Jacob John Cronenworth (born January 21, 1994) 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 ...

infielder 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 penn ...

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). Cronenworth was born and raised in eastern

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. He played three seasons of

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 ...

for the Michigan Wolverines. Cronenworth forewent his final year of college eligibility when he was selected by the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

in the seventh round of the 2015 MLB draft. He played five seasons in the Rays farm system and spent time with the

United States national baseball team The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball t ...

in 2019. In December 2019, Cronenworth was sent to the Padres in a multi-player trade. He made his MLB debut in 2020 and finished second in

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

(NL) Rookie of the Year voting. On July 16, 2021, Cronenworth

hit for the cycle In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League B ...

, becoming the third player in Padres history to do so. He received All-Star selections in 2021 and 2022.

Amateur career

Cronenworth attended St. Clair High School in

St. Clair, Michigan St. Clair is a city in St. Clair County in the eastern "Thumb" of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,485 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the St. Clair River near the southeast corner of St. Clair Township. Geography *A ...

and played

at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. At Michigan, he was an infielder and

closing pitcher In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer (abbreviated CL), is a relief pitcher who specializes in getting the final outs in a close game when his team is leading. The role is often assigned to a team's best relieve ...

In 2014, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Rays

The

selected Cronenworth in the seventh round of the 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. He made his professional debut with the

Hudson Valley Renegades Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson R ...

. He played 2016 with the

Bowling Green Hot Rods The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which open ...

and

Charlotte Stone Crabs The Charlotte Stone Crabs were a Minor League Baseball team located in Port Charlotte, Florida, from 2009 to 2020. They competed in the Florida State League (FSL) as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

(batting a combined .282/.389/.386), 2017 with Charlotte and the

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

(batting a combined .274/.364/.358), and 2018 with Montgomery and

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

(batting a combined .253/.321/.345). Cronenworth started 2019 with the Durham Bulls. During the season, he pitched in a game for the first time since college, going 7.1 scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts over seven games. In 2019 playing for two teams in the minor leagues he batted .329/.422/.511 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs. After the season, on October 10, 2019, Cronenworth was selected for the

in the 2019 WBSC Premier 12. In the tournament he batted .103/.133/.241 with one home run and two RBIs in 28 at bats. The Rays added Cronenworth to their 40–man roster following the 2019 season.

San Diego Padres

On December 6, 2019, Cronenworth and

Tommy Pham Thomas James Pham (born March 8, 1988) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston R ...

were traded to the

in exchange for Hunter Renfroe, Xavier Edwards, and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

(PTBNL). The PTBNL, Esteban Quiroz, was named in March 2020. Cronenworth made his MLB debut with the Padres on July 26, 2020, and notched a hit and an RBI against the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

. On August 4, Cronenworth hit his first MLB home run off

Dustin May Dustin Jake May (born September 6, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, and made h ...

in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. On August 22, Cronenworth hit his first career grand slam off of

Humberto Castellanos Humberto Castellanos (born April 3, 1998) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros. Career Houston Astros On July 2, 2015, Castellanos signed a mi ...

of the Houston Astros. Cronenworth was named NL Rookie of the Month in August 2020 after hitting .356 with 16 extra base hits, 17 RBIs and 20 runs over 31 games. Cronenworth finished the season hitting .285 with 4 home runs and 20 RBIs in 54 games. He tied with

Alec Bohm Alec Daniel Bohm (born August 3, 1996) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Bohm was a standout hitter for Roncalli Catholic High Sc ...

of the Philadelphia Phillies for second place in NL Rookie of the Year voting, behind Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers. On July 4, 2021, Cronenworth was selected to his first

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

as a reserve. In his first game back from the All-Star Break on July 16, he

Nationals Park Nationals Park is a baseball stadium along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Home to Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals since its completion in 2008, it was the first LEED-certified green major profe ...

against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. He finished the 2021 season batting .266/.340/.460 with 21 home runs, 71 RBIs and 94 runs scored. On January 13, 2023, Cronenworth agreed to a one-year, $4.225 million contract with the Padres, avoiding salary arbitration.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cronenworth, Jake 1994 births Living people Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Michigan Bowling Green Hot Rods players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Durham Bulls players Gulf Coast Rays players Hudson Valley Renegades players Major League Baseball shortstops Michigan Wolverines baseball players Montgomery Biscuits players National League All-Stars Orleans Firebirds players People from St. Clair, Michigan San Diego Padres players Sportspeople from Metro Detroit United States national baseball team players 2019 WBSC Premier12 players