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Jacob Tanner Diekman (born January 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Philadelphia Phillies. He throws left-handed. Diekman grew up in Wymore, Nebraska, where he attended a high school too small for a baseball team, so he instead focused on golf, playing baseball in the summer for an American Legion team. He played two seasons of baseball in college at Doane College and Cloud County Community College respectively before attending a junior college baseball showcase, at which he was offered a scholarship to play Division I baseball. However, in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft, the Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the 30th round, and he ultimately signed. With the Phillies, Diekman began as a starting pitcher and progressed through a few levels of the Phillies' farm system in his first two years as a starter before adjusting his mechanics and lowering his arm slot to throw sidearm out of the bullpen as a relief pitcher. The adjustment worked, and helped him move through the remaining levels of the Phillies' farm system and, in 2012, making his major league debut. Over the next two seasons, he split time between the major league Phillies and their Triple-A (AAA) affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, though while he was with the major league team, was considered one of the "lone bright spots" in both 2012 and 2013. Diekman throws a fastball in the mid-90s (mph), a slider, and an occasional changeup; his fastball is among the fastest of any left-handed reliever in the major leagues. Diekman's parents have been key parts of his life, especially his mother, who died soon before the Phillies drafted him, and from whom he now draws inspiration. He holds a degree in business administration, and resides in Beatrice, Nebraska in the offseason. ==Early career== Diekman was born to Paul and Billie Diekman in 1987. He has one brother. He attended Southern High School in Wymore, Nebraska, which was too small to field a baseball team, so Diekman played golf there instead. Eventually, he joined an American Legion baseball team with players from Wymore and several surrounding towns, which Diekman called "the best experience of my life ... so much fun".〔〔 Concurrently, he worked full-time at a lawn mower factory to earn money to pursue post-secondary education.〔 After graduating high school, he enrolled at Doane College, where he pitched for one season. He transferred to Cloud County Community College in Kansas. Following his sophomore season, he attended a showcase at which, with a fastball well over , he drew much interest. He received an offer for a full scholarship to be a Nebraska Cornhusker, which he would have accepted had the Phillies not drafted him in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft's 30th round. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jake Diekman」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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