SAMUEL D. HENTGES...Married, Caitlin Haugen...Son, Jaxson...Graduated from Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, Minn., in 2014 and pitched the school to the Class 3A Minnesota state baseball title during his junior and senior years...Finished senior season with an 8-0 record and a 0.56 ERA (85 SO in 50 innings)…Named 2013-14 Gatorade Minnesota Baseball Player of the Year.
2024
Season was limited by a pair of stints on the Injured List, the second of which will cost him much of the 2025 campaign... Began the year on the 15-day IL with a left middle finger sprain suffered during his fourth and final ST game on March 8...Placed on IL on March 25 and began a rehab at AA Akron on Apr. 19...Activated for his season debut on May 6....Made his 2024 debut on May 6 vs DET (0.2IP, BB, 0R) and was on the active roster from May 6-July 10...20 of 25 appearances were scoreless...Batters had a .172 avg. against his curveball (5-for-29) compared to a .320 clip against his Four Seamer (8-for-25)...Over his final 18 outings, his ERA was 2.12 (4ER/17.0IP, May 28-July 10)...Combined over 2023-24, he allowed just 3 of 38 inherited runners to score (7.9%)...Persistent left shoulder soreness shut him down on July 11 with a 15-day IL placement...Did make a four-game rehab stint, July 30-Aug. 7, before being shutdown for season following back-to-back outings of Aug. 6-7...After several doctor consultations it was determined that surgery was the best course of action, which was performed on Sept. 18 Dr. Neal ElAttrache, in Los Angeles, Calif., repairing an injury involving his capsule and labrum what is expected to sideline him 12-to-14 months.
2023
Missed the first month of the season, but was again a force out of the bullpen, gaining traction as the season went along...Enjoyed a career-long 14-game scoreless streak, July 29-Aug. 29, which was snapped on 9/2 v. TB by a 10th inning placed runner...Did not allow an ER over 25 games, July 29-Sept. 21 (23.1IP, 22H, 1R/0ER, 29SO, 5BB)...Longest streak of 0 ER by a CLE RP since Tyler Olson in 2017...Posted a 0.35 ERA over his last 27 outings after July 23 (25.2IP, 25H, 2R/1ER, 31SO)...Posted a 6.75 ERA over his first 29 games thru July 23 (20ER/26.2IP)..Avg. FB velocity (95.5) was in 76th-% in MLB, his 57.7 GB% was in 95th-%...Limited to one ST outing (2/26) and was shutdown for the spring with left shoulder soreness, beginning a rehab at AA Akron on April 19...Allowed just two of 29 inherited runners to score (6.9%) – leading all MLB pitchers (min. 25 inherited runners)…Career-high 17 holds (third on team)...Boasted a 1.91 ERA (7ER/37.2IP) against AL teams compared to a 7.98 ERA (13ER/14.2IP) vs. the NL...Batters hit .162 (11-for-68) with RISP and .103 (3/29) with RISP2...Has yielded just three HR to LH batters in his career (233AB), his 0.34 HR/9 IP in '23 was 11th-lowest in AL (relief)...Over last two seasons has yielded just 5HR in 114.1IP (.4 HR/9 is fourth-lowest in MLB over that span).
2022
Worked himself into a key role in the Guardians bullpen…Enjoyed career-bests in games (57), SO (72), WHIP (0.97), FIP (2.42), ERA (2.32)…Worked a career-long 14.2 consecutive scoreless innings, July 13-Aug. 31, sixth-longest streak among CLE pitchers in 2022...Tallied a strikeout in 20 of 21 outings (35SO); snapped a streak of 17 straight outings with a SO on 9/24 @TEX, longest SO streak by a CLE reliever in 2022 (by games)…0.70ERA (2ER/25.2IP) in wins compared to 3.47ERA (14ER/36.1IP) in losses...Snapped a streak of not allowing a hit in 10 straight outings on 9/23 @TEX as batters went 0-for-38 in 13.0 innings (8/25-9/19); T-second longest overall streak (by games) by an MLB reliever in 2022 behind NYY Ron Marinaccio (11G)…Hitters were 16-for-88 (.182) with runners on and 10-for-58 (.172) w/RISP…First career save on 9/19 vs. MIN (2.1IP, 2SO)…On the year left-handed batters hit just .143 (13-for-91) with zero HR allowed…Allowed only one HR to a left-handed hitter in his career (Shohei Ohtani, 5/17/2021, 81 appearances since)…In the second half he was 1-0-1 with a 0.30 ERA in last 25 games (29.2IP, 12H, 1ER, 5BB, 36SO, .121 average)…Post All-Star break MLB reliever rankings (min. 20IP): WHIP (1st, 0.57), ERA (2nd, 0.30), avg. against (3rd, .121)…Carried second-half success into Postseason, going a combined 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in three outings (6.1IP, 5H, 2R/ER, 10SO)…Just the second CLE pitcher to work 3.0+ relief innings and strikeout 6+ in a Postseason game on 10/8 vs. TB, tossing the last 3.0IP and tallying six SO (also Jose Mesa 3.2IP, 6SO, 10/5/96) in Game 2 of the thrilling 15-inning win…Allowed first HR since 6/28 vs. MIN on 10/15 vs. NYY (32 games between HRs).
2021
Spent most of the year at the Major League level, his first taste of the Majors in his eighth professional season...Had stretches of dominance, mainly out of the bullpen, and enjoyed a positive final month heading into the offseason... Was promoted to the Majors on April 17 after being assigned to the Columbus Alternate Site out of Spring Training...Was with the club over two stints, April 17-July 4 and again from July 22-end of season...Made three relief appearances with AAA Columbus during his July stint with the Clippers...Made MLB debut on Apr. 20 vs. CWS, striking out three mixed in with an Abreu homer...Recorded his first ML win in his second outing, April 25 vs. New York-AL...Was in the rotation over three stretches in May, June and August, respectively... Made first ML start on May 12 vs. Chicago-NL (0R, 4.2IP) and worked 5.0 IP in two starts, the last of which came in his finest outing of the season on June 20 at Pittsburgh (5.0IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB, 4SO)...As a starter he was 0-4 with a 7.90 ERA in 12 starts (30ER/41.0IP)...Best work was done out of the bullpen, posting a relief ERA of 4.88 for the season (27.2IP, 37H, 15ER, 32SO)...Walked five batters in relief compared to 27 in 41.0 starter IP...Over his last nine outings, Sept. 3-Oct. 2, he recorded a 3.75 ERA (12.0IP, 10H, 5ER, 2BB, 14K)...Seven of those nine outings were scoreless...RHH had 26 XBH (17 2B, 9 HR, .943 OPS) compared to three XBH by lefties (.653 OPS)...Batters hit .336 (48-for-143) with runners on and .329 (28-for-85) with RISP...5 SB/0 CS.
2020
Spent 2020 season at the club's Alternate Training Site in Lake County...Was a member of the 12-player Taxi Squad in September...Made three appearances in Spring Training for Cleveland, posting a 13.50 ERA (2.2IP, 5H, 6R/4ER, 3BB, 2SO).
2019
Spent the entire season at Class-AA Akron, finishing fourth in the Eastern League and the Indians farm system in strikeouts (126)...Also finished among Eastern League leaders in starts (T1st), innings pitched (12th) and losses (T1st)...Over his last six starts he posted a 4.20 ERA (30.0IP, 30H, 14ER, 35SO)...Posted a 2.38 ERA in six May starts (9ER/33.0IP)...Batters hit .355 (49-for-138) off him with RISP.
2018
Spent the entire season at Class-A Lynchburg, posting the second-lowest ERA (3.27) and third-most strikeouts (122) in the Carolina League...Was a Mid-Season Carolina League All-Star and MiLB.com organizational All-Star...Did not pitch after August 15 due to a left shoulder strain...Final start of the season was his best of the season, Aug. 15 at Wilmington (6.1IP, 2H, 0R, 2BB, 7SO)...Over his final 12 starts of the season he posted an ERA of 2.69 (19ER/63.2IP)...Recorded four starts of at least 6.0 innings and zero runs allowed and fanned 10 on April 17 vs. Frederick...Allowed only four homers in 118.1 innings...Batters hit .230 (46-for-200) off him with runners on and .231 (27-for-117) with RISP...Added to the 40-man roster on Nov. 20.
2017
Season did not begin until 7/8 due to elbow surgery the previous July...Made six starts on a rehab assignment in the Arizona League before being activated at Mahoning Valley on 8/9, finishing the season with five outstanding starts (2.04 ERA).
2016
Limited to 14 starts at Class-A Lake County due to a left elbow strain, did not pitch after 6/23 and underwent left elbow reconstruction in July.
2015
Led AZL Indians with 59 strikeouts, third-most in the league.
