Sam Coonrod

Lore & Background

Samuel Timothy Coonrod was born on September 22, 1992, in St. Louis, Missouri, and raised in Carrollton, Illinois. He played high school baseball at Carrollton High School, where he helped his team win a state championship his senior season and became the first player in school history to have his jersey number retired. He played college baseball at Southern Illinois University and for two collegiate summer teams: the Quincy Gems in 2012 and the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in 2013. The Giants selected him in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2019. He was traded to the Phillies after the 2020 season.

In Their Own Story

The late afternoon sun hit the dirt of the mound at Sutter Health Park. Coonrod adjusted his cap, wiping sweat from his brow as the bases loaded in the seventh inning. The crowd murmured—a mix of hope and skepticism typical for a Triple-A contest. He gripped the ball, feeling the familiar seams, knowing that every pitch here was measured against the standard required to reach San Francisco.

Reader's Guide

Coonrod is a right-handed pitcher (handedness not explicitly stated in source, but implied by pitch descriptions; source does not specify left-handed). He throws a sinker and fastball. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2014, not by the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched for the Sacramento River Cats in 2019 but also for other minor league teams throughout his career.

Did You Know?

• Coonrod was the only player on either team not to kneel before 'The Star Spangled Banner' in a 2020 game, citing his Christian faith.
• He recorded his first MLB save in 2020 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• He underwent Tommy John surgery and missed most of the 2018 season.