Alex Cobb

Alexander Miller Cobb (born October 7, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and Cleveland Guardians. Cobb was selected by the Rays in the fourth round of the 2006 MLB draft, and made his MLB debut with them in 2011.

Early life Cobb was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Lindsay Miller-Cobb and Rick Cobb, an accountant. As a youth, Cobb served as a batboy for the Los Angeles Dodgers at Holman Stadium in Vero Beach for three years of spring training. He grew up a Boston Red Sox fan. As a senior, he was named the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Baseball Player of the Year after going 5–3 with a 1.06 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 74 innings, and batting .342 with five home runs and 17 runs batted in (RBIs). Cobb committed to play college baseball at Clemson University.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Rays Draft and minor leagues (2006–2010) The Tampa Bay Rays selected Cobb in the fourth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed for a $400,000 signing bonus. He played in their farm system from 2006 to 2010. In 2006 with Princeton he was 0–0 with a 5.19 ERA in 8.2 innings. In 2007 with Hudson Valley he was 5–6 with a 3.54 ERA in 81.1 innings. On May 31, Cobb was recalled back to the majors. On June 7, he earned his first major league victory. Cobb pitched for 6 innings and the Rays defeated the Angels 4–1. In late July, Cobb began to experience numbness and swelling in his right arm. After an August 5 start, he required surgery to remove a blood clot and blockage in the area of his first right rib and remove part of one of his ribs. The two surgeries ended his 2011 season. With Tampa Bay in 2011 he was 3–2 with a 3.42 ERA in nine starts covering 52.2 innings.

Cobb was invited to spring training in 2012, but sent to minor league camp to begin the season. He was called up to fill in for the injured Jeff Niemann. He ended the season with a 11–9 record and a 4.03 ERA in 23 starts covering 136.1 innings at the major league level. He also gave up one run in that inning after Will Venable reached base on a dropped third strike, stole second and third base, and was then balked home for the first time in recorded baseball.

Cobb was struck in the head by a line drive off the bat of Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer on June 15, 2013. Cobb was carried off the field on a stretcher and transported to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was reported that Cobb suffered a mild concussion and had a cut on his right ear, while all other scans and tests came back normal, and he would be discharged the next day. Cobb suffered nausea, headaches, and vertigo, and missed two months, making his return on August 15.

Cobb was named the American League Player of the Week for the week ending September 22, 2013.

In 2014, Cobb endorsed a product designed to help protect young ballplayers from similar injuries: the isoBLOX padded cap insert. The insert, a skull cap which fits underneath adjustable or stretch caps, is based on the same technology Major League Baseball approved for on-field use in 2014. "If boys and girls start wearing protective inserts, it will become second nature for them when they’re older," Cobb said. Cobb went 10–9 with a 2.87 ERA (6th-best in the AL, and 4th-best in team history) in 27 starts. On May 5, 2015, it was revealed that his elbow was diagnosed with a partial tear of the UCL. Three days later, it was announced that he would undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his 2015 season.

Cobb began the 2016 season on the 60-day disabled list. He returned to the Rays’ rotation towards the end of the season, but was not effective. In five starts covering 22 innings, Cobb was 1–2 and posted an 8.59 ERA. After Cobb returned from Tommy John surgery, he completely changed the usage of his pitches. Due to the health of his arm and his rehabilitation program, Cobb was not allowed to throw his split-finger fastball, his most dominant and often-used pitch. Cobb went back to using his four-seam fastball and an improved, and more commonly used, curveball.

Due to the success of Cobb's first 10 starts of the 2017 season (3.82 ERA) and his impending free-agency, the Rays were reported to be shopping the starter if they were to fall out of the playoff race or if they felt they had the depth to lose Cobb. After an injury to Matt Andriese and poor play by Blake Snell coupled with Cobb's flashes of high potential, the Rays stated that they were not actively shopping Cobb, instead planning on utilizing him as a key piece for the regular season and playoffs. After a poor May and early June, Cobb showed signs of brilliance, constantly pitching late into games, getting weak contact, and consistently keeping his pitch count down. Between June 9 and July 26, Cobb recorded 9 quality starts in 10 games, pitching 7 or more innings in 6 of those games. In that stretch, he went 5–1 and lowered his ERA from 4.52 to 3.46, even flirting with a no-hitter through 7 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cobb ended the 2017 season 12–10 with a 3.66 ERA in 177 innings over 29 starts. His 1.41 range factor on defense was the best among AL pitchers. On September 23, he aggravated a blister, keeping him out for the remainder of the season.

He finished the first season of his 4-year contract with a 5–15 record in 28 starts with a 4.90 ERA. He struck out 102 batters in innings. A week later, however, he was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right groin strain to start the season. He was placed on the disabled list for a third time on April 28 with a lumbar strain. At the time of the injury, Cobb had allowed 9 home runs in innings. He was transferred to the 60-day disabled list on May 22. On June 11, it was revealed Cobb needed to undergo hip surgery, and he was ruled out for the rest of the season.

In 2019, in only 12.1 innings pitched, he was 0–2 with a 10.95 ERA in three starts. Batters hit hard-hit balls against him 48.2% of the time, putting him in the worst 4% of baseball pitchers in that category. During the season he had stints on the injured list due to both blisters and right wrist inflammation.

In 2021 he was 8–3 with a 3.76 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 93.1 innings (a career-high 9.5 batters per 9 innings) over 18 starts.

San Francisco Giants (2022–2024)

On November 30, 2021, the San Francisco Giants signed Cobb to a two-year, $20 million contract with a $10 million club option for his third season.

In 2022 with the Giants, he was 7–8 with a 3.73 ERA in 23 starts, as in 149.2 innings he struck out 151 batters (a career high). He was in the top 4% in "lowest barrel-rate against," among MLB pitchers. On defense he led all NL pitchers in double plays turned, with four. Along with the walk and double in the ninth, the Reds' only other baserunner came on a third inning error; seven of Cobb's nine innings were perfect. He threw 131 pitches, tied for the most for a starter since 2018. Cobb made 28 starts for San Francisco in 2023, with a 7–7 record, 3.87 ERA, and 131 strikeouts across innings pitched. Following the season on October 30, it was announced that Cobb would undergo left hip surgery to address his labrum and ongoing impingements. On November 5, 2023, the Giants exercised their $10 million option on Cobb for the 2024 season.

While beginning the 2024 season rehabilitating from surgery, Cobb began to experience shoulder inflammation in his right arm, and was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 20, 2024.

Cleveland Guardians (2024) On July 30, 2024, Cobb was traded to the Cleveland Guardians for minor league pitcher Jacob Bresnahan and minor league infielder Nate Furman. He was activated from the injured list on August 9. On September 1, Cobb took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates before Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a ground ball which bounced off of Cobb, allowing him to reach base. After making 3 starts during the regular season, Cobb started twice for Cleveland in the postseason, losing Game 3 of the American League Division Series and Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. It was his first postseason action since 2013.

Detroit Tigers (2025) On December 10, 2024, the Detroit Tigers signed Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract. He suffered a right hip injury before the season began, and was later transferred to the 60-day injured list on May 30, 2025. On September 6, it was announced that Cobb would undergo season-ending resurfacing surgery on his right hip.

Pitching style Cobb throws four pitches: a sinker (his most-used pitch in 2021) and a four-seam fastball, each averaging about 93 mph, a splitter in the high 80s (his second-most used pitch in 2021), and a knuckle curve in the low 80s. Nearly half of his pitches with 2 strikes in 2021 were splitters.

Personal life Cobb proposed to his girlfriend, Kelly Reynolds, in February 2014 at the Discovery Cove in Orlando. They have been married since 2016 and have two daughters together, born in March 2019 and July 2020.

Cobb's brother, R.J., is a United States Army officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded a Purple Heart.