Jake Odorizzi Bio: Baseball Career, Injuries & Family

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“You either keep your eye on the ball or ball on the eye while playing baseball” is the pitchers’ favorite explanation of baseball.

Jake Odorizzi, a professional baseball pitcher from America, must be supporting the eyeball theory of baseball pitching.

He plays for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was previously associated with the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, and Tampa Bay Rays of the MLB.

Jake odorizzi
Jake Odorizzi.

Today, we will discuss Jake Odorizzi’s personal and professional life, including everything from his early life and family to his baseball career and net worth.

Quick Facts:

Full Name Jacob Todd Odorizzi
Known As Jake Odorizzi
Birth Date March 27, 1990
Birth Place Breese, Illinois, United States
Age 34 Years Old
Religion Christian
Nationality American
Ethnicity White
Education Highland High School, Illinois, United States
Horoscope Aries
Father’s Name Not Known
Mother’s Name Not Known
Height 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm)
Weight 86 kg (189.6 lbs.)
Build Athletic
Hair Color Dark Brown
Eye Color Brown
Marital Status Married
Spouse Carissa Boxell
Children 2
Son’s name Rhett Odorizzi

Madex James Odorizzi

Profession Baseball Player
Position Pitcher
Active Since 2008
Affiliations Major League Baseball (MLB)
Plays for Minnesota Twins
Former Teams Kansas City Royals

Tampa Bay Rays

Contract with Minnesota Twins $17.8 million
Net Worth $155 million
Social Media Handles Twitter
Merch Autographed Items, Rookie Card, Jersey
Last Update March, 2024

Jake Odorizzi | Early Life, Family, and Education

Jake Odorizzi was born on March 27, 1919, in Breese, Illinois, United States.  The information regarding his parents and childhood is not available yet.

As for his education, Jake went to Highland High School. There he was associated with the high school baseball team, Highland Bulldogs.

He has been good in his game since childhood. Odorizzi and his teammates drove the Highland Bulldogs to the 2008 state championship.

Moreover, he recorded 14-0 with a .08 ERA as a pitcher in high school. Further, he batted .422 with 15 home runs in his senior year at Highlands.

He holds numerous Highland High School baseball records as well. Later, he graduated in 2008.

Jake Odorizzi was honored with Gatorade Player of the Year, USA Today National Player of the Year, Louisville Slugger Award, and All-State Pitcher. 

Likewise, he was also named Shortstop Prep Baseball Player of the Year and All-State Football titles in 2008.

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Jake Odorizzi | Professional Baseball Career

Milwaukee Brewers

Jake Odorizzi was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round, with the 32nd overall choice of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft.

He gained a 9–9 record, a 3.68 Earned Run Average (ERA), and 197 strikeouts while associated with the Milwaukee Brewers system.

Moreover, he also played for the Milwaukee Brewers minor league baseball affiliate teams, such as Arizona Brewers in 2008, Helena Brewers in 2009, and Wisconsin Timbers in 2010.

Kansas City Royals

The Milwaukee Brewers traded Jake Odorizzi and other players like Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress, and Lorenzo Cain to the Kansas City Royals on December 17, 2010.

The guys were traded in exchange for Kansas City Royals players Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt. After that, Odorizzi landed in Kansas City Royals.

Baseball America ranked Jake Odorizzi as the 69th best prospect before the 2011 season. Further, he was ranked as the 23rd best prospect at the 2011-mid season.

He has then named the fifth-best prospect in the Double-A Texas League in the 2012 season. Also, Odorizzi was recommended to appear in the 2012 All-Star Futures Game.

Jake odorizzi inside the field
Jake Odorizzi is inside the field.

He also played for the Kansas City Royals Double-A affiliate Northwest Arkansas Naturals and Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers in 2012.

He achieved an overall record of 15–5 and a 3.03 ERA in minor league baseball for the teams. Then, the Kansas City Royals purchased Odorizzi’s contract from Class AAA Omaha on September 6, 2012.

He had the opportunity to make two starts for the Kansas City Royals before the end of the season.

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Tampa Bay Rays

2012 Season

The Kansas City Royals traded Jake Odorizzi to the Tampa Bay Rays on December 9, 2012.

Other Royals players like Mike Montgomery, Patrick Leonard, and Wil Myers were also traded along with Odorizzi. 

The Kansas Royal’s guys were traded in exchange for Tampa Bay Rays’ James Shields and Wade Davis.

Further, Odorizzi played for the Tampa Bay Rays Triple-A affiliate, Durham Bulls, on March 12, 2012.

In early May, he threw a combined no-hitter for the Durham Bulls against the Pawtucket Red Sox. He returned to the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays on May 20 for a match.

The tournament was against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Further, he was returned to the Durham Bulls again on May 29.

Odorizzi returned to the Tampa Bay Rays on August 29 to start against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Likewise, he was sent back to Durham Bulls on August 30, the immediate next day. He then returned to the Tampa Bay Rays on September 20.

Odorizzi’s 2012 season was about exploring teams and significant transitions.

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2013 and 2014 Season

Odorizzi played in the minor leagues for the majority of the 2013 season. He posted a 9–6 with a 3.33 ERA in 22 starts for the Durham Bulls.

However, Odorizzi played seven games for the Tampa Bay Rays at the end of 2013.

In those seven games, of which he had 4 starts, he recorded a 3.94 ERA. Odorizzi stood up as the fourth pitcher in the rotation for most of the 2014 season.

He played moderately well this season. Odorizzi posted an 11–13 won-lost record and a 4.13 ERA in 33 starts.

He also pitched 168 innings with 174 strikeouts. He secured the 8th position in the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year.

2015, 2016, and 2017 Season

Similarly, Odorizzi posted 9–9 with an ERA of 3.25 and FIP of 3.16 in 169.1 innings, despite only making 28 starts in the 2015 season.

He also led all major league pitchers to a 30.0 changeup percentage. He then recorded 10–6 with an ERA of 3.69 in 33 games over 187.2 innings in the 2016 season.

Also, Jake Odorizzi’s 17 no decisions were among MLB starting pitchers in 2016. He was attacked with 18.3% of all fly balls on July 26, 2017.

Jake odorizzi inside the field
Jake Odorizzi is inside the field.

He then went for a home run that was 7.2% above his career average (11.1%). Moreover, his ERA had increased to a whopping 4.47, with a FIP of 5.74 as of July 26, 2017.

He had allowed 23 home runs in 18 games. The statistics might not be that great, but Odorizzi still had the winning record of 6–4.

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Injury (Lower Back Strain)

The Tampa Bay Rays kept Odorizzi on the ten-day Disabled List (DL) on July 26, 2017. He suffered from a lower back strain.

Jake Odorizzi was activated from the DL on August 9, returning to the game.

He played well for the rest of the season, recording 3–1 with a 1.03 ERA in 26.1 innings). Jake Odorizzi ended the season at 10–8 with a 4.14 ERA in 143.1 innings.

Minnesota Twins

The Tampa Bay Rays traded Odorizzi to the Minnesota Twins on February 17, 2018. The trade was made in exchange for minor league baseball player Jermaine Palacios.

Odorizzi pitched 7 1/3 no-hit innings on September 12. The pitch was made facing Greg Bird of the New York Yankees, who hit a run-scoring double in the 8th inning.

Odorizzi finished the 2018 season with a 7-10 record and 4.49 ERA in 32 starts. He had the lowest ground ball percentage of 28.4%, the weakest among the major league pitchers.

Similarly, he tied for the primary league lead, giving 6 bunt hits. Odorizzi recorded an average of 6 innings per start in the 2019 season.

He then gained 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 159 innings. Also, he had a career-high 178 strikeouts.

He signed a one-year contract worth $17.8 million with the Minnesota Twins on November 14, 2019.

You can see updates and news relating to Jake Odorizzi on the Fox Sports website.

Jake Odorizzi | Troubles with injuries

Back injuries are the worst enemies when it comes to baseball pitchers. Pitching relies heavily on bending and twisting the back, and any pain can easily create hurdles for these movements.

Odorizzi struggled with his back several times in his career span. However, his fans expect to see him in the field in 2020 without trouble. 

Also, he got hit in the chest by a comebacker in the bottom of the fourth inning in July 2020.

He was struck by a ball hit at 103.2 mph off the bat of Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon. Odorizzi then got diagnosed with an abdominal contusion.

The injury was so severe that it could be seen from a distance as Rocco Baldelli said, manager of the Minnesota Twins.

You can see Odorozzi’s career statistics on the website of baseball-reference.

Jake Odorizzi | Pitching Style

Odorizzi generally throws five pitches, leading with a four-seam fastball at 91–96 mph.

His pitch also includes a cutter (the mid-80s), slider (low 80s), splitter (mid-80s), and curveball (low-mid 70s).

He mostly used the slider against right-handed hitters. Likewise, the changeup is usually against lefties.

Moreover, his fastball was recorded as the best pitch, and his changeup was the least developed one by the Scouts. 

Odorizzi developed a split-change similar to Cobb’s main strikeout pitch with the help of Alex Cobb. It helped him win the 5th starter’s job in spring training in 2014.

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Jake Odorizzi | Career stats

 
Year
Team
GP
CG
ER
SO
W
L
Sv
WHIP
ERA
2021
Houston Astros
12
0
23
45
3
5
0
1.13
4.09
2020
Minnesota Twins
4
0
10
12
0
1
0
1.39
6.59
2019
Minnesota Twins
30
0
62
178
15
7
0
1.21
3.51
2018
Minnesota Twins
32
0
82
162
7
10
0
1.34
4.49
2017
Tampa Bay Rays
28
0
66
127
10
8
0
1.24
4.14
2016
Tampa Bay Rays
33
0
77
166
10
6
0
1.19
3.69
2015
Tampa Bay Rays
28
0
63
150
9
9
0
1.15
3.35
2014
Tampa Bay Rays
31
0
77
174
11
13
0
1.28
4.13
2013
Tampa Bay Rays
7
0
13
22
0
1
1
1.21
3.94
2012
Kansas City Royals
2
0
4
4
0
1
0
1.64
4.91
Career
 
207
0
477
1,040
65
61
1
1.23
3.93

Is Jake Odorizzi married? Wife and Children

Just like his incredible baseball career, Jake Odorizzi also has a well-maintained personal life. Besides being a baseball player, he is also a wonderful husband and father.

Moreover, Jake is happily married to his long-time girlfriend, Carissa Boxell. The couple tied the knot in November 2012.

Jake-odorozzi-family
Jake Odorizzi’s with his family.

They have two sons together: Rhett Odorizzi and Madex James Odorizzi. Rhett was born in December 2015, and Madex was born in 2018.

Blessed and happy, Odorizzi is living a blissful life with his family. 

How much did the Astros pay for Jake Odorizzi? Net Worth and Salary

Jake Odorizzi is an outstanding baseball pitcher who has been professionally in this field since 2012.

The MLB player makes perfect money from his baseball career.

As of 2024, Jake’s net worth stands at a staggering $15 million, accrued mainly due to his baseball career. 

Additionally, Odorizzi has signed a three-year contract with the Houston Astros worth $23,500,000.

Under the contract terms, Jake will earn $9,000,000 as an average salary as of 2024.

The talented pitcher still has many years left to play with different clubs and earn even more cash.

With his outstanding baseball performance, he will surely earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in the coming years. 

You can find the latest stats, scouting reports, rankings, and more about Jake Odorizzi on the Baseball America website.

Social Media Presence:

Twitter: 16.7k followers

Some FAQs:

Does Jake Odorizzi hold a contract with the Minnesota Twins?

Yes, Jake Odorrizi signed a one-year contract worth $17.8 million with the Minnesota Twins on November 14, 2019.

Who represents Jake Odorizzi?

 Excel Sports Management represents Jake Odorizzi.

What is Jake Odorizzi’s injury?

 Jake Odorizzi was diagnosed with a right pronator muscle strain.

Sanjib Sah
Sanjib Sah
Sanjib Sah is an engineer and content writer passionate about sports and athletics. With a background in engineering and a love for all things active, Sanjib brings a unique perspective to the world of sports writing. Whether he is covering the latest trends in sports technology or sharing tips on improving your game, Sanjib's words are always rooted in a deep appreciation for players' hard work and dedication everywhere. In his free time, you can find him hitting the courts or hitting the trails, always looking for new ways to challenge himself and improve his skills.

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