Sam Coonrod

Samuel Timothy Coonrod (born September 22, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.

He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Mets.

Coonrod was born 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.

After high school, Coonrod spent three years playing college baseball with the Southern Illinois Salukis of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Coonrod was born on September 22, 1992, to Tim and Karen Coonrod in St. Louis, Missouri, and was raised in Carrollton, Illinois.

Growing up, he was a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB), and attended many of the team's home games at Busch Stadium.

He was a shortstop and pitcher for the baseball team at Carrollton High School, posting a career 16–3 win–loss record and a 1.82 earned run average (ERA), with six saves and 212 strikeouts in 119 innings pitched.

During his senior season in 2011, Coonrod posted an 11–0 record, including five no-hitters, a 1.35 ERA, and 113 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched.

He additionally helped lead the team to a state championship title.

He also played for two collegiate summer baseball teams: the Quincy Gems in 2012 and the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in 2013.

Coonrod was credited with the win in his college baseball debut, pitching two innings in the Salukis' 4–2 victory over North Florida on February 18, 2012.

Coonrod pitched in 18 games and 64 innings in his freshman season at SIU, posting a 3–5 record, a 4.64 ERA, and 54 strikeouts.

That summer, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Quincy Gems of the Prospect League, going 2–1 with a 1.80 ERA in three games started and striking out 18 batters in 20 innings pitched.

The following season, Coonrod returned to the Salukis as a starting pitcher.

He recorded at least one strikeout per start until February 23, 2013, when he walked a career-high six batters in four innings against Jacksonville State.

The following month, on March 22, Coonrod struck out a career-high nine batters in seven innings against Indiana State, an outing that coach Ken Henderson said was "the best he's been all year".

He faced Indiana State again in the second game of the 2013 MVC Tournament, giving up three runs and taking the loss in a 5–0 shutout.

Coonrod finished his sophomore season with a 3–6 record, a 4.29 ERA, and 68 strikeouts in 15 starts and 79 2⁄3 innings.

That summer, he played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

His Red Sox coach, Scott Pickler, had previously coached Coonrod's future MLB teammates Joe Panik and Buster Posey during their respective times in the Cape Cod League.

He pitched in 8 games and 16 2⁄3 innings with the Red Sox, posting a 1–1 record and 4.86 ERA.

Coonrod credited his time with the Red Sox for helping him "mature as a player and be able to handle failure".

The Giants selected Coonrod in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft.

He spent the 2014 season with the Arizona League Giants, and continued to rise through the Giants' farm system before making his major league debut in 2019.

As a junior in 2014, Coonrod was one of four Salukis named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete first team.

He posted a 2.87 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 84 2⁄3 innings and 15 games started, in addition to maintaining a 3.48 grade-point average.

In three seasons of college baseball, Coonrod posted an 8–17 record, a 3.86 ERA, and 199 strikeouts in 228 1⁄3 innings pitched.

On June 6, 2014, the San Francisco Giants selected Coonrod in the fifth round, 148th overall, of the 2014 MLB Draft.

He was assigned to the Rookie Arizona League Giants, pitching in 15 games and starting in five, and earning his first professional win against the Arizona League Rangers.

He recorded 1–0 record in 2014, with a 3.90 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 27 2⁄3 innings.

In 2015, Coonrod became the first Carrollton baseball player to have his jersey number retired.

Dan Callahan, the coach at the time for the Southern Illinois Salukis of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), recruited Coonrod after watching him play at the State Journal-Register Baseball Classic.

In 2015, Coonrod was assigned to the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets of the South Atlantic League, earning his first win on May 21 in a 6–0 shutout of the Asheville Tourists.

On July 27, Coonrod was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week, following a win against the Hickory Crawdads.

In his final season start with the GreenJackets on September 6, 2015, Coonrod struck out nine batters in five innings, the second-highest that season, in a 4–2 victory over the Charleston RiverDogs.

He finished the season with a 7–5 record and 3.14 ERA in 23 games and 111 2⁄3 innings.

Coonrod opened the 2016 season with the Class A-Advanced San Jose Giants of the California League, pitching at the front of the starting rotation.

He struggled during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, allowing more than one run per inning pitched and recording a 9.82 earned run average in 18 games.

Coonrod was traded during the offseason, and began 2021 in the Phillies' bullpen.