Zach Putnam

Steven Zachary McGuire Putnam

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 225 lb.
• School University of Michigan
• High School Pioneer High School (Ann Arbor)
• Debut September 13, 2011
• Final Game April 22, 2017
• Born July 3, 1987 in Rochester, MI USA

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Biographical Information

Pitcher Zach Putnam reached the majors with the Cleveland Indians in 2011.

High School

Putnam was a two-way star in high school, winning numerous All-American honors. He hit .548/.657/1.145 as a senior with 17 home runs, 19 steals in 20 tries, 39 walks, 58 runs and 73 RBI in 44 games. He set school records in doubles, triples, runs, RBI, hits and walks. He was 10-1 on the mound with a 0.45 ERA, striking out 104 while walking 16 and allowing a .141 average. He set school records for strikeouts and ERA. He set his school's career records in hits, doubles, triples, homers, runs, RBI, wins, strikeouts and innings pitched, hitting .514/.610/1.034 overall. He stole 58 bases in 62 tries in high school. On the mound, he was 34-3 with 315 strikeouts in 219 1/3 IP for his career. His many honors included being named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Michigan, being named All-USA by USA Today and being named first-team All-American utility player (with Colby Rasmus) by Baseball America. He was picked in the 38th round of the 2005 amateur draft by the Detroit Tigers due to his strong college commitment.

College

Putnam went 6-2 with a 2.51 ERA as a college freshman, hitting .167/.286/.250. Lousville Slugger named him a Freshman All-American pitcher. His season was cut short due to injury.

In 2007, the sophomore was 8-5 with a 3.87 ERA while batting .330/.397/.518. He was 7th in the Big 10 Conference in ERA and second in RBI (59). He made the All-Conference team as both a DH and starting pitcher. Baseball America named him a second-team All-American utility player behind Joe Savery.

He was 2-0 and hit .260 for the Chatham A's in the Cape Cod League that summer.

As a junior in 2008, Putnam improved to 9-0, 2.58 and struck out over a batter per inning. He also hit .307/.400/.558. It was the third-best record in Michigan Wolverines history, trailing two 10-0 hurlers. Many sources listed him as a second-team All-American utility player.

Minors

The Cleveland Indians chose Putnam in the 5th round of the 2008 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Derrick Ross and debuted with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, going 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA in three starts.

Sources

• University of Michigan bio
• 2006-2008 Baseball Almanacs

Related Sites

• Zach Putnam on mlb.com