Scott Effross

Scott Benjamin-Morton Effross (born December 28, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Seattle Mariners organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. Effross played college baseball for Indiana University. He was selected by the Cubs in the 15th round of the 2015 MLB draft, and made his MLB debut with them in 2021.

Early years A native of Twinsburg, Ohio, Effross is Jewish. Growing up he was a member of Congregation Shir Shalom, and he wears a Star of David necklace while pitching.

Effross played baseball for Twinsburg High School ('12). In his senior year, as a pitcher he had an 8–1 win–loss record with a 1.52 earned run average (ERA), and struck out 60 batters while allowing 14 walks in 55 innings pitched. He was also the team's first baseman, and in his senior year batted .380.

College career Effross enrolled at Indiana University and played college baseball for the Indiana Hoosiers, while majoring in political science.

In 2015, as a junior, Effross was 4–4 with two saves and a 2.35 ERA (sixth in the Big Ten) in 21 games (seven starts). The Jewish Sports Review named Effross to their 2015 Division I College Baseball All-America team. He finished his college career with 81 pitching appearances (fourth all-time at Indiana University), tied for fifth with 12 saves, and was seventh with a 2.27 ERA. In 2015, Effross pitched for the AZL Cubs of the Rookie Arizona League, and the Eugene Emeralds of the Low–A Northwest League. Between the two teams, he was 0–1 with two saves and a 2.14 ERA in 12 relief appearances covering 21 innings. In the fall of 2019 he then pitched for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League, and was 1–0 with a 1.80 ERA in eight relief appearances covering 10 innings. He made his MLB debut on August 29, tossing innings against the Chicago White Sox. In 2021 for the Cubs, Effross was 2–1 with a 3.68 ERA. He stranded 24 of 28 inherited runners (85.7%), the third-best rate in the NL. He had the seventh-lowest average release point of major league pitchers, at 3.67 feet above the ground, as compared to the average of 5.82 feet.

New York Yankees

2022–23 On August 1, 2022, the Cubs traded Effross to the New York Yankees for pitcher Hayden Wesneski.

In 2022, with the Cubs and the Yankees combined, Effross was 1–4 with four saves and 16 holds. He threw mostly an sweeping slider (against which batters hit .149) and biting sinker, with a less frequent changeup and heavy sinking 4-seam fastball.

On October 13, 2022, Effross had Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL ligament in his right elbow. He therefore missed the 2022 playoffs. He also missed the entire 2023 season; rehabilitation and recovery from Tommy John surgery generally take at least 12 months, and often longer.

2024–25 On February 14, 2024, it was announced that Effross would miss multiple months as a result of a December low back surgery, and he was subsequently placed on the 60–day injured list. He was activated from the injured list and optioned to the Triple–A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on July 14.

In 2024 in the minor leagues, Effross pitched innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and three innings for the Tampa Tarpons. For the Yankees, Effross pitched only innings, in which he gave up three hits and two earned runs.

Detroit Tigers On December 17, 2025, Effross signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. On August 8, 2026, the Tigers released Effross from his minor league contract.

Seattle Mariners On August 12, 2026, Effros signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners.