Mike Leake, Starting Pitcher

Date of Birth: 11/12/1987
Birthplace: San Diego, California
College: Arizona State University

Mike Leake, starting pitcher, started playing baseball at the age of five. By the time he was in high school, he was a star player. In his senior year, he finished with an 11-1 record and a 1.87 ERA. He was also an excellent hitter and he finished that final year with a .342 batting average and 8 home runs. During his high school years, he won his league's Cy Young award twice and he was their Pitcher of the Year twice. He then went on to be a top player at Arizona State University.

Leake was first drafted in 2006 by the Oakland Athletics but he opted instead to continue at ASU. Three years later, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds. He went from his signing with the Reds in 2009 to pitching in 24 games with them in 2010. He finished that season with an 8-4 record and a 4.23 ERA.

Leake had a strong season in 2013 when he finished with a career low ERA of 3.37. He had a career high 14 wins (to 7 losses) and 122 strikeouts to 48 walks in 192.1 innings in 31 games. He finished the 2014 season with an 11-13 record, a career high 164 strikeouts to 50 walks, and a 3.70 ERA in 214.1 innings in 33 games.

Leake was traded to the San Francisco Giants on July 30, 2015. He finished the season with an 11-10 record, 119 strikeouts to 49 walks, and a 3.70 ERA in 21 games with the Reds and 9 games with the Giants.

Leake signed a five-year, $80 million dollar contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on December 22, 2015. The contract includes a mutual option for a sixth year. He finished the 2016 season with a 4.69 ERA, 9 wins to 12 losses, and 125 strikeouts to 30 walks in 176.2 innings in 30 games.

The Cardinals traded Leake to the Seattle Mariners on August 30, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 10 wins and 13 losses, 130 strikeouts to 37 walks, and a 3.92 ERA in 26 games with the Cardinals and 5 games with the Mariners.

Leake finished the 2018 season with 10 wins and 10 losses, 119 strikeouts to 34 walks, and a 4.36 ERA in 185.2 innings in 31 games.

Leake was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 31, 2019. He finished the 2019 season with a 12-11 record, 127 strikeouts to 27 walks, and a 4.29 ERA in 197.0 innings in 22 games with the Mariners and 10 games with the Diamondbacks.

Leake won a Gold Glove in 2019. Defensively, he made 25 assists, 20 putouts, and 1 error in 32 games.

Leake opted out of the shortened 2020 season.

Leake became a free agent on October 28, 2020. He didn’t play professional baseball in 2021.

Career pitching statistics for Leake through 2019 include:

• 301 games played
• 1,829.0 innings pitched
• 105-98 win-loss record
• 1,231 strikeouts to 403 walks
• 4.05 ERA

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Mike Leake
ESPN - Mike Leake