Dylan Axelrod

Dylan Axelrod’s induction into the Round Table Hall of Fame is another chapter in an incredible athletic journey. After stellar baseball careers at Santa Barbara High, SBCC and UC Irvine, Dylan toiled in the minor leagues before reaching the pinnacle of his sport, playing in the Major Leagues. He made his debut with the Chicago White Sox on Sept, 7, 2011, pitching two innings of scoreless relief against the Minnesota Twins. A week later, he made his first Major League start in Detroit against the Tigers. He struck out eight before leaving with a 5-2 lead after six innings. He calls his major league debut his proudest athletic achievement. “It validated the journey,” he says. “All the trials, time and hard work along the way coming together to achieve what I devoted my life to.”

A 30th-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres, Axelrod had a 10-year career as a professional baseball player and spent part of five seasons in the majors with the White Sox and Cincinnati Reds. It’s an amazing journey for a young man who experienced a devastating loss in his early life. His mother, Joni, succumbed to breast cancer when he was 10 years old. His father, Dennis, and a love for baseball helped young Dylan carry on and realize his dream. “I am where I am because of my dad,” he said. “He raised me to be a hard worker and his love of baseball and time spent coaching me laid my foundation.”

Dylan was the Channel League MVP and the winner of the Tony Gilbert Citizen Athlete Award at Santa Barbara High in 2003. He continued his career at SBCC, playing for Teddy Warrecker, before accepting a scholarship offer with UC Irvine. He helped Irvine reach its first College World Series.

After his pro baseball career ended, Dylan got into coaching. He was the pitching coach for the Santa Barbara Foresters in 2017. He is currently a performance specialist at Peak Performance Project, “P3.” On his induction to the Hall of Fame, Dylan said, “My hope is that I will be remembered as an inspiration to young athletes in Santa Barbara, and that I have left some sort of positive lasting mark on this community.”