Chad Sobotka

Sobotka attended Riverview High School in Sarasota, Florida, where he first became a pitcher.[3][4] Sobotka attended University of South Carolina–Upstate, playing for the USC Upstate Spartans baseball team. In his first collegiate season, Sobotka saved twelve games, pitched 31+1⁄3 innings, and recorded a .196 batting average against, a 1.72 earned run average, and 34 strikeouts. The next year, Sobotka made 26 appearances, with a 3.86 earned run average and .225 batting average against in 37+1⁄3 innings pitched.[5][6] In 2013, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[7][8] Sobotka sat out the 2014 season with a stress fracture in his back.[5][9]

The Atlanta Braves selected Sobotka in the fourth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.[10][11] Sobotka received a signing bonus of $400,000 from the organization.[12] Upon his selection by the Braves, Sobotka became the first Spartan baseball player to be drafted as high as the fourth round.[13] The Braves assigned Sobotka to the Rome Braves in 2015. During his first season, Sobotka missed two months due to injury.[14] He returned to Rome at the start of the 2016 season.[15] In July, Sobotka was promoted to the Carolina Mudcats,[16] and ended the season with the Mississippi Braves.[14] Sobotka was placed on the Mississippi Braves' Opening Day roster in 2017,[17][18] and also spent time with the Florida Fire Frogs.[19] In the Southern League, Sobotka pitched to a 5.52 ERA. His Florida State League earned run average was 6.75.[20] Sobotka started the 2018 season on the Fire Frogs' roster.[19] He joined the Mississippi Braves on May 15,[21][22] prior to his selection as a Florida State League All-Star.[23] On July 21, 2018, Sobotka was promoted to the Gwinnett Stripers,[24][25] making his International League debut three days later.[26]

On August 10, 2018, the Braves promoted Sobotka to the major leagues.[27][28] He faced the Milwaukee Brewers later that night, pitching one inning in relief of Kevin Gausman and recording his first career strikeout.[29][30] In 2019 for Atlanta, Sobotka made 32 appearances, pitching to an ugly 6.21 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 29.0 innings pitched.[31] In 2020, Sobotka only appeared in 4 games for the Braves, recording a ghastly 12.27 ERA with only 2 strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.[32]

On April 6, 2021, the Braves traded Sobotka and Patrick Weigel to the Milwaukee Brewers for Orlando Arcia.[33] On June 16, Sobotka was outrighted off of the 40-man roster without making a major league appearance for Milwaukee.[34]