Jake Petricka

Jacob Stephen Petricka

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 200 lb.
• School Indiana State University, Iowa Western Community College
• High School Faribault High School
• Debut August 22, 2013

• Born June 5, 1988 in Northfield, MN USA

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Biographical Information

Jake Petricka made his major league debut in 2013.

Petricka was taken by the Chicago White Sox in the 38th round of the 2006 amateur draft out of high school but did not sign. He redshirted as a freshman at Iowa Western Community College then was 5-1 as a sophomore. His junior year, he had a 7-3, 4.76 record after transferring to Indiana State University. The New York Yankees picked him in the 34th round of the 2009 amateur draft but he did not sign. He returned to ISU for another year and put up similar numbers (7-4, 4.11). He was All-Missouri Valley Conference. This time, he went in the second round (63rd overall) of the 2010 amateur draft to the White Sox again, in between two other college hurlers (Chris Sale in round one and Addison Reed in round three). The scout was Mike Shirley.

Petricka made his pro debut in the summer of 2010, appearing for the Bristol Sox (2-4, 2.86, 38 K in 34 2/3 IP, .92 WHIP) and Kannapolis Intimidators (0-1, 3.72 in 9 G). Baseball America ranked him as the #19 prospect in the Appalachian League, between Richard Vargas and Hector Guevara, and as the #7 White Sox prospect as well as having the best fastball of a White Sox farmhand. In 2011, he missed a month with a back strain. He split the season between Bristol (0 R in 4 IP), Kannapolis (3-1, 2.81, 48 K in 41 2/3 IP) and the Winston-Salem Dash (4-7, 4.39). With the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League, he went 1-0 with a 5.51 ERA, 18 strikeouts and 10 walks in 16 1/3 IP; his 13 games pitched tied for 6th in the league. Baseball America upgraded him to Chicago's 5th-best prospect entering 2012.

2012 was a rough summer for Jake. The Minnesota native was 5-5 with a 5.33 ERA for Winston-Salem and 3-3 with a 5.46 ERA for the Birmingham Barons. He was third in the White Sox chain in hits allowed (156, behind Charles Shirek and Nestor Molina), first in runs allowed (93, 10 more than runner-up Cameron Bayne), first in earned runs allowed (84), first in walks (81, 9 more than #2 Matt Wickswat), second in wild pitches (14) and 4th in strikeouts (111). Baseball America pegged him as the #16 prospect in the Chicago system.

Petricka moved to relief in 2013 and found new life with the Barons (3-0, 2.06, 41 K in 39 1/3 IP after 21 G). Promoted to the Charlotte Knights, he was even sharper (2-0, Sv, 1.17, 9 H, 17 K in 15 1/3 IP). When Ramon Troncoso went on the DL, Jake was called up to the majors. He was the second White Sox rookie of 2013 born on June 5, 1988, following Brazilian Andre Rienzo. In his major league debut, he relieved David Purcey with two on and one out in the bottom of the 11th against the Kansas City Royals. He promptly got Salvador Perez to ground into a 6-4-3 double play on a 2-2 count. Conor Gillaspie homered in the top of the 12th to put Chicago ahead and Reed relieved in the bottom of the 12th to save a five-pitch win for Petricka.

On August 24 and 26, 2014, Petricka gave up game-winning homers in the 10th inning in two consecutive games. In the first of these, Brian McCann of the New York Yankees connected for a three-run shot to charge him with a 7-4 loss, then after an off-day, it was the turn of Zach Walters of the Cleveland Indians to victimize him, this time with a two-run jack for an 8-6 loss.

Sources

• 2013 White Sox Media Guide
• ISU bio

Related Sites

• Jake Petricka on mlb.com