Jake Sanford

Jacob Alexander Sanford

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 225 lb.
• School McCook Community College, Western Kentucky University
• High School Auburn Drive High School

• Born October 24, 1997 in Dartmouth, NS CAN

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Jake Sanford was the third round pick of the 2019 amateur draft, out of Western Kentucky University. Largely unscounted in high school in Nova Scotia, Sanford walked on at McCook Community College. He was so successful at the Nebraska community college that he earned several offers at Division I programs. He chose to transfer to Western Kentucky University. At the Bowling Green, KY school, Sanford had a monster 2019 to vault up draft boards. He torched Conference USA pitching to the tune of a .398/.483/.805 slash line in 56 games. He led CUSA in average, OPS, and hits (88), while smashing 22 home runs - a total bested by only eight other Division 1 players.

Following a strong first season at WKU, Sanford declared for the 2019 amateur draft. He was selected in the 3rd round (105th overall) by the New York Yankees. Upon selection, he became the highest selection ever amongst Nova Scotia-born players. After signing on June 6, Sanford reported to the Staten Island Yankees of the New York-Pennsylvania League. Sanford's 2019 season didn't end on all that high of a note, however, as he slashed a tepid .238/.289/.411 for the Yankees' Low-A affiliate. After not playing affiliated ball in 2020 due to the minor league season being cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanford started 2021 for the Tampa Tarpons of Low-A Southeast. After slashing a robust .291/.370/.438 across 52 contests, Sanford was promoted to the Hudson Valley Renegades of High-A East. He was similarly successful in 49 contests for the Wappingers Falls club, posting a .278/.342/.497 slash line. Sanford had seemingly put himself in position to start the 2022 season with the AA Somerset Patriots.

As it turns out, things were unraveling behind the scenes. Sanford had been struggling with a gambling addiction, and had debts piling up, including with some of his teammates. During the 2021 season, Sanford was confronted by Tarpons manager Dave Adams, who informed Yankees Vice President of Player Development Kevin Reese about the issue. Reese helped connect Sanford to resources that Sanford said were helping in his recovery, and while it appeared both sides were approaching an amicable resolution of the problem, Sanford went unassigned out of Spring Training in 2022 and was released on May 12th. Soon thereafter, an article published by NJ.com reported that Sanford had stolen equipment from teammates and sold it, as well as accepted money in advance from fans in exchange for autographs that were never delivered. Sanford, as well as the Yankees organization, denied the allegations.

Nevertheless, Sanford had to find another way to continue his career. That would come by way of the Frontier League's Ottawa Titans. Sanford excelled for the Ottawa-based club, hitting 22 home runs in 91 contests and slashing .311/.377/.550. He re-signed for the 2023 campaign, but was dealt to the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association before the 2023 season started. He was 7-for-14 with three walks, a steal, double, four runs and five RBI in four games for Team Canada in the 2023 Pan American Games Qualifier. He went 4-for-4 against Peru and drove in three against Honduras. He tied for 5th in the event in runs, tied Nicolas Alvarado and Jacinto Cipriota for the most hits, tied Jordan Procyshen and Jahdiel Santamaria for the most RBI, was second in average behind Cipriota and tied for 8th in walks. While he did a great job, Canada fell short of securing a spot in the 2023 Pan American Games.

Further Reading

• David Singh: "Picking Up the Pieces", SportsNet, [1]