Phillip Roger Bickford (born July 10, 1995) 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, ...

in 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 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

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

, and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2020.

Amateur career

Bickford attended

Oaks Christian School Oaks Christian School (OCS) is a co-educational, college-preparatory, non-denominational Christian school serving grades 4–12. Oaks Christian School is located on in Westlake Village, Los Angeles County, California. The school was established ...

Westlake Village, California Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County, California, on its western border with Ventura County. Upon its incorporation in 1981, Westlake Village became the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks We ...

. The

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

selected Bickford in the first round, with the 10th overall selection, in the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...

, but he did not sign with the team. Bickford enrolled at

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public research university in Fullerton, California, United States. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the California State ...

and 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, ...

for the

Cal State Fullerton Titans The Cal State Fullerton Titans (also known as CSUF or Fullerton Titans) are the sport, athletic teams that represent California State University, Fullerton. The Titans are a member of the NCAA Division I level. The Titans compete within the Big W ...

for his freshman year. After his freshman season in 2014, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox The Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox, or Y-D Red Sox, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Red Sox play th ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

, where he posted a 1.63

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) with 44

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

over

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

, helped lead the Red Sox to the league championship, and was named the league's Outstanding Pro Prospect. Prior to his sophomore year, he transferred to the

College of Southern Nevada The College of Southern Nevada (CSN) is a public community college in Clark County, Nevada. The college has more than 2,500 teaching and non-teaching staff and is the largest public college or university in Nevada. It is part of the Nevada System ...

in order to be eligible for the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

Professional career

San Francisco Giants

The

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

selected Bickford with the 18th overall pick in the 2015 draft. Bickford signed with the Giants for $2,333,800 and was assigned to the

AZL Giants The Arizona Complex League Giants are a professional baseball team competing as a Rookie-level affiliate of the San Francisco Giants in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Scottsdale Stadium in Sco ...

, where he spent the whole season, pitching to a 0–1 record and 2.01 ERA in ten games started. He began the 2016 season with the

Augusta GreenJackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina. History Augusta was a member of the S ...

and was promoted to the

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants g ...

in June.

Milwaukee Brewers

On August 1, 2016, the Giants traded Bickford and Andrew Susac to the

for

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

. Milwaukee assigned him to the

Brevard County Manatees The Brevard County Manatees were a minor league baseball team of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League from 1994 to 2016. They were based in Viera, Florida, Viera, Florida, and played their home games at Space Coast Stadium. The team left Brev ...

where he finished the season. In 23 total games (22 started) between Augusta, San Jose and Brevard County, Bickford posted a 7–7 record and 2.93 ERA as well as striking out 135 batters in 120 combined innings between the three clubs. He pitched only 17 innings in 2017 (with the AZL Brewers) due to a 50-game suspension for testing positive for banned substances and a broken hand. Bickford spent 2018 and 2019 with the Advanced Single-A

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games ...

. Over 21 games in 2018 he carried a 4.60 ERA and turned it into a 2.48 ERA over 20 games in 2019. On September 1, 2020, Bickford was selected to the major leagues for the first time and made his MLB debut that night. On April 28, 2021, Bickford was designated for assignment to clear roster space for the recently selected Zack Godley. He had allowed two earned runs in one inning of work up to that point in the year.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On May 3, 2021, Bickford was claimed off waivers by the

. On June 10, Bickford picked up his first career save against the

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

. On July 25, Bickford recorded his first career

MLB 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 ...

win against the

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

. He pitched in 56 games for the Dodgers in 2021, posting a 4–2 record with a 2.50 ERA and 59 strikeouts in innings. Bickford pitched in three games in each of the

2021 NLDS The 2021 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-games series in Major League Baseball (MLB) to determine the participating teams of the 2021 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners, seeded first through th ...

and 2021 NLCS, in which he allowed just four hits in six total innings of shutout ball. During the 2022 season, Bickford pitched in 60 games for the Dodgers, with a 2–1 record and 4.72 ERA. On September 23,

Albert Pujols José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (, ; born December 11, 1985) is a Dominicans, Dominican professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager and former first baseman and designated hitter who is the manager of the Leones del Escogido of the Domin ...

hit his 700th career home run off of him. Bickford pitched 42 innings over 36 games for the Dodgers in 2023, with a 2–3 record and 5.14 ERA. He 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 ...

on July 29, 2023.

New York Mets

On August 1, 2023, Bickford and

Adam Kolarek Adam John Kolarek (born January 14, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets. ...

were traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. In 25 appearances, he posted a 4.62 ERA with 28 strikeouts across innings pitched. Bickford received a $900,000 salary for the 2024 season through

salary arbitration Free agency in Major League Baseball (MLB) concerns players whose contracts with a team have expired and who are therefore eligible to sign with another team. Free agents may be eligible for pendulum arbitration, also called "salary arbitration" ...

. Bickford was designated for assignment on March 23, following the signing of J. D. Martinez. He was then released by the Mets on March 26. The Mets remained responsible for $217,742 in termination pay for the 2024 season.

New York Yankees

On April 2, 2024, Bickford signed a minor league contract with the

. In 22 games for the Triple–A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

, he compiled a 2.93 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 4 saves across innings pitched. On June 21, the Yankees selected Bickford's contract, adding him to their active roster. In four appearances, he struggled to a 6.23 ERA with four strikeouts in innings. On June 30, Bickford was designated for assignment by the Yankees. On July 3, Bickford elected to become a free agent after clearing waivers. He re–signed with the Yankees on a new minor league contract the following day. On August 25, the Yankees selected Bickford's contract and added him back to their active roster. After four more appearances for the Yankees, he was designated for assignment on September 7. Bickford cleared waivers and was sent outright to Scranton on September 9. He elected free agency on October 1.

Chicago Cubs

On November 22, 2024, Bickford signed a minor league deal with the

Personal

Bickford was born in Newbury Park, California. He has one brother and four sisters.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bickford, Phil 1995 births Living people Arizona League Brewers players Arizona League Giants players Augusta GreenJackets players Brevard County Manatees players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players Carolina Mudcats players Iowa Cubs players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players New York Mets players New York Yankees players Oaks Christian School alumni Oklahoma City Dodgers players San Jose Giants players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Southern Nevada Coyotes baseball players Baseball players from Ventura, California Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players