Jiovanni James Mier (born August 26, 1990) 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 of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
.
Career
Houston Astros
Mier was drafted by the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
with the 21st overall pick of the
2009 Major League Baseball draft out of
Bonita High School
Bonita High School is a high school located in the city of La Verne, California in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Opened in 1903, it was the first high school in the Bonita Unified School District. It moved to its current campus in 19 ...
in
La Verne, California
La Verne is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 31,063 at the 2010 census, down from 31,638 at the 2000 census.
History
The European history of the area dates back to the 1830s when Ygnacio Palomares ...
,
and signed for a $1.358 million bonus. He was assigned to the Rookie-Advanced
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 ...
for the 2009 season, and posted a .276
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
with 7
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 and 32
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
(RBI).
In 2010, Mier played with 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 have ...
, and hit .235 with 2 home runs and 53 RBI over 131 games.
Mier began the 2011 season with Lexington, and was later promoted to the High-A
Lancaster JetHawks
The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League ...
. He appeared in 114 total games that season, and hit .239 with 7 home runs and 52 RBI.
Injuries limited him to 51 games in the 2012 season, in which he hit .286 with 3 home runs and 27 RBI. After the season ended, Mier played 17 games with the
Mesa Solar Sox
The Mesa Solar Sox are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games in Mesa, Arizona, at Sloan Park, which is also the spring training facility of the Chicago Cubs. The team was established ...
of the
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...
. He batted .297 with the Solar Sox, with 7 RBI.
In 2013, he was promoted to 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 ...
, but put together a disappointing season both offensively and defensively, batting just .194 with 5 home runs and 28 RBI and adding 20 errors.
Mier began the 2014 season with Corpus Christi, and was promoted mid-season to the Triple-A
Oklahoma City RedHawks
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
. In total, he appeared in 120 games and hit .225 with 4 home runs and 35 RBI.
He spent the entire 2015 season with Corpus Christi, batting .258 with 7 home runs and 56 RBI.
Toronto Blue Jays
On November 23, 2015, Mier signed a minor league contract with the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
that included an invitation to spring training. He spent the entire season with Triple-A
Buffalo, where he hit .219 with three home runs and 18 RBI in 76 games.
He elected free agency on November 7, 2016.
New York Mets
On March 30, 2017, Mier signed a minor league contract with the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
. He split the season between the Double-A
Binghamton Rumble Ponies
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mira ...
and the Triple-A
Las Vegas 51s. In 80 total games, he accumulated a .231/.272/.349 batting line with 4 home runs and 33 RBI. Mier elected free agency following the season on November 6.
Toros de Tijuana
On April 10, 2018, Mier signed with the
Toros de Tijuana
The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron.
Team history
Original Attempt
The fran ...
of the
Mexican Baseball League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
.
Post-playing career
Mier is currently a deputy with the
Orange County Sheriff's Department.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mier, Jio
1990 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Baseball players from Pomona, California
Binghamton Rumble Ponies players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Corpus Christi Hooks players
Greeneville Astros players
Gulf Coast Astros players
Lancaster JetHawks players
Las Vegas 51s players
Lexington Legends players
Mexican League baseball infielders
Mesa Solar Sox players
Oklahoma City RedHawks players
Toros de Tijuana players