Former Eau Claire Express Pitcher Griffin Jax Debuts with the Twins
Jax is the 262nd former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Eau Claire Express pitcher Griffin Jax made his Major League debut for the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. Jax is the 262nd former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Jax, who played collegiately at the United States Air Force Academy, played for the Eau Claire Express in 2015. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 2016 MLB draft.
In 2015 with the Express, Jax appeared in three games and was 1-0 with a 2.36 ERA. He struck out 14 batters in 19 innings while walking four.
Jax began his professional career in 2016 with the Elizabethton Twins of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. In four games, he was 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA. He struck out eight batters in 8.2 innings while walking one.
Jax began the 2017 season with Elizabethton and then was promoted, after one game, to the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Lo-A Midwest League. For the season, he was a combined 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA in five games. He struck out 20 batters in 26.1 innings while walking seven with a 1.032 WHIP.
Jax spent the entire 2018 season with the Fort Myers Miracle in the Hi-A Florida State League. He appeared in 15 games and was 3-4 with a 3.70 ERA. He struck out 66 batters in 87.2 innings and walked 15.
Jax moved up again for the 2019 season to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the AA Southern League. He appeared in 20 games with Pensacola before a promotion, to end the season, to the Rochester Red Wings of the AAA International League. For the season, he was a combined 5-7 with a 2.90 ERA over 23 games. He struck out 94 in 127.1 innings while walking 27.
Jax was called up by the Twins on June 5 from the AAA-East St. Paul Saints. In five games with St. Paul, he was 3-1 with a 3.33 ERA. In his Major League debut against the New York Yankees, Jax entered the game in relief in the ninth inning and allowed three runs on three hits while striking out one.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 28th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 260 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or Google Play.