Drew James Rucinski (born December 30, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.
[2] He spent his first professional season split between the rookie–level Arizona League Indians, Low–A Mahoning Valley Scrappers, and Single–A Lake County Captains.
[6] In 2013, Rucinski returned to Rockford, now the Aviators, making 15 starts and posting a 4–6 record and 2.88 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 100.0 innings of work.
In 2014, Rucinski made 26 starts for the Double–A Arkansas Travelers, logging a 10–6 record and 3.15 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 148+2⁄3 innings pitched.
In 2015, Rucinski made the Angels' Opening Day roster, beating out Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano.
[15] He spent the 2016 season with the Triple–A Iowa Cubs, making 28 starts and posting a 7–15 record and 5.92 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 155.0 innings of work.
[18] He struggled immensely in two appearances for Minnesota, allowing five runs on ten hits and two walks in 4+1⁄3 innings of work.
[24] On October 27, Rucinski was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A New Orleans; however, he subsequently elected free agency in lieu of the assignment.
On December 21, 2021, Rucinski re-signed with the Dinos to a $2 million deal, which tied for the second-most lucrative contract for a foreign player at the time of his signing.