Zach Putnam

Steven Zachary Putnam (born July 3, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has formerly played for the Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago Cubs in the MLB.

Amateur career

Born in Rochester, Michigan, Putnam attended Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. At Pioneer, Putnam was the Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Baseball in 2005, and also led the team to a state title in 2004. Putnam then attended the University of Michigan, where he played for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team as a pitcher and outfielder, and was a two-time All-American.^[1] As a hitter, Putnam hit .307 with 19 home runs and had an overall ERA of 3.36 over three seasons for the Wolverines.^[2]

Professional career

Putnam was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fifth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. He spent the next four seasons in the Indians' minor league system: 2008 with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 2009 with the Kinston Indians and Akron Aeros, 2010 with the Aeros and Columbus Clippers, and 2011 with the Clippers. In 2011, Putnam had a 6-3 record and a 3.65 ERA in 44 games.

Cleveland Indians

Putnam was a September call-up, and made his major league debut on September 13, 2011. In 2011 for the Indians, Putnam went 1-1 with a 6.41 ERA in eight games.

Colorado Rockies

Putnam was traded to the Colorado Rockies on January 20, 2012 in exchange for Kevin Slowey. Putnam spent most of 2012 with Triple-A Colorado Springs, but did pitch in two games with the Rockies.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs claimed Putnam off waivers from the Rockies on November 2, 2012.^[3] He was outrighted off the roster on October 9, 2013 after appearing in five games for the team; he instead spent most of the season with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.

Chicago White Sox

Putnam signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox in November 2013. On April 17, 2014, Putnam's contract was purchased, and he was placed on Chicago's 25-man roster; he spent most of the season on the White Sox roster.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• MiLB.com player profile