| Max Fried | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.png) Fried with theNew York Yankees in 2025 | |||||||||||||||
| New York Yankees – No. 54 | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1994-01-18)January 18, 1994 (age 31) Santa Monica, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| August 8, 2017, for the Atlanta Braves | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 73–36 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 3.07 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 863 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Max Dorian Fried (/ˈfriːd/FREED; born January 18, 1994) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher for theNew York Yankees ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for theAtlanta Braves.
Fried was selected by theSan Diego Padres in the first round, seventh overall of the2012 MLB draft. He was traded to the Braves in 2014, and made his MLB debut with them in 2017. His 17 wins in 2019 were 2nd-most in theNational League, and his seven wins in 2020 were again 2nd-most in the NL. Fried pitched 6 shut-out innings in the final game of the2021 World Series against theHouston Astros, helping lead the Braves to their first World Series title in 26 years.[1] Through 2023, Fried had the best career win–loss percentage of all Braves pitchers, at .705.
In 2020, Fried won theNL Gold Glove Award at pitcher and theFielding Bible Award at pitcher. In 2021, he won the Gold Glove Award again, as well as theSilver Slugger Award for pitchers, becoming the third pitcher in MLB history to win both awards in the same year. He was also named to theAll-MLB Team those two years. In 2022, he was named an All Star and won his third consecutive Gold Glove Award at pitcher. In 2024, he was again an All Star.
Fried was born and grew up inEncino,California, the middle son of Carrie and Jonathan Fried, and isJewish.[2][3][4] His younger brother Jake, also a pitcher, attended the University of Arizona.[5] Max began attending theReggie Smith Baseball Academy inEncino, California, at the age of seven, and learned how to throw a curveball from the retired outfielder.[6] Fried pitched for the2009 Maccabiah Games Team USA Juniors baseball team that won agold medal in Israel.[7]
Fried first attendedMontclair College Preparatory School, inVan Nuys, Los Angeles, where he played baseball, football, and basketball.[8] As a sophomore, withEthan Katz as his pitching coach, he was 10–3 with a 1.81earned run average (ERA), and was named theOlympic League MVP and to the All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division V first team.[9][10][11] In his junior year Fried was 7–3 with a 1.31 ERA, with 100strikeouts in 69innings, as he also playedoutfield and batted .360 with four home runs and 30 RBIs.[12][13] He was named the 2011Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Male High School Athlete of the Year.[10]
After Montclair Prep cut its baseball team subsequent to his junior year, Fried then transferred toHarvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, where he wore uniform number 32 in honor ofSandy Koufax and played with fellow future MLB pitchersLucas Giolito andJack Flaherty.[7] In 2012, his senior year, Fried was 8–2 with a 2.02 ERA, and 105 strikeouts in 66 innings.[14][15] He was a 2012Rawlings-Perfect Game 1st Team All-American.[16]
TheSan Diego Padres selected Fried in the first round with the seventh overall selection of the2012 Major League Baseball draft.[17] Fried chose to sign with the Padres for $3 million despite his commitment to theUCLA Bruins baseball team.[2][18]Baseball America rated him the top left-hander available in the draft.[19]
Fried made his professional debut for theArizona League Padres in 2012 and spent the whole season there, going 0–1 with a 3.57 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched. He played for theFort Wayne TinCaps in 2013 where he compiled a 6–7 record and 3.49 ERA in 23 starts. At the end of the year, Fried was ranked the 43rd-best prospect in the minors by MLBPipeline.[20] He was also named an MiLB.com Padres Organization All Star, andBaseball America ranked his curveball as the best in the Padres' minor league system.[21][22]
In 2014, he was ranked the Padres' top pitching prospect, and their No. 2 prospect overall, by MLB.com.[21] Fried was injured for much of the year and did not make his season debut until July. The next month, on August 20, Fried underwentTommy John surgery; he missed the remainder of the 2014 season.[20]
On December 19, 2014, the Padres traded Fried,Jace Peterson,Dustin Peterson, andMallex Smith to theAtlanta Braves in exchange forJustin Upton andAaron Northcraft.[23] Fried missed the entire 2015 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.[20]
He returned to action on April 9, 2016, for theRome Braves.[24] Fried spent all of 2016 with Rome, pitching to an 8–7 record and 3.93 ERA in 21 games (20 starts), striking out 112 batters in 103.0 innings. Fried ended the season ranked byBaseball America as the 6th-best prospect in theSouth Atlantic League.[25] His fastball, clocked at 93–94 mph, reached 96–97 mph in the second half of the season.[26] The Braves added Fried to their40-man roster after the season.[27]
Fried was invited tospring training for the first time at the start of the 2017 season.[28] He began the season at the Class AA level with theMississippi Braves.[29][30] He was ranked as the Braves' No. 8 prospect overall by MLB.com in May, and the #89 prospect in minor league baseball in July.[31][32] Fried was named Southern League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending April 30.[33]
Fried was called up to theAtlanta Braves on August 5, 2017.[34] He debuted on August 8, throwing two scoreless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, displaying what David O'Brien ofThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution called "a devastating curveball".[35][36] Two weeks later, Fried returned to the minor leagues, joining the AAAGwinnett Braves.[37] In 26 innings pitched for the Braves for the season, he was 1–1 with a 3.81 ERA.[38]
At the end of the 2017 season, Fried joined thePeoria Javelinas of theArizona Fall League, for whom he was named league Player of the Week on October 31.[39][40] He led the league with 32 strikeouts in 26 innings (3rd in the league), and was 3–1 with a 1.73 ERA (6th) in six starts.[41][42] He ranked first among starters with a .163opponents' batting average, was second in fewest-baserunners-allowed-per-nine-innings (7.96), and was named to the AFL's Top Prospects Team.[41]Baseball America rated him # 3 on the AFL Hot Sheet.[43] In December, Braves managerBrian Snitker said that he might look at Fried,Lucas Sims, or another pitcher as the team's fifth starter in 2018.[44]
Fried began the 2018 season with the AAMississippi Braves. After one game, he joined theGwinnett Stripers.[45] He was called up to Atlanta in April.[46] In 33.2 innings pitched for the Braves in the 2018 regular season, he was 1–4 with 44 strikeouts and a 2.94 ERA.[38] Withrunners in scoring position he kept batters to one hit in 30 at bats (.033); and with RISP and two outs, opposing batters were 0-for-14 with eight strikeouts.[47]
.jpg)
Fried was placed in the bullpen at the start of the 2019 season, and later moved to the starting rotation.[48][49][50] In a game against theLos Angeles Dodgers on May 7, Fried was hit on his left hand by a ball hit byAlex Verdugo and left the game, but he made his next regularly scheduled start.[51][52][53]
In 2019 Fried was 17–6 with a 4.02 ERA, as in 33 games (30 starts) he pitched 165.2 innings in which he struck out 173 batters.[38] His 17 wins were 2nd in the National League, and his .739 won-loss percentage was 5th in the league.[38] He induced the second-lowest percentage offly balls (22.2%), and the third-highest percentage ofground balls (53.6%), of all NL pitchers, and threw his curveball 24.6% of the time (6th in the league).[54] His 9.398strikeouts/9 IP were the 5th-highest in a single season of any Braves pitcher in history.[55]
On defense, he led all NL pitchers inassists with 34, and had the 2nd-bestrange factor/9 innings pitched of 2.23.[38] He had a 6Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rating, the best in the major leagues among pitchers.[56] Fried also batted .196 (9th among NL pitchers)/.262 (6th)/.268 (10th), and led all NL pitchers with at least 50plate appearances in runs (11) andBB/SO ratio (0.31), while having the 2nd-lowest swinging strike percentage (7.1%), 3rd in contact percentage (81.6%), and tying for 3rd in walks (5).[57]
During the season Fried developed into the ace starting pitcher for the Braves.[58][59]
In thepandemic-shortened 2020 regular season, Fried had a 7–0 win-loss record with a 2.25 ERA and a 1.09WHIP.[60] He led the major leagues in won-loss percentage (1.000) and pickoffs (4), led the National League inWAR for pitchers (2.9), was 2nd in the NL inWins Above Replacement-all behindMookie Betts, and tied for 2nd in the NL in wins.[61][62] He held batters to an average exit velocity on batted balls of 83.4 mph, and hard-hit balls to 23.8%, both among the lowest 2% of all major league pitchers.[63]
His fourpickoffs through September 6 were the most in the majors in 2020, and he needed only 12 pickoff attempts to do so.[64] Since his major league debut in 2017, Fried's 14 pickoffs were the most in the majors, and he was successful on 19% of his attempts.[64] In that same time-span, pitchers in all of baseball had been successful in picking off runners in only 0.017% of attempts.[64] Fried started the season by becoming the first left-handed pitcher to not allow any home runs through eight starts, with his team winning every game, sinceBabe Ruth in 1917.[65]
On defense, Fried led all major league pitchers in assists for the second consecutive season (with 15), tied for the MLB lead in pickoffs (with 4; with his 9 in 2019–20 he was tops in major league baseball), and led all pitchers with fiveDefensive Runs Saved.[66][67][68][69]
Fried won the2020 NL Gold Glove Award at pitcher.[70] He became the fourth Braves pitcher to win the award, joiningMike Hampton,Greg Maddux, andPhil Niekro, and the first Braves player to win the award for a pitcher in 17 years.[66][71] He also won the 2020Fielding Bible Award at pitcher.[72] The award honors the top fielder in the Major Leagues at pitcher.[72] He came in fifth in voting for the 2020 NLCy Young Award.[73] He was named a starter on the 2020All-MLB First Team.[74]
.jpg)
Fried was the Braves' 2021 Opening Day starting pitcher.[75][76] His first career complete gameshutout was aMaddux, pitched against theBaltimore Orioles on August 20, 2021.[77][78] Fried threw a second Maddux on September 24, while facing theSan Diego Padres.[79][80] His 1.76 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in the second half of the season were the best in the major leagues.[81] He was named the National LeaguePitcher of the Month for September, after posting a 1.54 ERA.[82][83]
In the 2021 regular season, Fried was 14–7 with a 3.04 ERA (9th in the National League), and his 14 wins were 5th in the NL.[38] In 28 starts he threw 2 shutouts (leading the league), as in 165.2 innings he averaged 7.5 hits, 0.8 home runs (3rd), and 2.2 walks per 9 innings, for a 1.087 WHIP.[38] His 8.584 strikeouts/9 innings were the 11th-most in Braves history.[55] His 51.8% ground ball percentage was 3rd-highest in the NL, and he induced softly hit balls 20.0% of the time (5th).[84]
As a batter, he hit .273/.322/.327. His batting average and on-base percentage led all pitchers, while his slugging percentage ranked second. He scored 7 runs (2nd), hit three doubles (2nd), and drove in 5 RBIs (6th) in 55 at bats, had the second-highest exit velocity of all pitchers (90.3 mph), had 8sacrifice hits (8th of all players), and was called upon topinch hit four times.[38][85] On July 4, 2021, he had a pinch-hit, walk-off, single against the Miami Marlins.[86]
On defense, Fried led the league in range factor/game as a pitcher (1.61), in assists as a pitcher for the third consecutive season (37), and in Defensive Runs Saved for the third season in a row (6). For the second consecutive season he tied for the major league lead in pickoffs (6).[38]
In the three years in which Fried was a starter, from 2019 to 2021, he led all National League pitchers in wins (38), was tied for the lead in shutouts (2), was 2nd in the vertical movement of his curveball (−11.6 inches; batters hit .183/.218/.294 against it), and had the third-lowest barrels percentage in balls hit against him (5.0%).[87] In those three years on offense he led NL pitchers in runs (18), doubles (7), on base percentage (.292), and WAR (1.3), was 2nd-lowest in strikeout percentage (25.8%), and third in batting average (.234), slugging percentage (.297), OPS (.589), and walks (9).[88] In those three years on defense he led all NL pitchers in assists (86).[89]
Fried won the final game of the2021 World Series with six shutout innings against the Astros, who had led the majors in batting average and runs for the season, with Houston's three-time batting championJose Altuve observing: "He was almost unhittable."[90]
Fried won the2021 NL Gold Glove Award at pitcher, winning the award for the second year in a row.[91][92] He became the third Braves pitcher to win multiple Gold Glove Awards, joining Greg Maddux and Phil Niekro.[93] Major League managers and coaches (voting only within their league, and unable to vote for players on their own team), account for 75% of the selection process, while the other 25% is asabermetric component.[94]
Fried also won the 2021 NLSilver Slugger Award for pitchers.[95] The award was given to the top offensive player at pitcher in the NL, as determined by a vote by the manager and three coaches of each MLB team (and no manager/coach can vote for a player on his own team).[96][97] Fried became the third MLB pitcher in history to win both the Silver Slugger Award and the Gold Glove Award in the same season, joiningMike Hampton (2003) andZack Greinke (2019).[98] Fried was the final recipient of the Silver Slugger Award for pitchers, as the National League permanently implemented thedesignated hitter in 2022.
He was named a starter on the 2021All-MLB Second Team, earning his second consecutive All-MLB selection.[99]
Through 2021, of the Braves career leaders, Fried was second in win–loss percentage (.690; behindRuss Ortiz and ahead ofGreg Maddux).[100]
Fried was named to his second straight Opening Day start in 2022.[101][102][103] Fried's salary for the 2022 season was set at $6.85 million via arbitration.[104] He was named to the2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game roster at midseason.[105][106]
For the season, Fried was 14–7 with a 2.48 ERA (3rd in the NL; 10th-lowest in Atlanta franchise history), in 30 starts in which he pitched 185.1 innings with 170 strikeouts.[107][108] He gave up the lowest percentage of hard-hit balls in the NL (24.5%) and had the lowest barrel-percentage against (4.0%), was 2nd in fewest walks/9 innings (1.55), 3rd in strikeouts/walk (5.31) and fewest home runs/9 innings (0.58), 4th in ground ball percentage (51.2%), and tied for 5th in highest LOB (78.2%).[109] His curveball had the highest vertical movement of those of all NL pitchers, the exit velocity of balls hit against him (86.2 mph) was the third-lowest in the NL, and batters swung at his pitches outside the strike zone 36.8% of the time, the fourth-highest rate in the NL.[110]
In the four seasons from 2019 to 2022, he had the lowest barrel-percentage against (4.6%) of all major league pitchers, and his 52 wins were second in the major leagues only to the 56 wins of pitcherGerrit Cole.[111] On defense, opponents became hesitant to run on him.[112] Since his major league debut in 2017, his 23 pickoffs lead major league baseball, with him having picked the runner off in 14.29% of his career pickoff attempts, a much higher percentage than the major league average of 1.6%.[113]
Fried was named the 2022 NL Gold Glove Award winner at pitcher, his third straight Gold Glove Award.[112] He became the first Braves pitcher since Greg Maddux to win three straight Gold Glove Awards.[114] The only other pitchers who have won the award three times in a row have beenHarvey Haddix,Bobby Shantz,Bob Gibson,Phil Niekro, andZack Greinke.[115] Fried finished second in the voting for the 2022NL Cy Young Award.[116] It was the second time in three years he finished in the top five in Cy Young Award voting, as he had finished fifth in 2020.[117] At the end of the 2022 season, Fried was selected to his third consecutive All-MLB team.[118]
Fried's 2023 season salary of $13.5 million was again determined by the arbitration process.[119] As the Opening Day starter for the third straight year, Fried was removed in the fourth inning against theWashington Nationals.[120][121] He spent time on the 15-day injured list in early April and early May, first for a strained left hamstring, then a strained left forearm.[122][123][124] On June 5, Fried was transferred to the 60-day injured list.[125] He was activated on August 4.[126]
In the 2023 regular season Fried was 8–1 with a 2.55 ERA (the second-lowest in the major leagues among pitchers with at least 14 starts), as in 14 starts he had one shutout, and struck out 80 batters while giving up 18 walks in 77.2 innings.[38] Batters hit .109 against his curveball.[63][47] Of NL pitchers who pitched 70 or more innings in 2023, he was 2nd in ground ball percentage (57.7%) and lowest hard-hit percentage (24.2%), 3rd in lowest barrel percentage (3.8%), 5th in ERA, 6th inleft-on-base percentage (82.3%) and lowest average exit velocity (86.5 mph), 7th in lowest line drive percentage (16.8%), and 9th in home runs/9 innings (0.81).[127]
He ended the season as the Braves' career leader in won-loss percentage (.705), second in strikeouts/9 innings pitched (8.835), fourth in strikeouts/walk (3.688), eighth in WHIP (1.163), and 10th in hits per nine innings pitched (8.075).[100]
From the beginning of his first full season in 2019 to the end of the 2023 regular season, Fried recorded 60 wins, the most in the NL and second toGerrit Cole's 71 victories during this time period.[128][100] His 25 pickoffs since debuting in 2017 were the most in major league baseball, and in his career he had picked off a runner in 14.5% of his pickoff attempts, much higher than the MLB average during that period of 1.7%.[47]
Fried and the Braves agreed to a one-year $15 million contract for the 2024 season, his final season before free agency.[129][130] Fried's streak of Opening Day starts was ended bySpencer Strider.[131][132] In Fried's season debut, the second game of the year against thePhiladelphia Phillies, he recorded only two outs.[133][134] On April 23, Fried pitched a complete game shutout against the Miami Marlins, facing 29 hitters and throwing 92 pitches for his third careerMaddux.[135] He pitched a scoreless inning for the NL team in the All Star Game, the second of his career.[38]
In 2024, Fried was 11–10 with one shutout in 29 starts covering 174.1 innings, in which he gave up 146 hits and 57 walks while striking out 166 batters, and led the NL in ground ball percentage (58.8%) while having the second-lowest exit velocity (86.3 mph) and percentage of "hard speed" contact induced (26.1%).[38][136] He had a 3.25 ERA (5th in the NL), with 7.5 hits per 9 innings (7th), 0.64 home runs per 9 innings (4th), and a 1.164 WHIP (8th), keeping opposing batters to a .225 batting average (7th), while on defense he tied for the league lead with a 1.000 fielding percentage.[38][136] Fried received aqualifying offer from the Braves at the end of the season,[137][138] which he declined.[139]
On December 17, 2024, Fried signed an eight–year, $218 million contract with theNew York Yankees. It is the largest contract issued to a left handed pitcher and fourth-largest deal for any pitcher in MLB history.[140]
Fried throws a 94–96-mile-per-hour (151–154 km/h)four-seam fastball.[63] He also throws two types of a 74-mile-per-hour (119 km/h) "plus"curveball (which he patterned after that ofSandy Koufax), an 85-mile-per-hour (137 km/h)slider (since 2019), a 93-mile-per-hour (150 km/h)sinker, and an 86-mile-per-hour (138 km/h)change-up,[63][141][142] with the curveball resulting in the lowest batting average in 2021 (.160).[63]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | National League Pitcher of the Month September 2021 | Succeeded by |
