Highland’s Jake Odorizzi accepts qualifying offer to stay with Minnesota Twins
Highland native Jake Odorizzi is returning to the Minnesota Twins for the 2020 season.
Fresh off his first All-Star season, the 29-year-old Odorizzi accepted the Twins 1-year $17.8 million qualifying offer, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.
The 2008 graduate of Highland High School enjoyed the best season of his five-year MLB career in 2019, finishing 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA and 178 strike outs in 159 innings. His emergence helped the Twins win the American League Central Division title with a record of 101-61. They eventually lost to the New York Yankees in the American League Divisional Series.
The $17.8 million salary makes Odorizzi the second highest payed player in Twins history behind Minnesota native Joe Mauer, whose long-term contract paid him $23 million per season.
Odorizzi made $9.5 million last year.
Taken in the first round as the No. 32 overall choice in the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, Odorizzi has also spent time with the Kansas City Royals (2012) and Tampa Bay Rays (2013-17).
For his MLB career, Odorizzi is 62-55 with a 3.88 ERA in 1,028 innings. He has appeared 191 games, making 188 starts with 983 strike outs.
