Previous: First round draft pick out of Waubonsie Valley High School (IL) by the Boston Red Sox … Struck out 172 batters in 80 innings with a 0.45 ERA during his senior year of high school … played three seasons in Single-A and struck out 167 batters in 158 innings … Won 17 games in two seasons in Double-A, posting a 2.33 ERA in 2008 … Spent part of each season from 2008 to 2015 moving between Triple-A and MLB in Red Sox, Cubs, Orioles and Twins organizations … Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month in April 2007, May 2008 and June 2010 … 2008 Eastern League All-Star and Sea Dogs Pitcher of the Year … Made MLB debut on Aug. 30, 2008 … Traded to Chicago Cubs in April 2012 for Marlon Byrd and Hunter Cervenka … Posted a 2.95 ERA in 36.2 innings for the Cubs out of the bullpen in 2012 … Last played for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball in 2019 after being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers after a three-month stint.

Personal: Born Sept. 9, 1986 … Hometown Willowbrook, IL … 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds … bats right and throws right … Known for somewhat unconventional, compact pitch delivery … Highly regarded out of high school for excellent command .. Known to pitch with a lot of intensity and focus … Mentioned former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek as a player he looks up to. Main pitch is a four-seam fastball with heavy sinking movement.