Jason Michael Hirsh (born February 20, 1982) is an American former
starting pitcher 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), ...
. In his career, he pitched for the
Houston Astros and the
Colorado Rockies. He stands at 6' 8" and weighs . He batted and threw right-handed. He threw a two-seam
fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...
, a four-seam fastball, a
slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* ...
, and a
changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball.
The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...
.
Hirsh was not highly recruited out of high school, but after attending
California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University (CLU, Cal Lutheran, or Cal Lu) is a private university in Thousand Oaks, California. It was founded in 1959 and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but is nonsectarian. It opened in 1960 ...
, he was drafted by the
Houston Astros in the second round of the
2003 Major League Baseball Draft. From 2005–06, Hirsh won the
Double-A Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award and the
Triple-A Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award
The Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best pitcher in Minor League Baseball's Pacific Coast League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. Broadcasters, Minor League ...
in successive seasons, as he went a combined 26–10 with 283 strikeouts. In 2006, he was called up to the major leagues for the first time, and he appeared in nine games with the Astros. During the offseason, he was traded to the
Colorado Rockies. He was named to the Rockies' starting rotation in 2007 and made a career-high 19 starts before injuries curtailed his season. In 2008, he was limited to four games with the Rockies due to injuries; as it turned out, those would be his last game in the major leagues. He spent the next two season in the minors, getting traded to the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
(whom he never played in the major leagues with) in 2009.
Early and personal life
Hirsh was born in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...
. His father is Michael Hirsch.
The Astros drafted and signed Hirsh's younger brother Matt (6 ft 5 in; 235 lbs.), another Cal Lutheran right-handed pitcher, in the 30th round in 2005. Matt went 1–2, 5.61, in 2005 at Rookie-level
Greeneville. Released by the Astros on June 12, 2006, Matt signed with 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 ...
in September 2006. He never pitched in the Cardinals' organization and finished his career with two independent league teams in 2007.
Hirsh is
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish, and he keeps track of all the Jewish players in major league baseball. In 2007, the Rockies had a strong Christian influence in their clubhouse; ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' said, "Christianity rocks in Colorado's clubhouse." On this, Hirsh said, "There are guys who are religious, sure, but they don’t impress it upon anybody. It’s not like they hung a cross in my locker or anything. They’ve accepted me for who I am, and what I believe in."
He married Pamela Clark in 2007. On November 5, 2009, Hirsh and his wife had a baby boy, Brady Antoine Hirsh.
High school
Hirsh was only 5' 11" as a freshman in high school, and failed to make the
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
team, whereupon he decided to focus on baseball. "Baseball was it for me," said Hirsh. "High school turned out to be one big
growth spurt
Human height or stature is the distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head in a human body, standing erect. It is measured using a stadiometer, in centimetres when using the metric system or SI system, or feet and inches when u ...
.... All of a sudden I'm 6-foot-8, and people are like, 'What happened to you?'"
[
Despite his size by the end of high school, Hirsh drew little interest from scouts out of St. Francis High School of ]La Cañada, California
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
, because he then threw just 86–88 mph. He went undrafted when he graduated in 2000, and no NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I programs wanted him, so he wound up at Division III
In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.
Association football
*Belgian Thir ...
California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University (CLU, Cal Lutheran, or Cal Lu) is a private university in Thousand Oaks, California. It was founded in 1959 and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but is nonsectarian. It opened in 1960 ...
, which was only 40 minutes from his house.[
]
College
Hirsh attended and played baseball at California Lutheran, where he was a 3-year starter, and flashed a fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...
and a mid-80s slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* ...
. His record was 26–6, he had a 2.96 earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA), and he struck out
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denote ...
238 batters in 258.1 innings pitched. As of 2013, he is tied for first at the university in career wins (26) and holds the record for the most strikeouts in a game (18). He was a First-Team All-SCIAC
The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) is a college athletic conference that operates in the NCAA's Division III. The conference was founded in 1915 and it consists of twelve small private schools that are located i ...
twice, as well as an ABCA All-West Region First-Team selection in 2003.
He was drafted by the Houston Astros with their top pick in the second round (59th overall) of the 2003 amateur entry draft, and signed for a $625,000 signing bonus.
Although Hirsh left college after his junior year, he went back after his first minor league season, e-mailing his assignments in from his laptop when he was in the minors to earn a BA in multimedia in 2004.[
]
Minor leagues
In his pro debut, Hirsh went 3–1 for the 2003 Tri-City ValleyCats
The Tri-City ValleyCats (often shortened to Cats) are a professional independent baseball team based in Troy, New York. The Tri-City name refers to the three nearby cities of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy which make up New York State's Capital D ...
, with a 1.95 ERA, limiting batters to a .175 average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
, and striking out 33 hitters in innings of work. Following the season, he was rated the No. 8 prospect in the organization by '' Baseball America''. In 2004, he recorded 11 victories with the Single-A advanced 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 ...
.
2005: Texas League Pitcher of the Year
For a week in January 2005 he worked with Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...
at Ryan's off-season pitching camp in Houston. Hirsh said: "The biggest thing I got out of it was the confidence ... aving Astros managerPhil Garner
Philip Mason Garner (born April 30, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder with the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers and ...
and Nolan Ryan sit there and tell you that you've got the stuff to be in the big leagues."
Playing for 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 ...
in 2005, Hirsh pitched two perfect innings for the Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
's West All Star team in the league All Star Game. He was the Texas League Pitcher of the Week three times. For the season, he went 13–8 with a league-best 165 strikeouts while walking
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...
only 42, finishing second in the league with 13 wins and second in ERA (2.87) and innings (172.1), and was named 2005 Texas League Pitcher of the Year, team MVP, and ''Baseball America'' Double-A All Star.[ He also earned Texas League post-season All Star honors.
''Baseball America'' named Hirsh Houston's top prospect heading into the 2006 season; it also listed Hirsh as having the "Best Control" in the organization. Before the season, Houston added him to its ]40-man roster
A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...
.[ "He's a very mature kid," Astros assistant general manager Ricky Bennett said. "He keeps everything in perspective."][ With Hirsh in spring training with the major league team, manager Phil Garner summed up his estimation of Hirsh as follows: ]"He looks to me like he maintains good concentration. Whatever he's doing, he looks like he focuses at it. He looks like he throws the ball down in the zone well, which is really good for as big as he is. And his stuff's good. He looks like he has some of the other ingredients that you've got to have to go along with having good stuff. He's a good athlete. He swings the bat pretty good, and he moves on the mound well."
2006: Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year
Hirsh began 2006 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 ...
, where he a mastered a two-seam and four-seam fastball. He suffered a pinched sciatic nerve in his lower back, and therefore did not pick up a weight until June or July, but he got better through running and extra stretching.[ He was named the starting pitcher for the U.S. Team at the 2006 MLB All-Star Futures Game in Pittsburgh, and was also named a Triple A All Star, and pitched an inning in that game. On July 26, he set a team record of consecutive innings without an earned run at 46 innings. He had a season record of 13–2 (including a 12-game winning streak; an Express record), led the league in wins, and had a 2.10 ]ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Comp ...
(2nd in the league) and 118 strikeouts (4th in the league) in 137.1 innings, as he held batters to a .193 batting average. Hirsh was named the 2006 Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year, the MLB.com 2006 Triple-A Starting Pitcher of the Year, a ''Baseball America'' Triple-A All Star, and was also elected to the post-season 2006 All-PCL squad as the top right-handed starting pitcher in the league.[ "Needless to say, he's had an excellent season," Round Rock manager Jackie Moore said. "He's as consistent from one start to the next as any young pitcher I've been associated with."
He was regarded as the top pitching prospect in the Astros' farm system. He was rated by ''Baseball America'' as having the best ]breaking pitch
In baseball, a breaking ball is a pitch (baseball), pitch that does not travel straight as it approaches the Batter (baseball), batter; it will have sideways or downward motion on it, sometimes both (see Slider (baseball), slider). A breaking b ...
in the PCL, and the league's ninth best prospect.
During the 2006 season, Hirsh also kept an on-line journal on MiLB.com.
2008–13: Rehab and trade to the New York Yankees
In 2008, Hirsh tried to work back from his rotator cuff problems and rehab his shoulder after May 30 for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in the Pacific Coast League. With reduced velocity, he was 4–4 in 18 games (17 starts), with a 5.80 ERA in 99.1 innings. The slow pace of his recovery made for what Hirsh admitted was "a very trying season. I was mentally defeated several times this year." He was still not fully recovered when the Rockies recalled him when rosters expanded in September.
Hirsh was sent to the minors to begin 2009. He went 6–7 with a 6.66 ERA in 20 games, 16 of them starts, for Colorado Springs before being traded to the New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
on July 29 for a player to be named later
In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
. He was assigned to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...
of the International League. Yankees manager Joe Girardi
Joseph Elliott Girardi (born October 14, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Girardi played the catcher position for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, and S ...
said the Yankees got Hirsh to add depth to their rotation. He was 4–0 for the team in 6 starts, with a 1.35 ERA.
Hirsh pitched for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre again in 2010. In early August, he was named International League Pitcher of the Week. He finished 2010 with a 9–7 record in 19 starts and a 3.90 ERA with 95 strikeouts in innings.
After not pitching in 2011 or 2012, Hirsh made one start for the Amarillo Sox
The Amarillo Thunderheads, formerly known as the Amarillo Sox, were a professional minor league baseball team based in Amarillo, Texas. They were members of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, an independent baseball ...
of the independent American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
in 2013, allowing three runs in four innings but earning the win.
Major leagues
Houston Astros (2006)
Hirsh made his major league debut for the Astros on August 12, 2006, allowing four runs in four innings and taking the loss in a 6–3 defeat to the San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
. On August 17, he won his first game, allowing three runs in innings in a 7–3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. In celebration, his teammates doused him with beer in the shower after the game. He started 9 games for the season, posting a 3–4 record, a 6.04 ERA, 29 strikeouts, and 22 walks in innings. He held batters to a .231 batting average with runners in scoring position. On December 12, the Astros traded Hirsh, Willy Taveras
Willy Taveras (born December 25, 1981) is a Dominican former professional baseball player. A center fielder, Taveras has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, and Washington Nationals.
Pr ...
, and Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz (born October 13, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher.
Biography
Buchholz stands 6 feet 4 inches tall, and weighs 220 lbs. He bats and throws right-handed. He grew up and lives in Springfield, Pe ...
to the Colorado Rockies for Rockies pitchers Jason Jennings
Jason Ryan Jennings (born July 17, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball with the Colorado Rockies (2001-2006), Houston Astros (2007) and Texas Rangers (2008-2009).
High school/college ...
and Miguel Asencio
Miguel DePaula Asencio (born September 29, 1980) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He began his pro-career in in the Dominican Republic. In 11 games, he went 0–2 with a 6.55 Earned run average, ERA.
Asencio was signed by the Philadel ...
.[
]
Colorado Rockies (2007–08)
In March 2007, Rockies' manager Clint Hurdle
Clinton Merrick Hurdle (born July 30, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and manager. Hurdle played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals, and managed the Colorado Rock ...
designated Hirsh his No. 4 starter. In Hirsh's first start as a Rockie, on April 6, he allowed one run in innings, struck out eight, and walked nobody in a 4–3 victory over San Diego. On June 10, he allowed one run and threw the only complete game of his career in a 6–1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
.
During the season, Hirsh would use his secondary pitches to such an extent that he failed to use his fastball, his best pitch, enough of the time. On July 2, he sprained his right ankle in a game against the Mets, diving back to the third base bag when catcher Paul LoDuca
Paul Anthony Lo Duca (born April 12, 1972) is an American retired professional baseball player and television personality. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers (–), Florida Marlins (2004–, ), New York Met ...
attempted to pick him off.[ He was forced to leave the game despite having pitched six shutout innings, and ended up on the disabled list from July 3 until August 1.][
His season was abruptly interrupted, however, when Hirsh went on the disabled list again after his right ]fibula
The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity i ...
was broken in a game August 7. Not realizing his leg had been broken on a line drive
In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...
comebacker hit by the second batter of the game, J. J. Hardy, that caught him in the shin in the first inning, Hirsh went on to throw out Hardy and pitch six innings that day, earning a key win for the club.[ Asked what he would do the next time he faced Hardy, Hirsh joked: "I might put a catcher's ]shin guard
A shin guard or shin pad, is a piece of equipment worn on the front of an athlete's shin to protect it from injury. These are commonly used in sports including association football, baseball, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, cricket and mo ...
on, just for him." The injury ended his season. "I was crushed," Hirsh said. "Obviously, nobody wants to have someone tell them that their season's cut short."
In 19 starts in 2007, Hirsh compiled a 5–7 record with a 4.81 earned run average, 75 strikeouts, and 48 walks in innings; he kept batters to a .204 batting average in their first plate appearance against him in games.[ ]Tracy Ringolsby
Tracy Ringolsby (born April 30, 1951 in Cheyenne, Wyoming) is an American sportswriter. He was a columnist for ''Baseball America'' from its beginning until cutbacks with free-lance writers were eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In retire ...
wrote, "Hirsh would have moments, but they were limited. He was 4–7 with a 4.90 ERA in his first 17 starts, and more concerning to the Rockies was he worked five innings or fewer six times." Hirsh missed pitching in the World Series, as he was still on the 60-Day DL.
Hirsh was expected to be in the starting rotation in 2008, as the number 4 starter. But he found himself on the disabled list after just two scoreless innings in one spring training game, and started the season on the DL because of a strained muscle in his right rotator cuff
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the human shoulder and allow for its extensive range of motion. Of the seven scapulohumeral muscles, four make up the rotator cuff. The four muscles are the supraspi ...
and right rotator cuff inflammation. While on the DL, Hirsh spent a number of weeks in a strengthening program and at extended spring training in Tucson, Arizona, to rebuild his arm strength. "This is the first time I've ever really had injuries," Hirsh said. "I had maybe one injury in the minor leagues coming up. Throughout my career, from when I was a little kid, I've never had arm problems, I've never broken a bone, I've never rolled an ankle. But I've managed to do all three of those in the last two years."
Hirsh was recalled in September and pitched in only four games during the season, including the first relief appearances of his career. His final major league appearance (a start) came on September 26; Hirsh gave up three runs in innings pitched and received a no-decision in a 6–4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
. In four games (only one of which was a start), Hirsh had no record, an 8.31 ERA, six strikeouts, and four walks in innings.
Pitching
Hirsh had good leverage, pitched down to hitters, and had a refined repertoire of pitches. He had a "plus" 2-seam fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...
that had sink and good movement at 91–94 mph, and threw a "filthy" hard-breaking slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* ...
that was consistently precise, and had bite at 80–86 mph (managers rated it the best breaking ball in the Texas League). Hirsh continued to refine his moderate changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball.
The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...
, which had fair deception and movement in the low-80s. He also threw a 4-seam fastball in the 94–96 mph range. He was not afraid to pitch inside, and threw strikes to both sides of the plate. "I'm 6-foot-8 and I keep a high three-quarters arm angle," noted Hirsh. "You figure the mound is a foot and a half, and my arm may be another two, three, four feet. It makes the batter have to look up instead of straight at me, and he may have a difficult time adjusting."[ During the 2007 season, Hirsh had trouble throwing his fastball enough. Pitching coach Bob Apodaca gave this assessment of Hirsh before 2008: "All Jason has to do is trust his stuff. He has the type of fastball you work off, but he was using his fastball the way you'd use an off-speed pitch —- to try and trick hitters."]
Injuries began plaguing Hirsh in 2007, and he had trouble recovering from them; he spent all of 2009 and 2010 in the minor leagues.
Awards
*2005 – 3x Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
Pitcher of the Week (4/24, 6/26, 7/17)
*2005 – Texas League All Star (P)
*2005 – Texas League Post-Season All Star (SP)
*2005 – Texas League Pitcher of the Year
*2005 – ''Baseball America'' Double-A All Star
*2006 – Futures Game US Starting Pitcher
*2006 – Pacific Coast League All Star (P)
*2006 – Pacific Coast League Post-Season All Star (P)
*2006 – Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year
*2006 – MLB.com Triple-A Starting Pitcher of the Year
*2006 – ''Baseball America'' Triple-A All Star
See also
* List of select Jewish Major League Baseball players
References
External links
Hardball Times stats
"Warming up for the Jewish Boys of Summer," 3/5/08
Jweekly Celebrity Jewish Baseball, 4/4/08
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirsh, Jason
1982 births
Living people
Amarillo Thunderheads players
Baseball players from Santa Monica, California
Cal Lutheran Kingsmen baseball players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Colorado Rockies players
Corpus Christi Hooks players
Houston Astros players
Jewish American baseball players
Jewish Major League Baseball players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Round Rock Express players
Salem Avalanche players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players
Tri-City ValleyCats players
American expatriate baseball players in Australia
Melbourne Aces players
21st-century American Jews