Joseph Barrett Wentz (born October 6, 1997) is an American 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

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 ...

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). 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 Wentz with the 40th overall pick in the

2016 MLB draft The 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks will be d ...

and traded him to the Tigers in 2019. He made his MLB debut in 2022.

Early life

Wentz was born on October 6, 1997, to Dave and Jenny Wentz. He first met

Riley Pint Riley Kenneth Pint (born November 6, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Colorado Rockies organization. He was drafted fourth overall in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft by the Rockies. Amateur career Pint attended St ...

in second grade, and the two became friends. Wentz attended

Shawnee Mission East High School Shawnee Mission East High School is a public high school in Prairie Village, Kansas, United States, for grades 9 through 12. It is one of five high schools operated by the Shawnee Mission USD 512 school district. Shawnee Mission East High Sc ...

Prairie Village, Kansas Prairie Village is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 22,957. History After the successful development of the Country Cl ...

. He was named the Sunflower League Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016, his junior and senior years. Wentz won the 2015 Junior Home Run Derby at the

2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 86th edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The game was played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio on Tuesday, July 14. It was televised nationally on Fox. The Americ ...

, hitting one home run that traveled .

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

Wentz committed to the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

. He had been scouted by

(MLB) teams prior to the

. Considered a likely first round pick, the

selected him in the first Competitive Balance round, with the 40th overall selection. Wentz chose to sign with the Braves for $3.05 million rather than attend college. Wentz started his career with the

Gulf Coast Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTo ...

of the Rookie-level

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the lo ...

and was later promoted to the

Danville Braves The Danville Braves were a Minor League Baseball team in Danville, Virginia. They were an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League and were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have played home games at American Legion Post 3 ...

of the Rookie-level

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...

. He finished the 2016 season with a 1–4

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 ...

, 3.68

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 ...

, and 53

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 in 44

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 ...

. Wentz spent 2017 with 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 ...

, posting an 8–3 record with a 2.60 ERA in 26 starts, and 2018 with the

Florida Fire Frogs The Florida Fire Frogs were a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League from 2017 to 2020. They were located in North Port, Florida, and served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Founded in 2017, the Fire Frogs ...

where he was 3–4 with a 2.28 ERA in 16 starts.

Detroit Tigers

On July 31, 2019, the Braves traded Wentz and

Travis Demeritte Travis Timothy Demeritte (born September 30, 1994) is an American professional baseball second baseman and outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves. Career Texas Rangers ...

to the

in exchange for

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 ...

. In his first full season at the AA level, Wentz went 7–8 with a 4.20 ERA and 137 strikeouts in innings. The Tigers added him to their 40-man roster after the 2020 season. He had Tommy John surgery in March 2020 and missed the season. He was optioned to Triple-A to begin the 2021 season. Working his way back from surgery, Wentz pitched a total of 18 games at the A and AA levels, posting an 0–7 record with a 5.25 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 72 innings. On May 11, 2022, Wentz was recalled and promoted to the major leagues for the first time to start against the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

. In his third start for the Tigers on September 9, 2022, Wentz earned his first major league win against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

, allowing no runs in innings while striking out five.

References

External links