consists of a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is c ...

(86–90 mph), a sinker (86–90 mph), a cutter (85–88 mph), a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

(80–83 mph), a curveball (72–76 mph), and a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

(80–85 mph). The cutter is his least commonly used pitch.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Axelrod, Dylan 1985 births Living people Arizona League Padres players Baseball players from California Birmingham Barons players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Christians from California Cincinnati Reds players Fort Wayne Wizards players Jewish American baseball players Kannapolis Intimidators players Lake Elsinore Storm players Louisville Bats players Los Angeles Angels personnel Major League Baseball pitchers New Orleans Zephyrs players Santa Barbara City College alumni Sportspeople from Santa Barbara, California Sportspeople from Irvine, California Toros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic UC Irvine Anteaters baseball players Windy City ThunderBolts players Winston-Salem Dash players 2017 World Baseball Classic players 21st-century American Jews