Drew James Rucinski (born December 30, 1988) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

, and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

, and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

NC Dinos The NC Dinos () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Changwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Since 2019, their home stadium is Changwon NC Park. NC Dinos are owned by video game developer NCSoft Corporation. History On ...

Career

Rucinski attended Union High School in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

for the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

from 2008 to 2011.

Cleveland Indians

The

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

signed Rucinski as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on June 15, 2011. He spent his first professional season split between the rookie–level

Arizona League Indians The Arizona Complex League Guardians are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The team is ...

, Low–A

Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...

, and Single–A

Lake County Captains The Lake County Captains are a Minor League Baseball team in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, that plays in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. The Captains joined the Class A Midwest League following ...

. In 22 appearances out of the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

, he logged a cumulative 4–0 record and 2.92 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 37.0 innings of work. Rucinski was released by the Indians organization on March 28, 2012.

Rockford RiverHawks/Aviators

On April 23, 2012, Rucinski signed with the

Rockford RiverHawks The Rockford Aviators were a professional baseball team based in Rockford, Illinois that played in the independent Frontier League. Rockford previously had a team in the Frontier League called the RiverHawks (2002-2009). There was no Rockford tea ...

of the

Frontier League The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...

. In 22 games (15 starts), Rucinski logged a 7–4 record and 3.13 ERA with 91 strikeouts in innings pitched. In 2013, Rucinski returned to Rockford, now the Aviators, making 15 starts and posting a 4–6 record and 2.88 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 100.0 innings of work.

Los Angeles Angels

On August 6, 2013, Rucinski signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

organization. He finished the year with the High–A

Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchi ...

, posting a 1.86 ERA across 5 starts. In 2014, Rucinski made 26 starts for the Double–A

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners and play in the Texas League. Hi ...

, logging a 10–6 record and 3.15 ERA with 140 strikeouts in innings pitched. On July 10, 2014, Rucinski was selected to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. In 3 games for the Angels, he logged a 4.91 ERA with 8 strikeouts in innings pitched. In 2015, Rucinski made the Angels'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster, beating out

Andrew Heaney Andrew Mark Heaney (born June 5, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Los Angele ...

and

Nick Tropeano Nicholas Paul Tropeano (born August 27, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco ...

. He made only 4 appearances for the team, struggling to a 7.71 ERA with 4 strikeouts in 7.0 innings of work. On September 1, 2015, Rucinski was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

following the promotion of

Wesley Wright Dequam LaWesley Wright (born January 28, 1985) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles Angels of ...

. On September 4, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Chicago Cubs

On November 16, 2015, Rucinski signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

organization. He spent the 2016 season with the Triple–A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

, making 28 starts and posting a 7–15 record and 5.92 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 155.0 innings of work. Rucinski elected free agency following the season on November 7, 2016.

Minnesota Twins

On December 15, 2016, Rucinski signed a minor league contract with the

. He began the 2017 season with the Triple–A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

, posting a 3.48 ERA with 13 strikeouts in innings pitched. On May 5, 2017, the Twins selected Rucinski's contract, adding him to the major league roster. He struggled immensely in two appearances for Minnesota, allowing five runs on ten hits and two walks in innings of work. On June 11, Rucinski was designated for assignment following the promotion of Nik Turley. On June 15, he re–signed with the Twins on a minor league deal after briefly becoming a free agent. On September 6, Rucinski was released by the Twins organization.

Miami Marlins

On November 30, 2017, Rucinski signed a minor league contract with the

. He began the 2018 season with the Triple–A

New Orleans Baby Cakes The New Orleans Baby Cakes (formerly the New Orleans Zephyrs) were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They were located in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, ...

, posting a 2.52 ERA with 21 strikeouts across 14 appearances. Rucinski had his contract purchased to the major league roster on June 3, 2018. He made 32 relief appearances for Miami, recording a 4.33 ERA with 27 strikeouts in innings pitched. On October 27, Rucinski was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A New Orleans; however, he subsequently elected free agency in lieu of the assignment.

NC Dinos

On November 29, 2018, Rucinski signed a one-year, $600,000 contract with the

of the

. On January 1, 2021, Rucinski re-signed with the Dinos on a one-year, $1.6 million contract. He posted a 15–10 record with a 3.17 ERA and 177 strikeouts over innings. On December 21, 2021, Rucinski re-signed with the Dinos to a $2 million deal, which tied for the second-most lucrative contract for a foreign player at the time of his signing. Rucinski was named a KBO All-Star for the team in 2022. He became a free agent after the 2022 season.

Oakland Athletics

On December 21, 2022, Rucinski signed a one-year contract with the

that contains a club option for the 2024 season. He began the 2023 season working out of Oakland's rotation, and went 0–4 through his first 4 starts with the club. On May 20, 2023, Rucinski was placed on the injured list with a

gastrointestinal The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. ...

illness. On June 11, it was announced that he had recovered from the illness, but was dealing with a low–grade MCL sprain of his right knee. On June 20, Rucinski was transferred to the 60-day injured list. On July 18, it was announced that he would undergo season–ending back surgery to address a degenerative condition.

References

External links

Ohio State Buckeyes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rucinski, Drew 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Neenah, Wisconsin Baseball players from Wisconsin Major League Baseball pitchers Los Angeles Angels players Minnesota Twins players Miami Marlins players Oakland Athletics players Ohio State Buckeyes baseball players Arizona League Indians players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Lake County Captains players Rockford RiverHawks players Inland Empire 66ers players Arkansas Travelers players Salt Lake Bees players Iowa Cubs players Rochester Red Wings players Rockford Aviators players New Orleans Baby Cakes players Las Vegas Aviators players NC Dinos players 21st-century American sportsmen KBO League pitchers American expatriate baseball players in South Korea