Jeffrey Alan Samardzija (/səˈmɑrdʒə/ ; born January 23, 1985), nicknamed The Shark, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB).He played college baseball and football for the University of Notre Dame, and was recognized as an All-American wide receiver.uring the 2011 season Samardzija, statistically had his best season posting an 8-4 record and an ERA of 2.97 In 2012 Jeff was named a pitcher in the Cubs rotation and was solid going 9-13 with a 3.81 ERA and 180 strikeouts.