Craig Breslow

[William Malone]

Craig Andrew Breslow was born on August 8, 1980 in New Haven, Connecticut. 

The Milwaukee Brewers selected him in round 26 out of Yale University in the 2002 MLB Draft. He had a 7.19 ERA at the High-A level in 2004, and was released. Breslow was accepted into NYU Medical School, and was ready to give up baseball. His courses at NYU were set to begin in the fall of 2005, so Breslow signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres in an effort to give baseball one last shot. To the surprise of many, he had a breakout season and earned a Major League call-up by July.

San Diego removed Breslow from their 40-man in the off-season. He signed with the Boston Red Sox, pitching 13 games for them in 2006. Breslow spent the entire 2007 season in the minors. Some late season injuries forced the Red Sox to include Breslow on their ALDS roster that fall, but he did not pitch in the series. Breslow was not on the roster in ensuing playoff rounds. Boston won the World Series, and Breslow received his first World Series ring.

Breslow signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians in 2008, making their Opening Day roster. They designated him for assignment after just seven appearances. He was claimed by the Minnesota Twins.

His partial season in Minnesota proved to be a breakout campaign. Breslow opened up his Twins tenure with 10.2 consecutive scoreless innings, striking out 11 opponents. He picked up his first career save on August 29th against the Oakland Athletics, and then dominated the month of September. Breslow allowed just seven base runners and zero runs across nine innings during the final month of the regular season, but Minnesota wound up losing in an AL Central Tiebreaker Game against the Chicago White Sox. He had a 1.63 ERA over 38.2 innings for the Twins that year, posting a 0.983 WHIP.

Minnesota brought him back in 2009, but he struggled with control out of the gate. While opponents hit just .211 against him in a 14.1 inning sample, Breslow walked 11 hitters. The Twins designated him for assignment in May, and he was claimed by the Oakland Athletics.

His season turned around in Oakland, and Breslow continued to pitch for them through 2011. He went back to the Red Sox in 2012, and played four more seasons in Boston. Breslow won his second World Series in 2013. He was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in ten appearances that October.

Breslow pitched for the Miami Marlins in 2016, and signed back with the Twins in 2017. His second tour of duty in Minnesota wasn't as successful. The 36-year old lefty went 1-1 with a 5.23 ERA in 30 appearances. They designated him for assignment in July. He finished the year in Cleveland, and spent 2018 in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system.

The Chicago Cubs hired Breslow to be their Director of Strategic Initiatives for Baseball Operations in 2019. Boston hired him as their Chief Baseball Officer, the highest position in their front office, in 2023.

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