John Vincent Koronka (born July 3, 1980) 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 ...

, who 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

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, Texas Rangers, and Florida Marlins. He also played in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

Playing career

Cincinnati Reds

Koronka was selected by the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in the 12th round of the

1998 MLB Draft The 1998 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1998. A total of 1445 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections ...

. While playing in the Reds farm system with the

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Ba ...

in 2002, he was named to the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

All-Star team. On December 16, 2002, he was selected by the Texas Rangers in the Rule 5 Draft but did not make the Rangers opening day roster and was returned to the Reds on March 21, 2003.

Chicago Cubs

Koronka was traded by the Reds to the

on August 26, 2003, for Phil Norton. He made his major league debut for the Cubs on June 1, against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

and gave up 3 runs over 5 innings, walked 3, and

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 denot ...

5 for the win.

Texas Rangers

On March 31, 2006, Koronka was traded to the Texas Rangers for

Freddie Bynum Freddie Lee Bynum Jr. (born March 15, 1980) is an American former professional baseball shortstop and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and Baltimore Orioles. Bynum also played in Nippon ...

, whom the Rangers had just acquired from 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 ...

. Koronka started 23 games for the Rangers in 2006, going 7–7 with a 5.69 ERA. He was expected to compete for a spot on the rotation in , but failed to make the Rangers' big league roster. He was optioned to the Triple-A Oklahoma RedHawks prior to the start of the 2007 season. Koronka made two starts in 2007 for the Rangers going 0–2 with a 7.84 ERA.

Cleveland Indians

He was designated for assignment on July 1, 2007, and subsequently claimed off outright waivers on July 9, 2007, by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

. He was assigned to their Triple-A team, the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. With the Bisons, he made 9 starts and went 3–3 with a 3.54 ERA. On September 1, 2007, he was designated for assignment and outrighted to the minor leagues on September 12. Koronka opted for minor league free agency on November 3, 2007.

Colorado Rockies/Orix Buffaloes

On December 21, 2007, the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

signed Koronka to a minor league contract with an invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. He was 5–3 in 13 appearances (12 starts) for the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...

. On June 23, , the Rockies released Koronka so he could sign with a Japanese team, the

. He started 3 games for the Buffaloes, finishing 0–1 with a 6.75 E.R.A..

Florida Marlins

On January 13, , Koronka signed a minor league deal with the Florida Marlins. He started two games for the Marlins (0-2, 11.75 E.R.A.) and spent most of the season with the

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. He was granted free agency on October 8, .

Los Angeles Dodgers

On January 28, 2010, Koronka signed a minor league contract with the

with an invite to spring training. He began 2010 with the Chattanooga Lookouts in the Double-A Southern League. After seven starts with the Lookouts he was promoted to the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes. He made one start with the Isotopes, allowing eight runs in 1 innings. He was released on June 2.

Lancaster Barnstormers

On July 26, 2010, Koronka signed a contract with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Independent Atlantic League. He was released on August 3, 2010. He was re-signed on March 8, 2011.Transactions

Post-playing career

Koronka worked for the Chicago Cubs as a regional scout in charge of Florida from 2011 to 2020. In March 2021, Koronka was hired as an assistant coach for the

Embry–Riddle Eagles The Embry–Riddle Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, located in Daytona Beach, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Sunshine State Co ...

baseball program.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koronka, John 1980 births Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Florida Chicago Cubs players Texas Rangers players Florida Marlins players Billings Mustangs players Gulf Coast Reds players Clinton LumberKings players Dayton Dragons players Mudville Nine players Chattanooga Lookouts players Stockton Ports players West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players Iowa Cubs players Oklahoma RedHawks players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Orix Buffaloes players New Orleans Zephyrs players Albuquerque Isotopes players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Lancaster Barnstormers players Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players Embry–Riddle Eagles baseball coaches Chicago Cubs scouts