Jacob Wild
Jacob Dan Wild (born August 18, 1984 in Kingsburg, California) is a professional baseball pitcher in the Seattle Mariners organization. He was the Mariners' 26th round selection in the June 2007 Major League Baseball Draft; signed by Mariners scout Stacey Pettis. In the Mariners named him Peoria's Most Valuable Pitcher.
He was originally selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 17th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign.
Amateur career
Wild graduated from Immanuel High School in 2003.
He spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons at Bakersfield College. He was named to the All-Western States Conference First Team in and earned Western States All-Conference Honorable Mention in . He graduated from the University of Pacific in May, 2007.
Professional career
Seattle Mariners
Wild began his professional career with the Peoria Mariners in , appearing in 17 games and making four starts. He led all Mariners Minor Leaguers and finished second in the Arizona League with a 1.88 ERA. He went 2-0 with two saves and a 1.63 ERA in 13 relief appearances and 1-1 with a 2.21 ERA in four starts. Wild limited opponents to a .199 average, including a .189 clip vs. right-handed batters. He earned his first career win, tossing 0.1 inning, on June 27 against the Arizona League Royals. He tossed a perfect ninth inning to pick up first career save, July 9 against the Royals. Wild tossed a season-high nine-and-two thirds consecutive scoreless innings, July 7-17. He fanned a career-high 14 batters to lead the Mariners over the Arizona League Giants in the Arizona League Championship game on August 30. He was named Peoria's Most Valuable Pitcher by the Mariners.
In he began the season with the Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Wild started in the bullpen, but moved to the starting rotation on July 14. He went 3-1 with a 2.51 ERA in 15 games as a reliever. He had season-high three-game winning streak from May 17 to June 5. He was promoted to the Class-A High Desert Mavericks on July 31 and remained in the starting rotation. He won first start on August 1 against the Inland Empire 66ers, before losing next five starts.
Wild spent the entire season with the Class-A High Desert Mavericks where he split time between the bullpen and the starting rotation. He compiled a 6-8 record with a 4.09 ERA in 34 games, 20 for starts.