Jon Paul Link (born March 23, 1984) 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 t ...

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 for 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 ...

in 2010.

Professional career

Link was drafted by the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

in the 26th round of the

2005 MLB Draft The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the bes ...

out of

Bluefield College Bluefield University is a private Baptist university in Bluefield, Virginia. It offers 22 majors and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The campus is about from the state line between Virginia and West Virgi ...

. He was the first major league player who had played at Bluefield.

Chicago White Sox

The Padres traded him to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

on July 31, 2007 for

Rob Mackowiak Robert William Mackowiak (; born June 20, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player. During his Major League Baseball career, he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, and Washington Nationals. Pe ...

. In 2008, he was selected to the

Southern League All-Star Game The Southern League All-Star Game was an annual baseball game sanctioned by Minor League Baseball between professional players from the teams of the Double-A Southern League. Each division, North and South, fielded a team composed of players in ...

while playing for the Birmingham Barons, joining fellow Barons Miguel Negron, Ricardo Nanita,

Justin Cassel Justin J. Cassel (born September 25, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. Prior to beginning his professional career, he played college baseball at the University of California, Irvine. Cassel has als ...

, and Carlos Torres. He was the only Baron on the post-season All-Star team, elected as the relief pitcher. He reached AAA with the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

in 2009, where he saved 13 games.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On December 18, 2009, he was traded to the

(along with John Ely) for

Juan Pierre Juan D'Vaughn Pierre (born August 14, 1977) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000–2013 for the Colorado Rockies, Florida/Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Ch ...

. He began the 2010 season as the closer for the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...

. On April 18, he was called up to the Dodgers, making his first appearance on a Major League roster. He made his Major League debut on April 20, 2010 against the Cincinnati Reds. He worked two scoreless innings of relief in his debut and was then optioned back to Albuquerque after the game. Link was also on the Dodgers' roster for a few days in June when Chad Billingsley was injured. Link was recalled for the third time on July 11, while the Dodgers optioned the man he was traded with, John Ely, to Triple-A Albuquerque in the process. He returned to AAA soon after before rejoining the Dodgers when rosters expanded in September. Overall, he appeared in 9 games with the Dodgers, working 8.2 innings for a 4.15 ERA. With Albuquerque he was 3–2 with a 3.71 ERA in 45 games, and also made one start. After the season, he pitched for the

Phoenix Desert Dogs Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

in 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 fille ...

. After clearing waivers on April 5, 2011, Link was assigned to the Isotopes. Link spent all of 2011 with the Isotopes, where he appeared in 54 games (including making 1 start) and was 2–2 with a 4.24 ERA and 11 saves.

Baltimore Orioles

The

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

signed Link to a minor league contract on December 16, 2011. He appeared in 18 games in AAA for the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

and was 1-2 with a 3.48 ERA before the Orioles released him.

Miami Marlins

Link subsequently signed with the Miami Marlins and made 3 appearances for the

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

and 11 for the New Orleans Zephyrs.

Detroit Tigers

After making 7 starts to begin 2013 with the

Wichita Wingnuts The Wichita Wingnuts were an independent baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas, in the United States. The Wingnuts were members of the South Division of the American Association of Professional Baseball. An expansion franchise in the 2008 seas ...

in the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

, he signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers, where he was assigned to Double-A

Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

. After 5 starts with the SeaWolves, he was promoted to Triple-A Toledo, where he made 11 appearances (7 starts) before season's end. In 23 appearances (19 starts) in 2013, he went 9-6 with a 2.80 ERA, striking out 78 in 135 innings.

Miami Marlins (second stint)

Link returned to Wichita in 2014 and pitched with the Wingnuts until August, when his contract was purchased by the Miami Marlins. He was sent to the Double-A

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Wichita Wingnuts

Link returned to Wichita for the 2016 season. He became a free agent after the 2016 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Link, Jon 1984 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players Baseball players from Columbus, Ohio Birmingham Barons players Bluefield Rams baseball players Charlotte Knights players Erie SeaWolves players Eugene Emeralds players Fort Wayne Wizards players Jacksonville Suns players Lake Elsinore Storm players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers New Orleans Zephyrs players Norfolk Tides players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Toledo Mud Hens players Wichita Wingnuts players Winston-Salem Warthogs players Chantilly High School alumni