Max Dorian Fried Bio
Max Dorian Fried is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born on January 18, 1994, in Santa Monica, California, Fried made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2017, becoming one of the league’s top pitchers. He garnered attention for his impressive pitching skills, leading to multiple All-Star selections and a pivotal role in the Braves’ World Series championship win in 2021. Renowned for his exceptional fastball and curveball, Fried has established himself as a dominant force on the mound.
Early Life and Background
Fried was born on January 18, 1994, in Santa Monica, California. He grew up in Encino, Los Angeles, the middle son of Carrie and Jonathan Fried, and is Jewish. His younger brother Jake, also a pitcher, attended the University of Arizona. Max began attending the Reggie Smith Baseball Academy in Encino as a seven year old and learned how to throw a curveball from the retired outfielder. Fried pitched for the 2009 Maccabiah Games Team USA Juniors baseball team that won a gold medal in Israel.
Fried first attended Montclair College Preparatory School, in Van Nuys, where he played baseball, football, and basketball. As a sophomore, with Ethan Katz as his pitching coach, he was 10–3 with a 1.81 earned run average (ERA), and was named the Olympic League MVP and to the All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division V first team. In his junior year, Fried was 7–3 with a 1.31 ERA, with 100 strikeouts in 69 innings, as he also played outfield and batted .360 with four home runs and 30 RBIs. He was named the 2011 Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Male High School Athlete of the Year.
After Montclair Prep cut its baseball team subsequent to his junior year, Fried transferred to Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles for his senior season. He wore uniform number 32 in honor of Sandy Koufax and played with fellow future MLB pitchers Lucas Giolito and Jack Flaherty. In 2012, Fried was 8–2 with a 2.02 ERA, and 105 strikeouts in 66 innings. He was a Rawlings-Perfect Game 1st Team All-American.
Path to Baseball
The San Diego Padres selected Fried in the first round with the seventh overall selection of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. Fried chose to sign with the Padres for $3 million, forgoing his commitment to the UCLA Bruins baseball team. Baseball America rated him the top left-handed pitcher in the draft. Fried made his professional debut for the Arizona League Padres in 2012 and spent the whole season there, going 0–1 with a 3.57 ERA in 17+2⁄3 innings pitched. He played for the Fort Wayne TinCaps in 2013 where he compiled a 6–7 record and 3.49 ERA in 23 starts.
In 2014, he was ranked the Padres’ top pitching prospect, and their No. 2 prospect overall, by MLB.com. Fried was injured for much of the year and did not make his season debut until July. The next month, on August 20, Fried underwent Tommy John surgery; he missed the remainder of the 2014 season. On December 19, 2014, the Padres traded Fried, Jace Peterson, Dustin Peterson, and Mallex Smith to the Atlanta Braves for Justin Upton and Aaron Northcraft. Fried missed the entire 2015 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Max Dorian Fried Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Fried returned to action on April 9, 2016, for the Rome Braves. He spent all of 2016 with Rome, pitching to an 8–7 record and a 3.93 ERA in 21 games (20 starts), striking out 112 batters in 103 innings. Fried ended the season ranked by Baseball America as the 6th-best prospect in the South Atlantic League. His fastball, clocked at 93–94 mph, reached 96–97 mph in the second half of the season. The Braves added Fried to their 40-man roster after the season.
Fried was called up to the Atlanta Braves on August 5, 2017. He debuted on August 8, throwing two scoreless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, displaying what David O’Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called a devastating curveball. Two weeks later, Fried returned to the minor leagues, joining the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves. In 26 innings pitched for the Braves for the season, he was 1–1 with a 3.81 ERA. Fried began the 2018 season with the Double-A Mississippi Braves. After one game, he re-joined Gwinnett, now named the Stripers. He was called up to Atlanta in late April. In 33+2⁄3 innings pitched for the Braves in the 2018 regular season, he was 1–4 with 44 strikeouts and a 2.94 ERA.
Atlanta Braves Breakthrough (2019–2024)
Fried was placed in the bullpen at the start of the 2019 season, and later moved to the starting rotation. Against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 7, Fried was hit on his left hand by a ball hit by Alex Verdugo and left the game, but he made his next regularly scheduled start. In 2019, Fried was 17–6 with a 4.02 ERA, as in 33 games (30 starts) he pitched 165+2⁄3 innings in which he struck out 173 batters. His 17 wins were second in the National League, and his .739 won-loss percentage was fifth in the league.
During the 2020 season, Fried developed into Atlanta’s ace. In the pandemic-shortened season, Fried had a 7–0 win–loss record with a 2.25 ERA and a 1.09 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP). He led the major leagues in win–loss percentage (1.000) and pickoffs (4), led National League pitchers in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) (2.9), was second in the NL in WAR (all behind Mookie Betts), and tied for second in the NL in wins. He limited hard contact, holding 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. Fried won the 2020 NL Gold Glove Award at pitcher.
Fried was the Braves’ 2021 Opening Day starting pitcher. His first career complete game shutout was a Maddux, pitched against the Baltimore Orioles on August 20, 2021. Fried threw a second Maddux on September 24, while facing the San Diego Padres. His 1.76 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in the second half of the season were the best in the major leagues. He was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for September, after posting a 1.54 ERA.
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. 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. His 8.584 strikeouts/9 innings were the 11th-most in Braves history. His 51.8% ground ball percentage was 3rd-highest in the NL, and he induced softly hit balls 20.0% of the time (5th).
Fried won the final game of the 2021 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 champion Jose Altuve observing: He was almost unhittable. Fried won the 2021 NL Gold Glove Award at pitcher, winning the award for the second consecutive year. He became the third Braves pitcher to win multiple Gold Glove Awards, joining Greg Maddux and Phil Niekro. Fried also won the 2021 NL Silver Slugger Award for pitchers. 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. Fried became the third MLB pitcher in history to win both the Silver Slugger Award and the Gold Glove Award in the same season, joining Mike Hampton (2003) and Zack Greinke (2019).
Fried was named to his second straight Opening Day start in 2022. Fried’s salary for the 2022 season was set at $6.85 million via arbitration. He was named to the 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game roster. For the season, Fried was 14–7 with a 2.48 ERA (third in the NL; 10th-lowest in Atlanta franchise history), in 30 starts in which he pitched 185.1 innings with 170 strikeouts. 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%).
Fried was named the 2022 NL Gold Glove Award winner at pitcher, his third straight Gold Glove Award. He became the first Braves pitcher since Greg Maddux to win three straight Gold Glove Awards. The only other pitchers who have won the award three times in a row have been Harvey Haddix, Bobby Shantz, Bob Gibson, Phil Niekro, and Zack Greinke. Fried finished second in the voting for the 2022 NL Cy Young Award. 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. At the end of the 2022 season, Fried was selected to his third consecutive All-MLB team.
Fried’s 2023 season salary of $13.5 million was again determined by arbitration. He was the Opening Day starter for the third straight season. 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. On June 5, Fried was transferred to the 60-day injured list. He was activated on August 4. 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.
Fried and the Braves agreed to a one-year $15 million contract for the 2024 season, his final season before free agency. Fried’s streak of Opening Day starts was ended by Spencer Strider. In Fried’s season debut, the second game of the year against the Philadelphia Phillies, he recorded only two outs. On April 23, Fried pitched a complete game shutout against the Miami Marlins, facing 29 hitters and throwing 92 pitches for his third career Maddux. He pitched a scoreless inning for the NL team in the All Star Game, the second of his career.
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%). 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. Fried finished his stint with Atlanta as one of the franchises’ best pitchers on a rate basis, ranking in the top 10 in win–loss percentage, WHIP, and strikeout-to-walk ratio.
New York Yankees Era (2025–Present)
On December 17, 2024, Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees. It was the largest contract issued to a left-handed pitcher and the fourth-largest deal for any pitcher in MLB history. Fried made his Yankees debut against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 29, 2025. He pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowed seven hits and two runs, and walked two batters while striking out four. On April 4, he recorded his first win as a Yankee in a 9-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates as he pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowed six hits and one run, and walked just one batter while striking out six.
On April 9, Fried recorded his sixth career 10+ strikeout game to help the Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 4–3. On April 20, Fried lost a no-hit bid in the Yankees’ 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays due to a single by Chandler Simpson off the glove of Paul Goldschmidt, when the official scorer changed his sixth-inning call to a hit after originally calling it an error. Fried was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for April, after posting a 5-0 record and a 1.19 ERA.
Pitching Style and Strengths
Fried throws a 94–96-mile-per-hour four-seam fastball. He also throws two types of a 74-mile-per-hour curveball, an 85-mile-per-hour slider (since 2019), a 93-mile-per-hour sinker, and an 86-mile-per-hour change-up, with the curveball resulting in the lowest batting average in 2021. Fried is known for his exceptional fielding ability as a pitcher, having won multiple Gold Glove Awards, and is also a competent hitter for a pitcher, having won the Silver Slugger Award in 2021.
Notable Events and Milestones
Fried’s most notable career moment came in the 2021 World Series when he pitched 6 shutout innings in the final game against the Houston Astros, helping lead the Braves to their first championship in 26 years. He became the third pitcher in MLB history to win both the Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award in the same year in 2021. Fried was named the American League Pitcher of the Month in April and September 2025, and won his fourth Gold Glove Award in 2025, his first in the American League.
Max Dorian Fried Career Wins
Max Dorian Fried has established himself as one of the most successful pitchers in Major League Baseball, with notable achievements across multiple seasons. He has recorded over 100 career wins, including multiple All-Star selections and significant awards for his performance both on the mound and at the plate.
Atlanta Braves Highlights
During his time with the Atlanta Braves, Fried achieved numerous milestones. In 2019, he was 17–6 with a 4.02 ERA, with his 17 wins second in the National League. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he went 7–0 with a 2.25 ERA and led the major leagues in win–loss percentage (1.000). In 2021, he was 14–7 with a 3.04 ERA and threw 2 shutouts (leading the league). His most significant Braves victory came in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series, where he pitched 6 shutout innings to secure the championship for Atlanta.
Fried continued his success in 2022 with a 14–7 record and a 2.48 ERA, and in 2024, he went 11–10 with a 3.25 ERA while leading the NL in ground ball percentage. His regular-season performance with the Braves included multiple 10+ strikeout games, and he consistently ranked among the NL leaders in ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP throughout his tenure with the team.
New York Yankees Highlights
Since joining the New York Yankees, Fried has quickly made an impact. He began the 2025 season by winning his first five decisions and was named AL Pitcher of the Month for April after posting a 5-0 record and a 1.19 ERA. On August 16, Fried recorded his 1,000th career strikeout. In his first postseason appearance with the Yankees, he delivered a strong performance in Game 1 of the 2025 AL Wild Card Series, pitching 6+1/3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major League Baseball | 107 | N/A | N/A |
Max Dorian Fried Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Max Dorian Fried was born to Carrie and Jonathan Fried in Santa Monica, California. He grew up in Encino, Los Angeles, as the middle son in a Jewish family. His younger brother Jake Fried is also a pitcher who attended the University of Arizona. Fried comes from an athletic family, with both parents supporting his baseball career from an early age.
Fried has Jewish heritage and has been involved with Jewish sports organizations, including winning a gold medal with Team USA Juniors at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel. He was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2022, recognizing both his athletic achievements and his contributions to Jewish sports. Fried has spoken publicly about the influence of Jewish baseball legend Sandy Koufax on his career, notably wearing Koufax’s number 32 in high school.
Personal Life
Fried maintains an active presence on social media, particularly on Instagram where he shares glimpses of his professional life and personal interests. Despite his high-profile career, Fried has kept his personal relationships relatively private, with limited public information available about his marital status or personal relationships.
2025 Season Performance
During the 2025 season with the New York Yankees, Fried quickly established himself as the team’s ace. He began the season by winning his first five decisions, including a standout performance against the Detroit Tigers where he recorded his sixth career 10+ strikeout game. Fried was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for April after posting a 5-0 record and a 1.19 ERA, demonstrating his immediate impact with his new team.
Throughout the season, Fried has continued his reputation for exceptional control and ground ball-inducing pitching. On August 16, he reached a significant milestone by recording his 1,000th career strikeout. In September, he was again named AL Pitcher of the Month, having pitched to a 1.89 ERA across five starts, with 35 strikeouts over 33+1/3 innings. In his first postseason appearance with the Yankees, Fried delivered a strong performance in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, pitching 6+1/3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox.
Despite facing increased expectations as the team’s highest-paid pitcher, Fried has maintained consistency and composure throughout the season. His performance in 2025 has solidified his status as one of the premier pitchers in the American League, and he continued his tradition of excellence by winning his fourth career Gold Glove Award at the end of the season.