Jerad Joseph Eickhoff ( ; born July 2, 1990), is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Guardians organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates. Eickhoff was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 15th round (474th overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. In July 2015, the Rangers traded him to the Phillies, with whom he made his big league debut in .
Early life
Eickhoff was born on July 2, 1990, in Evansville, Indiana. His father, Ron, was a local carpenter who would help Eickhoff and his brothers, Jonathan and Jordan, practice baseball in their backyard. His mother DeeDee, meanwhile, drove Eickhoff and his brothers to baseball games and tournaments throughout their childhood. Growing up, Eickhoff was a supporter of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB), and frequently attended games at Busch Memorial Stadium.
Eickhoff played baseball and basketball at Mater Dei High School in Indiana. He was primarily a third baseman, and only began pitching during his junior year. Eickhoff went mostly unnoticed by scouts and college recruiters until October 2008, where, as a senior with his fall travel team, Eickhoff pitched seven strong innings at the World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) National Championships. Eickhoff would eventually become the second Mater Dei alumnus to play in MLB, following Rob Maurer.
College career
Following his WWBA performance, Eickhoff received offers from baseball programs at schools like Michigan State and Indiana University, but many of those programs wanted him to play as a walk-on pitcher. A scout for the Baltimore Orioles suggested that Eickhoff attend a junior college, where he was more likely to receive playing time. Eickhoff ultimately committed to play college baseball as a pitcher for Olney Central College in Olney, Illinois. After his freshman season, the Chicago Cubs selected Eickhoff in the 46th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He declined to sign with the team, choosing instead to return to Olney. That year, Eickhoff played collegiate summer baseball with the Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Northwoods League. He made 16 appearances with the Woodchucks, posting a 3–2 win–loss record and a 6.69 earned run average (ERA), while striking out 35 batters in 39 innings pitched.
As a sophomore in 2011, Eickhoff continued to grow as a player, with his pitch velocity reaching up to . He posted a 10–4 record and a 1.90 ERA for the year, enough to win the title of Great Rivers Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year. He also set a school record with 116 strikeouts in innings, while walking only 27. After the season, Eickhoff committed to Western Kentucky University.
Professional career
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers selected Eickhoff in the 15th round of the 2011 MLB Draft, and he agreed to nullify his National Letter of Intent with Western Kentucky in order to sign with the Rangers. He was initially assigned to the Rookie Arizona League Rangers, but was promoted to the Class A Short-Season Spokane Indians of the Northwest League after only four games. In 14 appearances between Arizona and Spokane, Eickhoff was 1–2 in his rookie season, with a 2.37 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched.
In 2012, Eickhoff pitched for the Class A Hickory Crawdads of the South Atlantic League. He was 13–7 with a 4.69 ERA — his 13 wins were third in the league and matched the 2nd-highest single-season win total in team history.
Eickhoff started 2013 with the Class A-Advanced Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League, and was promoted to the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders of the Texas League during the season. He had the 3rd-lowest WHIP (1.17) and the 8th-lowest ERA (3.41) in the Carolina League, and his 11 wild pitches were 6th in the league.
Eickhoff returned to Frisco in 2014, where he was named Pitcher of the Week, on May 5. Eickhoff's 144 strikeouts and 12 wild pitches with Frisco led the Texas League, and his 1.17 WHIP was 4th-best in the league.
In 2015, between Frisco, the Round Rock Express, and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Eickhoff was 12–5, with a 3.85 ERA, and 126 strikeouts, in 133.1 innings. In 2017, with the Reading Fightin Phils he was 0–1 with a 1.80 ERA in one start. In 2018, with the Clearwater Threshers, Reading, and Lehigh Valley he was 0–1 with a 2.90 in eight starts. In 2019, with Clearwater, Reading, and Lehigh Valley he was 3–2 with a 5.93 ERA in eight starts.