Girodo Called Up To Toronto, Becomes 53rd Bulldog To Reach MLB
April 22, 2016 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Former Mississippi State baseball All-American left-hander Chad Girodo was signed to a Major League Baseball contract by the Toronto Blue Jays and selected to their 25-man roster, the team announced Friday afternoon.
Girodo will be with the Blue Jays for their 7:07 p.m. CT showdown in Toronto against the Oakland Athletics.
Toronto called Girodo up from their Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons. The Decatur, Ala., native was 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in four appearances for Buffalo this season. Girodo has allowed only six hits in 6.2 innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. Girodo started the year with Buffalo on a tear, not allowing an earned run in the first three appearances and not giving up an extra-base hit in all four appearances.
Girodo is the 53rd Diamond Dawg to reach the MLB, joining three others who are currently in the Big Leagues. Girodo joins Kendall Graveman (Oakland Athletics), Mitch Moreland (Texas Rangers) and Jonathan Papelbon (Washington Nationals) as MSU's four representatives in the Majors. Girodo becomes the second Bulldog to play for the Blue Jays. Graveman was originally drafted by Toronto in 2013 and made five appearances with the Blue Jays.
On Friday, June 7, 2013, Girodo was selected by the Blue Jays in the ninth round, rounding out a list of four Bulldogs to be selected in the first two days of the 2013 MLB Draft. Since being drafted, Girodo has thrown a total of 167.1 innings with a 14-6 record, earning five saves and totaling a 2.26 ERA and 170 strikeouts with 37 walks.
This January, the southpaw appeared in seven spring training games for Toronto, throwing 6.1 innings of work with four strikeouts and one walk and not giving up a single run.
The Hartselle, Alabama, native was a key reason why MSU made it to its ninth NCAA College World Series in 2013, going 9-1 with a 1.36 ERA in 36 appearances. For his efforts, Girodo was named an All-American by College Baseball Insider. The lefty was one of 15 players from the 2013 NCAA finalist squad to sign a professional contract.
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