Connor Joe

Connor Joe
Joe with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024
Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 2
Outfielder / First baseman
Born: (1992-08-16) August 16, 1992 (age 32)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 28, 2019, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.242
Home runs35
Runs batted in141
Teams

Connor Kok-Wy Joe (born August 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies. Joe was drafted by the Pirates in the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.

Amateur career

Joe attended Poway High School in San Diego, California, and played college baseball at the University of San Diego. In the summer of 2011, he played with the Kelowna Falcons of the West Coast League prior to attending the University of San Diego. Then in 2013, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star.[1]

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Joe was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round, 39th overall, of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.[2]

Joe made his professional debut in 2015 with the West Virginia Power, and batted .245/.366/.303 on the year.[3] He spent the 2016 season in High-A with the Bradenton Marauders, slashing .277/.351/.392 in 107 games, while playing third base. After the 2016 season, he played in the Arizona Fall League, where he batted .204/.371/.347 for Surprise.[4][5] Joe was assigned to the Double-A Altoona Curve to begin the 2017 season, and with them he batted 240/.338/.380.[4]

Atlanta Braves

On August 5, 2017, Joe was traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Sean Rodriguez.[6] In 20 games with the Double-A Mississippi Braves, Joe batted .135/.233/.154.[4]

Los Angeles Dodgers

On September 25, 2017, Joe was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for international bonus pool money.[7][8] He split the 2018 season between the Double-A Tulsa Drillers and the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, slashing .299/.408/.527 with career-highs in home runs (17) and RBI (55).

San Francisco Giants

Joe was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2018 Rule 5 draft.[9] On March 21, 2019, the Reds traded Joe to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Jordan Johnson and cash considerations.[10] Joe was designated for assignment on April 8 after only getting 1 hit in 16 plate appearances.[11]

Los Angeles Dodgers (second stint)

Joe with the Oklahoma City Dodgers in 2019

Joe cleared waivers and was returned to the Dodgers on April 13, 2019.[12] Joe spent the remainder of the season in Triple–A with Oklahoma City, and batted .300/.427/.503 with 15 home runs and 68 RBI.[13] Joe opted out of the 2020 season after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. The season was later cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] Joe became a free agent on November 2, 2020.[15]

Colorado Rockies

On November 20, 2020, Joe signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies organization.[16] On May 7, 2021, Joe was selected to the active roster.[17] Joe played first base while also playing left field, finishing the 2021 season hitting .285 with eight home runs and 35 RBI in 63 games.

In 2022 Joe batted .238/.338/.359 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs in 404 at bats.[4]

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 18, 2022, Joe was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Nick Garcia.[18]

Personal life

Joe's parents are Mee-Sun and Peter Joe.[19][20] He is of Chinese heritage. His grandparents emigrated from China: his father's family moved to Connecticut and his mother’s family moved to New York. After his parents married, they moved to Poway, California, a suburb of San Diego. His family owned and operated two restaurants in San Diego.[20]

Joe and his wife Kylie reside in Arizona.[21][22] The couple had met at the University of San Diego, where Connor played baseball and Kylie played softball.[23] They married in November 2018.[24] Their daughter was born in December 2022.[23]

On March 18, 2020, Joe announced he had undergone surgery for testicular cancer and was in his recovery process.[25] He was declared cancer free on July 20, 2020.[20][26]

See also

References

  1. ^ "#19 Connor Joe - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  2. ^ "Pirates select Connor Joe with 39th overall pick in Draft". MLB.com. June 5, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  3. ^ David Wilson. "Marauders infielder Connor Joe finds home at third base in Bradenton". The Bradenton Herald. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d "Connor Joe College, Amateur, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  5. ^ "Winter Leagues: Arizona Fall League: Statistics". MLB.com. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  6. ^ Terry Monahan (August 16, 2017). "Phone call points Connor Joe in new baseball direction". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  7. ^ Cameron Jourdan (July 6, 2018). "Joe relishing opportunity with home-state organization". The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  8. ^ Lewis Barry (June 16, 2018). "Pro baseball: Versatile all-star Connor Joe enjoys breakout year for Drillers". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  9. ^ Jeff Todd (December 13, 2018). "2018 Rule 5 Draft Results". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  10. ^ Henry Schulman (March 22, 2019). "Pablo Sandoval's future even murkier after Giants acquire versatile Connor Joe from Reds". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  11. ^ Maria Guardado (April 8, 2019). "Giants acquire Tyler Austin from Twins". MLB.com. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  12. ^ Jessica Kleinschmidt (April 13, 2019). "Connor Joe, recently DFA'd by Giants, clears waivers, rejoins Dodgers". NBC Sports Bay Area. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  13. ^ "Connor Joe College, Amateur, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  14. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  15. ^ "Full List of 2020-2021 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  16. ^ "Rockies Sign Connor Joe To Minor-League Contract". MLB Trade Rumors. November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  17. ^ "NL Notes: Rockies, Cubs, Marlins, Nationals". MLB Trade Rumors. May 7, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  18. ^ "Pirates acquire first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe from Colorado". MLB.com. December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  19. ^ "2014 Roster, 6 Connor Joe". University of San Diego Athletics. August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  20. ^ a b c Valentin, Julian (May 18, 2021). "Stronger Together: The Connor Joe Story". Rockies Magazine. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  21. ^ "Dodgers prospect Connor Joe eager to resume career after beating cancer". Los Angeles Times. August 6, 2020.
  22. ^ "Stronger Together: The Connor Joe Story". June 18, 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Inside Pirates utilityman Connor Joe's journey from cancer survivor to a 'grateful' father".
  24. ^ "Instagram".
  25. ^ Goldberg, Rob (March 18, 2020). "Dodgers Minor Leaguer Connor Joe Undergoes Surgery for Testicular Cancer". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  26. ^ "Connor Joe looks back on cancer fight, lessons learned". MLB.com.