| Jeff Criswell | |
| Team: | Colorado Rockies |
| Number: | 46 |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | 10 March 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Portage, Michigan, U.S. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | August 21 |
| Debutyear: | 2024 |
| Debutteam: | Colorado Rockies |
| Statyear: | 2024 season |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 1–0 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 2.75 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 27 |
| Teams: |
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Jeffrey Kelley Criswell (born March 10, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Criswell attended Portage Central High School in Portage, Michigan.[1] [2] He was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 35th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and instead enrolled at the University of Michigan where he played college baseball.[3]
In 2018, Criswell's freshman year at Michigan, he went 3–2 with a 2.23 earned run average in 24 relief appearances.[4] In 2018, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[5] As a sophomore in 2019, he moved into the starting rotation and compiled a 7–1 record and a 2.74 earned run average in 18 games (17 starts).[6] [7] In 2020, his junior season, he went 0–1 with a 4.50 earned run average and 26 strikeouts in 24 innings before the season was ended short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] [9]
Following the season, Criswell was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the second round (58th overall) of the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[10] [11] [12] [13] He signed for $1 million.[14] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[15]
To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Lansing Lugnuts of the High-A Central.[16] After his first start, he was placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury.[17] He missed nearly four months before being activated in late August; he pitched a total of 12 innings during the season in which he gave up six earned runs and four walks while striking out 12.[18] He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Mesa Solar Sox after the season.[19] He returned to Lansing to begin the 2022 season.[20] In mid-June, he was promoted to the Midland RockHounds of the Double–A Texas League, and he was promoted once again, to the Las Vegas Aviators of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League, near the season's end.[21] Over 24 games (21 starts) between the three teams, he went 4–10 with a 4.03 earned run average and 119 strikeouts in innings.[22]
On December 6, 2022, the Athletics traded Criswell to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Chad Smith.[23] For the 2023 season, he was assigned to the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League.[24] Over 29 games (26 starts), Criswell went 5-10 with a 7.51 earned run average and 135 strikeouts in 121 innings.[25] He returned to Albuquerque to open the 2024 season.[26] On August 21, 2024, the Rockies selected Criswell's contract.[27] He made his debut later that day against the Washington Nationals, pitching a scoreless bottom of the seventh inning with no strikeouts, no walks and one hit given up to Keibert Ruiz in an eventual 6–1 loss.[28] On August 25, 2024, in Criswell's third career appearance, he came in to face the New York Yankees in the bottom of the seventh inning. After retiring Gleyber Torres on a ground ball to second, Criswell surrendered back-to-back-to-back home runs to Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton before Jazz Chisholm Jr. grounded out to Criswell and Anthony Volpe struck out. The Rockies lost the game 10–3.[29]