Jeff Samardzija
From BR Bullpen
Jeffrey Alan Samadzija (Shark)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 5", Weight 220 lb.
- School University of Notre Dame
- High School Valparaiso High School
- Debut July 25, 2008
- Born January 23, 1985 in Merrillville, IN USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Jeff Samardzija was a football All-American but chose a career in baseball instead and made his major league debut in 2008.
[edit] High School
Samardzija was more noted for his work in football than baseball in high school. He had 1,197 receiving yards, 55 catches and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2001. As a junior, he had 3 interceptions at safety and was an All-American. As a senior, he caught 50 passes for 1,044 yards and 9 touchdowns and was runner-up for the Indiana Mr. Football Award. That year, he was All-State in baseball, going 6-3 with a 3.28 ERA and hitting .467 with 55 RBI as a center fielder. He also played basketball in high school.
[edit] College
Going on to the University of Notre Dame, Samardzija was 5-3 with a save and a 2.95 ERA in 2004. The freshman was second in the Big East Conference in ERA among pitchers who worked an average of 1.0 IP per team game or more. He held opponents to a .209 average, second to Chris Lambert in the Big East. He held left-handers to a .160 average. Collegiate Baseball named him a freshman All-American.
As a sophomore, Jeff was 8-1 with a 3.89 ERA though opponents hit .272 against him. He led the Fighting Irish in victories and strikeouts (56).
In the 2005 football season, Samardzija was an All-American and one of the three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award awarded to the best college receiver. He set Notre Dame season records for touchdown catches (15) and overall catches (77, tied). His 1,249 yards receiving were third in the storied history of the Fighting Irish. He caught passes in 8 straight games, a team record.
Following that fine football campaign, Jeff returned to the mound and fell to 8-2, 4.33 as his ERA rose for the third year in a row. He was one behind teammate Jeff Manship and Nick Tucci for the Big East lead in wins and made the All-Conference team at pitcher.
[edit] Draft
The Chicago Cubs picked Samardzija in the 5th round of the 2006 amateur draft, their second overall pick as they had no choices in rounds 2-4. Due to their lack of picks, the Cubs were ready to open their wallets for an expensive, but potentially high-reward pick whose talent was significantly higher than his placing in the draft. He received a contract that allowed him to continue his football career; he was slated to make $7.25 million if baseball remained his primary sport. It was the highest bonus of the draft, more than double #1 overall choice Luke Hochevar. It was also the highest bonus in draft history, over a million more than Justin Upton had netted a year earlier. It also obviously set a record for a 5th-round pick.
[edit] Minor leagues
The tall right-hander debuted with the Boise Hawks in 2006 and was 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA in 5 starts, earning a promotion to the Peoria Chiefs, where he was 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two games. Returning to college for a final football season, he caught 78 passes for 1,017 yards and 12 touchdowns. He decided to skip the NFL draft to focus on baseball.
Samardzija split 2007 between the Daytona Cubs (3-8, 4.95, .323 opponent average) and the Tennessee Smokies (3-3, 3.41). Despite his struggles, Baseball America named him the #19 prospect in the Florida State League, right behind Eddie Morlan, based on his ability to handle a relatively high level of play in spite of his limited pitching experience.
Samardzija opened 2008 with Tennessee and went 3-5 with a 4.86 ERA before moving up to the Iowa Cubs. After 6 games in Iowa, he had a 4-1, 3.13 record. He was called up to Chicago to replace the injured Kerry Wood in late July.
[edit] Major leagues
Samardzija made his major league debut relieving Ryan Dempster with a 2-1 lead in the 7th against the Florida Marlins on July 25. He struck out Alfredo Amezaga, his first MLB opponent. Hanley Ramírez then singled and stole second before coming home on a double by Jorge Cantú. He tossed a scoreless 8th and left for pinch-hitter Jim Edmonds with the score tied at 2.
