Jason Brewster Hursh (born October 2, 1991) is an American former
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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
. He previously 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
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
.
High school and college
Hursh attended
Trinity Christian Academy in
Addison, Texas
Addison is an incorporated town in Dallas County, Texas, in the United States. Addison is situated to the immediate north of the city of Dallas, with a 2020 census population of 16,661. Addison and Flower Mound were the only two Texas municipaliti ...
. After graduating, the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
selected Hursh in the sixth round of the
2010 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. Hursh decided not to sign, instead enrolling at
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater (officially Oklahoma State University; informally Oklahoma State, OK State, OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma. OSU was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act. Originall ...
, to play
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
for the
Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball
Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball is the NCAA Division I varsity intercollegiate baseball team of Oklahoma State University, based in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The team competes in the Big 12 Conference. The Cowboys' current head coach i ...
team. He underwent
Tommy John surgery
Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...
in his sophomore year. As a junior, Hursh pitched to a 6–5
win–loss record
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...
with a 2.79
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) in 16
games started
In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is lis ...
. He was named to the All-
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
second team.
[
]
Professional career
The Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
selected Hursh with the 31st overall selection in the 2013 MLB Draft
The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Each team received one selection per round, going in ...
. Hursh signed with the Braves, receiving a $1.7 million signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
, and was assigned to the Rome Braves
The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team served ...
of the Class 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 ...
. With Rome, Hursh had a 0.67 ERA in 27 innings. Hursh began the 2014 season with the Mississippi Braves
The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. T ...
of the Class AA
Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...
Southern League. Hursh spent the entire season there, making 26 starts and one relief appearance, with a 3.58 ERA. Hursh spent most of the 2015 season with Mississippi, appearing in 25 games. He was converted to a reliever in July and promoted to the Gwinnett Braves
The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...
in August. He made 15 starts and ten relief appearances with a 5.14 ERA at the Double–A level. On August 12, 2016, Hursh was called up by the Braves. Six days later, he was optioned to Gwinnett.
Hursh began the 2017 season with Gwinnett and was called up on April 12. He was optioned back to Gwinnett two days later, while Luke Jackson was called up. Hursh would remain at AAA until May 11, 2017, when he was demoted to AA. After 10 relief appearances at Mississippi during which he had a 1.23 ERA, the Braves recalled Hursh on June 6, 2017, replacing the injured Bartolo Colón
Bartolo Colón (born May 24, 1973), nicknamed "Big Sexy," is a Dominican-American professional baseball pitcher. He has played for 11 different Major League Baseball (MLB) teams: the Cleveland Indians (1997–2002), Montreal Expos (2002), Chicago ...
on the roster. He was optioned to Gwinnett on June 10, 2017 when Sean Newcomb
Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish language, Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (Anglicisation of names, anglicized as ''Shaun/Shawn (giv ...
was called up. However, he was recalled the following day to replace Eric O'Flaherty. He was optioned back to Gwinnett when Colón was activated from the disabled list on June 28, 2017. Hursh was recalled again on July 14, replacing Jason Motte
Jason Louis Motte (born June 22, 1982) is an American former professional baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course ...
. He was optioned back to Gwinnett three days later when the Braves made a series of roster moves. He was once again recalled on July 27, replacing Aaron Blair
Aaron Daniel Blair (born May 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Blair was selected in the 21st round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Houston Astros. He chose to attend Marshall University, where he played fo ...
who had been optioned. He was optioned back to Gwinnett on August 5, while Max Fried
Max Dorian Fried ( ; born January 18, 1994), nicknamed "Maximus", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Drafted in 2012 by the San Diego Padres in the first round, seventh overall, F ...
was called up. He was called up on August 30, but would be optioned back the next day. He would not be included in expanded rosters in September.
Hursh began 2018 in major league spring training, but was sent to minor league camp on March 4, 2018. He began the season at Mississippi, but returned to Gwinnett after three scoreless outings. On November 4, 2019, Hursh elected free agency.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hursh, Jason
1991 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Carrollton, Texas
Baseball players from Collin County, Texas
Major League Baseball pitchers
Atlanta Braves players
Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball players
Rome Braves players
Mississippi Braves players
Gwinnett Braves players
Gwinnett Stripers players