Polancic’s contract purchased by Brewers

EVANSVILLE, Ind. –Evansville Otters closer Jake Polancic has had his contract purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers, the team announced Tuesday morning.

Polancic, a native of Langley, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver, stands 6’3” and was a strong force on the back end of the Otters’ bullpen in 2023. In the 2023 season, he earned 17 saves in 32 games, striking out 48 and walking just 18. He carried a 2.16 ERA in 2023, good for second best on the team.

“Jake has put in the work to get to this moment,” Evansville Field Manager Andy McCauley said. “We are all incredibly proud of him for reaching this next step in his career. We look forward to seeing him work his way up the affiliation next season.”

In 2022, Polancic served as the team’s set-up man in front of former Otters’ closer Logan Sawyer. His ERA in 2022 was a 2.66 and he recorded 71 strikeouts in 47 innings of work.

Prior to the 2022 season with Evansville, Polancic spent the 2021 season with the Winnipeg Goldeyes in the American Association. Before 2021, Polancic spent four seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization after being drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft.

During the 2023 season, Polancic was named to the Baseball Canada roster for the WBSC Americas Pan Am Games Qualifiers in Buenos Aires, Argentina from June 16-21. He appeared once in the qualifiers, striking out three in his 1.1 innings.