Sam Clay

Samuel Thomas Hunter Clay (born June 21, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Detroit Tigers organization. The Minnesota Twins selected Clay in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB draft. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Washington Nationals in 2021 and has also played for the New York Mets.

Sam Clay
Clay with the Washington Nationals in 2022
Detroit Tigers
Pitcher
Born: (1993-06-21) June 21, 1993
Knoxville, Tennessee
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
April 7, 2021, for the Washington Nationals
MLB statistics
(through 2022 season)
Win–loss record0–5
Earned run average5.90
Strikeouts39
Teams

Amateur career

Clay attended Buford High School in Buford, Georgia.[1] He enrolled at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he played college baseball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. As a draft-eligible sophomore, the Minnesota Twins selected Clay in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB draft.[2]

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.[3]

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 Washington Nationals 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.[4] On April 6, 2021, Clay was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[5] He made his MLB debut the next day, throwing a shutout inning against the Atlanta Braves.

He was designated for assignment on July 1, 2022, by Washington.

Philadelphia Phillies

On July 5, 2022, the Philadelphia Phillies 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 New York Mets. He tossed one scoreless inning of relief before he was designated for assignment on August 20. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A Syracuse Mets on August 23.[6] In 19 games in Syracuse, Clay registered a 3.97 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 22+2⁄3 innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.[7]

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 12, 2022, Clay signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks with an invite to spring training.[8] Clay was released by the organization on March 24, 2023.[9]

Detroit Tigers

On April 30, 2023, Clay signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers organization.[10][11]

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.[12]

References
  1. "Buford's Clay signs baseball scholarship with Georgia Tech".
  2. "Clay drafted by Minnesota in fourth round". Georgia Tech. June 6, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  3. "Twins' Sam Clay: Part of 60-man player pool". CBS Sports. June 29, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  4. Reddington, Patrick (November 18, 2020). "Washington Nationals sign Sam Clay to major league deal..." Federal Baseball. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  5. "Nationals Set Opening Day Roster". April 6, 2021.
  6. "Mets' Sam Clay: Remains in organization". cbssports.com. August 24, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  7. "2022-23 Minor League Free Agents For All 30 MLB Teams". baseballamerica.com. November 13, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  8. "Reno Aces on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  9. "Transactions".
  10. "Tigers Sign Sam Clay To Minor League Deal". May 2023.
  11. "Tigers' Sam Clay: Catches on with Detroit". cbssports.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  12. Adams, Steve (November 18, 2020). "Nationals Sign Sam Clay To Major League Contract". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
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