Jesse Crain

[William Malone]

Jesse Alan Crain was born on July 5, 1981 in Canada.

He attended the University of Houston, and was named All-Conference USA as a shortstop. Crain also worked as a relief pitcher for the Cougars, which is the role most professional organizations were scouting him for.

The Minnesota Twins selected Crain in round two of the 2002 MLB Draft, and he dominated the minors. Crain was already in Triple-A by the end of 2003, posting a 1.93 ERA with a 0.857 WHIP over 84.0 innings across three minor league levels that season. His big league debut came on August 5, 2004.

His time in Minnesota was inconsistent, although mostly solid. Crain had rough statistical seasons in 2007 (5.51 ERA) and 2009 (4.70 ERA), sporting a 3.10 ERA across his five other seasons with the club (2004-06, 2008, 2010). His best season with the Twins came in 2007, when he went 12-5 with a 2.71 ERA over 75 relief appearances. Despite not making a start, his 12 wins were second on the team behind Johan Santana.

He left Minnesota in free agency after the 2010 season, signing a three year deal with the Chicago White Sox. The Twins also lost Matt Guerrier and Jon Rauch in free agency that winter, costing them a collective 196.2 relief innings and a 3.11 ERA from their 2010 bullpen. Deadline rental Brian Fuentes, who didn’t allow a run over 9.2 innings with the Twins, also left as a free agent.

Crain began to dominate with the White Sox, posting a 2.10 ERA over the duration of his three year contract. However, a shoulder injury suffered in the final year of his deal would mark the end of his Major League career.

The injury didn’t seem to be career ending at first. It didn’t even appear to be season ending. The White Sox were able to trade Crain to the contending Tampa Bay Rays at the deadline in 2013, but he never got well enough to pitch down the stretch. The Houston Astros singed him to a big league contract that winter, but Crain was on the 60-day disabled list by the time spring training was over. His final attempt at pitching came on a minor league deal with the White Sox in 2015, but that lasted just six games.

For his career, Crain pitched to a 3.05 ERA over 532 appearances across ten seasons with the Twins and White Sox. He had a 16.20 ERA in the postseason, making October appearances in 2004, 2006 and 2010. The Twins left Crain off their 2009 ALDS roster, although he did pitch in the famous Game 163 AL Central tiebreaker game that season.

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