Joe Alexander Jiménez (born January 17, 1995) is a Puerto Rican 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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). He made his MLB debut with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in 2017 and was an All-Star in 2018.

Professional career

Minor leagues (2013–2016)

Jiménez signed with the

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in June 2013. He made his professional debut that year with the

Gulf Coast Tigers The Florida Complex League Tigers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Tigers. The team plays its home ga ...

. He spent 2014 with the

Connecticut Tigers The Norwich Sea Unicorns are a baseball team located in Norwich, Connecticut. From 2010 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They play th ...

and started 2015 with the

West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpark. ...

. During the 2015 season, Jiménez went 5–1 with a 1.47 ERA, a 0.791 WHIP and 17 saves in 40 appearances for West Michigan, and was named the Tigers Minor League Pitcher of the Year. During the 2016 season, Jiménez pitched for the

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. ...

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving ...

and the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

. In July, he pitched in the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

. He had a 3–3

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 30 saves, a 1.51

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), 0.80

walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. WHIP is calculated by adding the number of walks and hits allowed and dividi ...

(WHIP), and a .144

batting average against In baseball statistics, batting average against (denoted by BAA or AVG), also known as opponents' batting average (denoted by OBA), is a statistic that measures a pitcher's ability to prevent hits during official at bats. It can alternatively b ...

with 78

strikeout 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 deno ...

s over

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. Jiménez was named the Tigers Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Jiménez began the 2017 season with the Mud Hens. Jiménez played for the

Puerto Rican national team Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

in the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...

prior to the 2017 season, where he won a silver medal.

Detroit Tigers (2017–2022)

Joe Jiménez pitching for the Detroit Tigers in 2017

On April 10, 2017, the

purchased Jiménez's contract, promoting him to the major league roster. He made his Major League debut for the Tigers on April 13 in a game against the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

, pitching a scoreless ninth inning, while recording one strikeout. He was optioned back to the Mud Hens after the game. Jiménez was called up again on July 31, 2017, after Justin Wilson was traded. In 24 games, he had an ERA of 12.32 in 19 innings. Jiménez began the 2018 season in the Tigers bullpen, primarily filling a setup role. He earned his first major league save on June 2, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning against 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 ...

. On July 8, 2018, Jiménez was selected to play in the 2018 All-Star Game, his first All-Star appearance. Through the All-Star break, Jiménez had a 2.72 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 13 holds, 3 saves, and 48 strikeouts in 43 innings. Following the All-Star break, Jiménez had some struggles, posting a 7.78 ERA over the remainder of the season. He finished the season with a 5–4 record, 4.31 ERA, and 78 strikeouts in innings, while appearing in a team-high 68 games. Jiménez began the 2019 season in a setup role, but assumed the closer role for the Tigers following the July 31, 2019, trade of

Shane Greene Shane Greene (born November 17, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees select ...

to the Atlanta Braves. He saved 9 games and posted a 4.37 ERA. Jiménez also struck out 82 batters in innings for a career-high 12.4/9 IP strikeout rate. With the 2020 Detroit Tigers, Jiménez appeared in 25 games, compiling a 1–3 record with 7.15 ERA and 22 strikeouts in innings pitched. On January 15, 2021, the Tigers and Jiménez agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract, avoiding arbitration. On March 27, 2021, the Tigers optioned Jiménez to the team's alternate training site in Toledo. Before the Toledo Mud Hens season began, Jiménez was recalled to the Tigers on April 15. He was optioned back to Toledo on April 21, then recalled again on May 8. Jiménez made 52 relief appearances for the 2021 Tigers, posting a 6–1 record with a 5.96 ERA while striking out 57 batters in innings. On March 22, 2022, the Tigers and Jiménez agreed on a one-year contract worth $1.79 million, avoiding arbitration. He responded with one of his best seasons as a Tiger. Appearing mostly in middle relief, he made 62 appearances, posting a 3–2 record with a 3.49 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, while striking out 77 batters in innings.

Atlanta Braves

On December 7, 2022, the Tigers traded Jiménez to the

in exchange for

Justyn-Henry Malloy Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Detroit Tigers system. Garrett Burhenn Garrett Burhenn (born September 12, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Detroit Tigers organization. Burhenn grew up i ...

and Jake Higginbotham. On January 13, 2023, Jiménez signed a one-year, $2.765 million contract with the Braves, avoiding salary arbitration.

Pitch selection

Jiménez mixes three primary pitches. He throws a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ca ...

that averages , topping out at . His offspeed pitches include 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), ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy t ...

that averages 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 ...

averaging .

Personal life

Joe is the younger brother of former Texas Rangers catcher

A. J. Jiménez Antonio Jamil Jiménez (born May 1, 1990) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers. Career Toronto Blue Jays Jiménez was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 9th ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jimenez, Joe 1995 births Living people 2017 World Baseball Classic players American League All-Stars Connecticut Tigers players Detroit Tigers players Erie SeaWolves players Gigantes de Carolina players Gulf Coast Tigers players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Major League Baseball pitchers Sportspeople from San Juan, Puerto Rico Toledo Mud Hens players West Michigan Whitecaps players