Zack Godley, Relief Pitcher

Date of Birth: 4/21/1990
Birthplace: Bamberg, South Carolina
College: University of Tennessee

Zack Godley, relief pitcher, was first drafted by the New York Mets in 2009, but he opted instead to attend the University of Tennessee. He was drafted again in 2013 by the Chicago Cubs and he signed with them. He spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons in the Cubs' minor league system.

The Cubs traded Godley to the Arizona Diamondbacks in December, 2014. He pitched in six games as a starting pitcher and three games as a reliever with the Cubs in 2015. In his first major league game, on July 23rd, he had six scoreless innings and he struck out 7 batters while walking none. He was the first pitcher since 1900 to do that in his first MLB game. He finished the 2015 season with 5 wins and 1 loss, 34 strikeouts to 17 walks, and a 3.19 ERA in 36.2 innings.

In 2016, Godley pitched in 9 games as a starter and 18 games in relief with the Diamondbacks. He finished the season with 5 wins to 4 losses, 60 strikeouts to 25 walks, and a 6.39 ERA in 74.2 innings.

Godley finished the 2017 season with 8 wins and 9 losses, 165 strikeouts to 53 walks, and a 3.37 ERA in 25 games as a starter and 1 game as a relief pitcher. In the postseason, he pitched 5.0 innings in 1 game and he gave up 4 hits and 3 runs.

Godley pitched in 33 games in 2018. He had 15 wins and 11 losses, 185 strikeouts to 81 walks, and a 4.74 ERA in 178.1 innings.

The Toronto Blue Jays claimed Godley off waivers on August 7, 2019. He finished the 2019 season with 4 wins and 5 losses, 2 saves, 70 strikeouts to 42 walks, and a 5.97 ERA in 92.0 innings in 27 games with the Diamondbacks and 6 games with the Blue Jays.

Godley became a free agent on September 8, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers on December 19th. He was released by the Tigers on July 13, 2020. Four days later, on July 17th, he signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox.

Godley spent part of the 2020 season on the IL. In 8 games with the Red Sox, he had no wins and 4 losses and an ERA of 8.16 in 28.2 innings.

Godley signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on March 19, 2021. He elected free agency on June 24, 2021. He signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Guardians on June 29th, and he was released on August 2nd. He signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets on August 7th. He spent time on the IL in 2021 with a finger contusion. He spent most of the rest of the season in the minors, playing in just 2 games with the Brewers.

Godley became a free agent again on November 7, 2021. He signed with the Cincinnati Reds on February 22, 2022. He was released on May 26th.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Zack Godley
ESPN - Zack Godley