Featured Image Courtesy of Joey Perez
If you’ve ever seen Madison Jeffrey pitch, at any time, at any level, or for any amount of time, you know one thing about him, and that is that he is one competitive dude. He knows just one mode, the “Go” Mode, and in the sports world, he is known as as a “Dawg”, which is the ultimate show of respect towards one’s competitive nature.Â
Jeffrey grew up with Blue Collar roots in Barboursville West Virginia just 12 miles from the campus of Marshall University and in a houseful of competition. His two brothers, Adam and Zach, both played collegiately, one in baseball, the other in basketball, the 2 sports Jeffrey starred in at Cabell Midland High. So, needless to say, Jeffrey’s competitive nature came naturally, because, in a household full of 3 eventual college athletes, everything is a competition.Â
His High School coaches, Tracy and George Brumfield are father and son and have won c lose to 1000 games as Head coaches. When coaches reach these kinds of heights, it’s a result of teaching more than just the Xs and Os of their sport, they teach life lessons. One of those life lessons that Jeffrey learned as a Scarlet Knight was how to compete, but then also knowing when to be laid back.Â
One thing I took away from both of them was to know when to be laid back and relaxed, but then know when to kind of “flip the switch” and go into game mode. So, I took a lot away from those guys and I’m really happy I got top play for both of them.Â
Tough Decision
Having grown up so close to the Marshall University campus, Jeffrey has always been a Thundering Herd fan at heart so when he chose West Virginia as his college destination it was not an easy choice. He had just completed a remarkable Senior campaign where he earned West Virginia player of the year honors, First Team All-State, and had become a Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American.
He was also a 2-sport star at Cabell Midland and coaches and scouts love that type of athletic background, so, he had plenty of options. But when he toured West Virginia, he was really swept off of his feet, and for good reason.Â
The Mountaineers revitalized its baseball program when it built Monongalia County Ballpark in 2015. Since then they have continued to make improvements to the facility and they were landing one of the best recruiting classes in the nation when Jeffrey was being recruited. Randy Mazey, their head coach, has built a top-notch program on blue-collar values, hard work, and toughness, so when Jeffrey took his trip to Morgantown, it didn’t take him long to decide to make it home.Â
Yeah, I mean, when it came down to Marshall and West Virginia that was probably the toughest decision I had to make. Growing up I was a Marshall fan and where I lived was 10 minutes off of their campus so I always grew up loving Marshall and loving the Green.Â
Jeffrey continued about his decision to go to West Virginia
As soon as West Virginia reached out it was quick. I saw West Virginia’s facilities and I talked to Coach Mazey, Coach Sabins, and the pitching coach at the time Dave Serrano, and once I saw the facilities it happened in like two weeks. The crazy thing is that West Virginia had seen me on twitter, then Coach Sabins reached out.
With a Madison Jeffrey light-hearted smile, he finished his thoughts on his decision to go to West Virginia
It’s funny too, in my exit meeting with Coach Mazey after my Freshman year he asked me if I was still a Marshall fan and I was like Coach Mazey, I’m still a Marshall fan at heart. I’m just blessed that I had those schools looking at me, but it was the right choice to go to West Virginia and going through that program.Â
West Virginia To the Dodgers
Jeffrey got playing time right away as a Mountaineer and started his College career by not allowing a run in his first 7 outings and posting a batting average against of just .107 in 2019. He followed that up in 2020 by posting a 1.42 ERA in his Sophomore campaign while allowing hitters to hit just .108 off of him in his 2nd year on Campus. In 2021 he recorded 28 strikeouts in just 20 innings of relief work, so his stuff proved to be very explosive to match his intensely competitive nature.Â
After the 2021 season, his third year at WVU, the Dodgers selected him in the 15th Round. Jeffrey had to wait until the 3rd day to hear his name called, so, although he had a ballpark idea as to what was going to happen in the draft, it was still very nerve-racking.
I kind of knew that I wasn’t going to go the first day, but I kind of fed into the norm of looking at the Mock drafts and they had me anywhere from the 3rd round to the 8th round. So, once that 2nd day rolled around I started getting a little nervous once we passed about the 5th round. But, then I started getting calls from my agent and from some other teams and Jon Adkins with the Dodgers called and said that they wanted me and wanted to take me. He said he didn’t know when it was going to be but to stay on my toes.Â
Jeffrey continued about Draft Day
The third day rolled around and that’s when the nerves were rolling because, coming from a small town in Barboursville, West Virginia, you don’t think that anyone is going to make it out. So, I kind of fell into that trap too thinking that it might not happen. Then I was sitting there and we were watching the TV when Round 15 rolled around, the Dodgers pick came up and the next thing you know they said my name and it was like the weight of the world was off of my shoulders. Once everything settled down, I was just ready to go to work.
Feature Cut
Jeffrey features a 4 seam fastball that reached 100 MPH early last season and a cutter that hit as high as 92, so his stuff is very explosive. He also features a very sharp and late-breaking slider, so, when his stuff is in the zone, he is very hard to hit. In fact, his average against last year was just .193, and remember it was under .200 in his first two years at West Virginia as well.Â
Madison Jeffrey hit 98 last night & had the slider/cutter combo to mix to record his 3rd save of the year. I've seen @mjeffrey33 quite a bit going back to his days at WVU & he comes at you with knees and elbows, big stuff, & an attitude! I love watching him pitch! #dodgers pic.twitter.com/7N847aGzBF
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) July 29, 2022
One of the first things that is easily noticeable when Jeffrey pitches is his confidence and competitive nature. He is a Bulldog on the mound and loves to compete. His fiercely competitive nature is perfect for the late-inning, high-leverage relief role. Beyond the wicked stuff in the next video, just watch how much confidence he carries himself with.Â
Madison Jeffrey is a relief pitcher out of W. Virginia that WILL pitch in the MLB, as long as he stays healthy. I've seen @mjeffrey33 twice when he was at W. Virginia and the life on his fastball and his curveball are awesome. Take a look for yourself! #dodgers pic.twitter.com/x2FXtLqodP
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) May 9, 2022
The one thing that he has worked really hard on this off-season is his command, and he is using this off-season to concentrate on bringing his walk rate down. It’s not a matter of “if”, but a matter of “when” that happens, and, when it does, he is going to be a top-notch late-inning high leverage reliever for a long time.Â
Here’s what he had to say about his goals for this off-season.
The goal for this off-season was to find command on my fastball. I know my stuff is there, and that it can play, but finding that command and taking that walk rate down a good bit is going to be huge for me. So, going into this Spring Training I’m just going to trust myself and trust that I’ve worked my tail off this off-season with the command and the weight room and everything.Â
Huge Future
Jeffrey is a 22-year-old prospect that has a big future. His stuff is wicked and he has all of the personality traits to dominate the big moments. When, not if, he gets command of the fastball, he’s going to ascend very fast, because, as his batting average against statistics shows, his stuff is very hard to hit. He has the chance to be a 3-pitch pitcher with his fastball touching triple digits and his cutter hitting 90+. His slider also has plus movement and was a great strike pitch for him last year, so, not only does it move a lot, it’s also in the zone a lot as well.Â
The first time I saw him was at the Bricktown ballpark when Jeffrey was a true freshman and shoved against my OSU Cowboys. He threw 5 outs, and his stuff popped, and I remember thinking, “man, this kid is just a freshman, wow”. So when I found out that the Dodgers drafted him I was super pumped because I’ve seen with my own eyes how explosive his stuff is.Â
In closing, I would like to thank Madison for joining Dodgers Daily. His “blue-collar” approach to the game fits my eye and is one of the reasons that I don’t miss a chance to watch him pitch. It was a pleasure getting to speak with this young man and Dodgers Daily will be rooting for him all along his journey.Â
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