Jake Bird Bio
Jacob Timothy Bird, known professionally as Jake Bird, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). A right-handed reliever, he made his major league debut with the Colorado Rockies in 2022 before being traded to the Yankees in 2025. Bird is recognized for his sinker-heavy arsenal and low-slot, sidearm delivery that produces a high volume of ground balls.
Born and raised in Southern California, Bird attended West Ranch High School and went on to pitch for the UCLA Bruins, where he led the Pac-12 Conference in earned run average in 2018. The Colorado Rockies selected him in the fifth round of that year’s MLB draft, launching his professional career.
Early Life and Background
Jacob Timothy Bird was born on December 4, 1995, in Newhall, California, and was raised in nearby Valencia. He has three brothers, one older and two younger, and their father also attended the University of California, Los Angeles. Bird identifies as Jewish. His paternal grandmother was Jewish, and his mother is Catholic.
Bird’s interest in professional baseball was evident from an early age. When he was eight years old, at the end of second grade, he signed his friends’ yearbooks with the message: “Save this autograph for when I’m playing in the major leagues.” That early confidence foreshadowed the major league career he would later build.
Bird attended West Ranch High School in Stevenson Ranch, California, where he pitched and played outfield for the baseball team and was a member of the basketball team. In his senior year, he posted a 1.55 earned run average with 72 strikeouts and 11 walks over 58 innings, earning All-Foothill League honors in 2014. He committed to UCLA during his senior year.
Path to Baseball
Unselected in the 2014 MLB draft, Bird enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he majored in economics. He immediately became a contributor for the UCLA Bruins baseball program, developing a pitching repertoire built around a heavy sinker that touched 94 mph, a hard slider in the 86-88 mph range, a changeup, and a curveball. In the summer of 2016, he played collegiate baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League, going 3-2 with a 2.77 ERA as a starter.
As a junior, Bird went 5-5 with a 2.75 ERA, and he returned for his senior year to post a 7-4 record across 16 starts. He led the Pac-12 Conference with a 2.18 ERA and struck out 61 batters over 111 2/3 innings in 2018. He was named All-Pac-12, Pac-12 All-Academic first team, and Academic All-America third team. Following the season, the Colorado Rockies selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB draft.
Jake Bird Career
Early Career (2018-2021)
Bird signed with the Colorado Rockies for a signing bonus of $50,000 and made his professional debut in 2018 with the Grand Junction Rockies of the Rookie-level Pioneer League. Working in relief, he went 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 26 2/3 innings. In 2019, he advanced to the Single-A Asheville Tourists, was named a South Atlantic League All-Star, and went 7-2 with two saves, a 3.62 ERA, and 80 strikeouts in 87 innings across 40 games.
Bird did not pitch competitively in 2020 after the minor league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He used the off year to study pitching analytics and body movement, which helped increase his fastball velocity. He returned in 2021 to pitch for the Hartford Yard Goats of the Double-A Northeast and later the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Triple-A West, combining for a 6-1 record, 3.38 ERA, and 59 strikeouts across 58 2/3 innings. He closed the year in the Arizona Fall League with the Salt River Rafters.
Colorado Rockies Breakthrough (2022-2023)
Bird returned to Albuquerque to open the 2022 season and posted a 2.77 ERA with 34 strikeouts across 26 innings over 22 games, inducing a 64.4 percent ground ball rate. On June 11, the Rockies selected his contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut on June 16, throwing one scoreless inning of relief against the Cleveland Guardians, and earned his first MLB win on July 3 with a scoreless eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In his rookie season, Bird went 2-4 with a 4.91 ERA in 47 2/3 innings over 38 games.
Bird emerged as a key bullpiece for Colorado in 2023 after Daniel Bard went on the injured list on Opening Day. He made headlines in May when he was ejected from a game against the Philadelphia Phillies after apparently taunting Bryce Harper. He went on to go 3-3 with a 4.33 ERA in 89 1/3 innings across 70 appearances, leading the team and ranking eighth in the National League. His 84 1/3 innings as a reliever tied for the most in MLB that season and ranked ninth in franchise history. His 52.6 percent ground ball percentage was the highest on the team among pitchers with more than 25 innings pitched.
New York Yankees Era (2024-Present)
Bird opened 2024 by earning his first MLB save on April 8, but he struggled to repeat his 2023 durability. An elbow injury sent him to the injured list in mid-May for nearly a month, and a subsequent groin injury led to a brief Triple-A stint. He went 2-2 with one save and a 4.50 ERA in 40 innings for the Rockies in 2024, holding opposing batters to a .172/.368/.207 slash line with two outs and runners in scoring position. In 2025 with the Rockies before the trade, he posted a 4-1 record with a 4.73 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings across 45 games.
On July 31, 2025, the Rockies traded Jake Bird to the New York Yankees in exchange for Roc Riggio and Ben Shields. He struggled in three early appearances with New York, allowing a grand slam in a loss to the Miami Marlins and a walk-off home run to the Texas Rangers, and was demoted to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on August 5. He did not return to the majors that season, finishing with a 27.00 ERA in the Bronx and a 6.32 ERA in Triple-A.
Driving Style and Strengths
Bird is a ground ball pitcher who works from a low-slot, sidearm delivery. His sinker, thrown roughly half the time, averages 95 mph and features significant tailing action that induces ground balls. He complements the sinker with a 91 mph cutter, an 85 mph slider, and an 81 mph changeup, and he converted his slider into a sweeper beginning in 2024. Bird has noted that his pitches generally move less when pitching at Coors Field, a detail he works around with pitch mix and location.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Bird’s career highlights are his MLB debut against the Cleveland Guardians on June 16, 2022, his first MLB win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 3, 2022, his first MLB save on April 8, 2024, and his 2023 season in which he tied for the most innings by an MLB reliever. His mid-trade stretch in 2025, in which he navigated a grand slam and a walk-off home run in his first appearances with the Yankees, also became a defining chapter of his career arc.
Jake Bird Career Wins
Jake Bird has compiled wins across multiple levels of professional baseball, from the Rookie-level Pioneer League to Major League Baseball. His victories reflect steady development as a reliever, including South Atlantic League All-Star recognition in 2019 and All-Pac-12 honors at UCLA in 2018.
MLB Highlights
Bird recorded his first MLB win on July 3, 2022, against the Arizona Diamondbacks, pitching a scoreless eighth inning in relief. His most recent MLB win came in 2025 with the Colorado Rockies before the trade to the Yankees. In 2023, he became one of the most used relievers in the National League, appearing in 70 games and logging 89 1/3 innings.
Other Wins and Performances
Bird’s earlier professional wins include a 4-1 record with the Grand Junction Rockies in 2018, a 7-2 mark with the Single-A Asheville Tourists in 2019, and a 6-1 combined record between the Hartford Yard Goats and Albuquerque Isotopes in 2021. His senior year at UCLA produced a 7-4 record and a Pac-12-leading 2.18 ERA in 2018.
Jake Bird Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Jake Bird was raised in a close-knit family in Valencia, California, alongside his three brothers, one older and two younger. Their father also attended UCLA, reinforcing the family’s ties to the university where Jake later starred on the baseball team. Bird identifies as Jewish through his paternal grandmother, while his mother is Catholic.
Personal Life
Bird’s mother, a teacher, brought home an electronic keyboard from school in 2020, and Jake began playing it as a way to decompress after pitching in home games. When he was promoted to the major leagues by the Rockies in 2022, he was roommates with battery-mate Brian Serven, and the following year he lived in a Denver hotel during the season.
2025 Season Performance
Jake Bird’s 2025 season was defined by a midseason trade and a difficult landing with a new organization. With the Colorado Rockies, he posted a 4-1 record with a 4.73 ERA and 65 strikeouts across 53 1/3 innings and 45 games, serving as a reliable middle reliever before the July 31 deadline.
Acquired by the New York Yankees in exchange for Roc Riggio and Ben Shields, Bird struggled in his first three appearances in pinstripes. He allowed a grand slam in a loss to the Miami Marlins and surrendered a walk-off home run to the Texas Rangers, prompting a demotion to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on August 5. He finished his Yankees debut with a 27.00 ERA at the major league level and a 6.32 ERA in Triple-A.
Looking ahead, Bird will look to reestablish himself in the Yankees’ bullpen plans after his rough first impression. His ground ball profile and sidearm slot remain appealing traits, and a strong spring training would be the clearest path back to a high-leverage role in the Bronx.