Fox Chapel grad Pilarski catches on with Dodgers

Not only did Fox Chapel graduate Jake Pilarski agree to sign with an MLB team, he will join one of the sport’s premier franchises.

Pilarski will sign a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and will report to the team’s minor-league training facility in February.

Pilarski played for the Washington Wild Things this past season, and the Dodgers purchased his contract from the Frontier League on Dec. 9. He officially will sign with Los Angeles once paperwork is completed.

He is a 2016 Fox Chapel graduate who played four seasons with Virginia Wesleyan and one with The Citadel. Professionally, he was with the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League before being traded to Washington.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Pilarski said. “It’s been a dream for the last four or five years of my life to get to this point. I signed up with a company called Tread Athletics out of Charlotte (N.C.). They’re pitching people, they’re really good at what they do and they had some good connections and got my name out there.”

On Dec. 9, he topped out at 100 mph at Tread Athletics and was picked up by the Dodgers the same day.

Pilarski indicated he will attend the team’s training camp in Arizona and receive an assignment to start the 2023 season.

He’s the second pitcher to go pro from the Fox Chapel 2016 graduating class. Patrick Monteverde continues to make his way through the Miami Marlins system.

Pilarski started his climb through the Fox Chapel Area community league with Sharpsburg and Aspinwall before playing for the high school team and the Pittsburgh Diamond Dawgs travel team.

The Foxes compiled a cumulative 16-4 record in section play during Pilarski’s junior and senior seasons, and the O’Hara resident was a three-time all-section performer in high school, playing on a 2015 section winner as a pitcher, outfielder and designated hitter.

“Jake was part of a very special group of athletes on his Fox Chapel teams,” said Michael Frank, coach of the Foxes at the time. “We saw promise in him early on because of his talent, but more importantly, because of his work ethic. From the first time I met him, he was always the hardest worker on the field, in the weight room and in the classroom. We are all so excited to see him get a chance with the Dodgers.”

During his seasons with Virginia Wesleyan, he compiled a 22-6 record, including an 11-0 mark in 2018. He posted a 2.15 ERA that season with two shutouts in 92 innings with 80 strikeouts.

At The Citadel, he closed out his collegiate career with 93 strikeouts in 87 innings and an admiration for what the students there endure and accomplish.

Pilarski started his pro career with Lake Erie, striking out 66 in 66 innings.

“I give those guys a lot of credit. I don’t know that I could have done that out of high school,” Pilarski said.

After a trade brought him to Washington, he pitched 27 2/3 innings and struck out 28. Of his 23 appearances, 14 were scoreless outings.

“We are very happy for Jake,” Wild Things manager Tom Vaeth said. “He is another in a long line of players that have come to Washington and succeeded in getting an opportunity to move on a to a major-league organization.”

Pilarski is the 46th Wild Things player to have his contract picked up by an MLB affiliate.