Justin Richard Towles (born February 11, 1984) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Houston Astros from 2007 to 2011.

Career

Draft

The Oakland Athletics originally drafted him in the 32nd round (968th overall) and in the 23rd round (692nd overall) in the 2002 and 2003

Major League Baseball draft The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...

s, respectively. He did not sign with them either times. He signed with the Houston Astros when they drafted him in the 20th round (604th overall) in the 2004 draft.

Houston Astros

In 2004 after being signed, Towles played at the rookie level for the

Greeneville Astros The Greeneville Astros were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League from 2004 to 2017. They represented the town of Greeneville, Tennessee, though Pioneer Park, their home stadium, was located in nearby T ...

. He played in just 39 games and batted .243 with no

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. In 2005 and in 2006, he played for the Single-A

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends ha ...

. He batted .345 with 5 home runs in 45 games in 2005 and in 2006, batted .312 with 12 home runs in 81 games. He was a

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

Mid-Season All-Star in 2006 and was a Baseball America Low A All-Star. Towles worked his way up the minor leagues in 2007. He began the year with the Single-A

Salem Avalanche Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, par ...

, then the Double-A

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by ...

, and by the end of the minor league season, was with the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

. He played a total of 100 games in the minor leagues and batted .287 with 11 home runs. He also was a selection for the All-Star Futures Game at

AT&T Park Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's curren ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. Towles had his contract purchased by the major league club on September 4, 2007. He made his major league debut on September 5, 2007, against the Milwaukee Brewers. He faced

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

Matt Wise Matthew John Wise (born November 18, 1975) is an American former professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he played all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 2000 and 2008. He became the bullpen coach for th ...

as a pinch hitter and flied out to

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

Mel Stocker Myreon Romel "Mel" Stocker (born August 15, 1980) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007. Biography Mel Stocker attended Arizona State University and was then drafted by the Kansas City Roy ...

. On September 20, 2007, Towles got 8 RBI in a game beating the club record of 7 RBI. In the same game, the Astros got a combined 23 hits in their 18-1 win against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

. Towles also hit his first career home run that day. The pitcher who gave up that home run was actually infielder

Aaron Miles Aaron Wade Miles (born December 15, 1976) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2003 to 2011 for the Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, Chica ...

. Towles was expected to be the starting catcher starting in 2008 with the club signing

Brad Ausmus Bradley David Ausmus (; born April 14, 1969) is an American former professional baseball manager and catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). In his 18-year MLB playing career, Ausmus played for the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Houston Ast ...

to a one-year contract to serve as a back-up catcher and mentor to the young Towles on October 30, 2007. On June 5, 2008, Towles was optioned to Triple-A

Round Rock Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County, Texas, Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County, Texas, Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of ...

after hitting .145 over 42 games for the Astros. He had 17 hits in 117 at-bats, including four homers, and 14 RBIs. Towles was not surprised about this move though and took it very well. Towles thought of it as a time to get some confidence back. Cooper said it wasn't his catching or game calling, it was his offense. Ausmus became the primary catcher. He competed with Humberto Quintero and Lou Palmisano for the starting or back-up job in spring training in 2009, but instead began the season in Round Rock when the team had signed

Iván Rodríguez Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the Texas Rangers (in two separate stints, comprising the majority of his career), Florida ...

on March 16. After Quintero was designated to the 15 Day Disabled List, Towles was called up to the Astros to serve as back-up catcher for Rodriguez. Towles hit .191 (9-for-47) with one homer and eight RBIs in 17 games with the Astros. He was the Opening Day starter the following year and wound up starting 13 of the team's first 26 games, splitting time with Quintero. On May 5, 2010, he was optioned to Double-A Corpus Christi.

Minnesota Twins

On December 15, 2011, Towles signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. He also received an invitation to spring training. He spent the entire 2012 season in the minor leagues, playing in 52 games with the Rochester Red Wings, the Twins Triple-A affiliate. Towles batted .214 in 168 plate appearances.

St. Louis Cardinals

On December 19, 2012, Towles agreed to a minor league contract with the

. The deal included an invitation as a non-roster player to spring training with the club. He played in 19 games for the

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

, hitting .237 before he was released on May 24.

Los Angeles Dodgers

He subsequently signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

on May 29, 2013. He reported to the AAA

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...

but only played in 4 games for them before he was shut down with an injury.

Bridgeport Bluefish

Towles signed with the

Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...

for the 2014 season.

Texas Rangers

Towles signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on August 25, 2014. He became a free agent after the 2014 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Towles, J.R. 1984 births Living people Houston Astros players Major League Baseball catchers NCTC Lions baseball players Baseball players from Harris County, Texas Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Greeneville Astros players Lexington Legends players Salem Avalanche players Corpus Christi Hooks players Round Rock Express players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Rochester Red Wings players Memphis Redbirds players Albuquerque Isotopes players Bridgeport Bluefish players People from Crosby, Texas