Samuel Thomas Hunter Clay (born June 21, 1993) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("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 attempts to e ...

in the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. ...

organization. He made his MLB debut with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

in 2021 and has also played for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

Amateur career

Clay attended Buford High School in

Buford, Georgia Buford is a city in Gwinnett and Hall counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,144. Most of the city is in Gwinnett County, which is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan S ...

. He enrolled at the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wreck ...

. As a draft-eligible sophomore, the

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) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

selected Clay in the fourth round of the

2014 MLB draft The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...

Professional career

Minnesota Twins

Clay pitched in the Twins' minor league system from 2014 to 2019. In 2020, he was a non-roster invitee to Minnesota's 60-man player pool, working out at the alternate training site at CHS Field in

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

. The Twins never added Clay to their major league roster, and he became a minor league free agent after the 2020 season.

Washington Nationals

On November 18, 2020, the

announced they had signed Clay to a major league contract, adding him to a major league roster for the first time in his playing career. On April 6, 2021, Clay was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut the next day, throwing a shutout inning against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...

. 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 play ...

on July 1, 2022 by Washington.

Philadelphia Phillies

On July 5, 2022, the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

acquired Clay off waivers from the Nationals and sent him to the minor leagues. He was designated for assignment on July 8.

New York Mets

On July 10, 2022, Clay was claimed off waivers by the

. On August 20, Clay was designated for assignment. He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 12, 2022, Clay signed a minor league deal with the

with an invite to spring training.

Pitching style

Clay is noted as an extreme groundball pitcher who rarely allows home runs. His pitching arsenal includes a sinking fastball and an above-average

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curv ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clay, Sam 1993 births Living people Baseball players from Knoxville, Tennessee Major League Baseball pitchers Washington Nationals players New York Mets players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball players Elizabethton Twins players Cedar Rapids Kernels players Fort Myers Miracle players Chattanooga Lookouts players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Rochester Red Wings players Mankato MoonDogs players