Jonathan Hurst (born October 20, 1966 in New York City, USA) is a former professional baseball pitcher who played for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

(1992) and

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 ...

(1994) of

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's been the pitching coach of

minor league affiliates since 2006.

Career

Early life and draft

Prior to playing professionally, Hurst attended

Spartanburg High School Spartanburg High School is the public high school in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is part of Spartanburg County School District No. 7. The current principal is Vance Jones, a former assistant principal at the school. The district includes m ...

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Off ...

and then

Spartanburg Methodist College Spartanburg Methodist College is a private Methodist college in Saxon, South Carolina, with a Spartanburg postal address. The college serves approximately 1,000 students (2020-2021 academic year). The college awards six associate degrees, a custo ...

. He was drafted three times by major league teams: in 1986, he was selected by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

in the ninth round of the January draft, however he opted not to sign. That same year, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the June Secondary draft, however he once again did not sign. In 1987, he was taken in the fourth round of the 1987 regular draft by the Texas Rangers and did sign. On July 21, 1991, he was traded by the Rangers with a player to be named later (minor league pitcher Travis Buckley, who was sent on September 1, 1991) and

Joey Eischen Joseph Raymond Eischen (born May 25, 1970) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. High school Joey Eischen attended West Covina High School in West Covina, California and was a letterman in football, basketball, baseball, and tennis ...

to the Expos for

Oil Can Boyd Dennis Ray "Oil Can" Boyd (born October 6, 1959) is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Boyd played for the Boston Red Sox (1982–1989), Montreal Expos (1990–1991), and Texas Rangers (1991). In a 10-season career, Boyd collect ...

Major league career

Hurst made his major league debut on June 9, 1992 for the Montreal Expos at the age of 25. He made three starts for the Expos in his first big league season, going 1–1 with a 5.51 ERA. In 16 1/3 innings, he allowed 18 hits, walked seven batters and struck out four. He pitched in the Expos organization until 1993, when he was selected off waivers by 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 ...

on June 2. He was released by the Dodgers following the season and was signed by the Mets on December 16. He pitched in seven games for the Mets in 1994, going 0–1 with a 12.60 ERA. He allowed 15 hits in 10 innings, while striking out six batters and walking five. He played his final major league game on April 21, 1994. Overall, he went 1–2 with an 8.20 ERA in 10 games (three starts).

Minor league career

Hurst pitched in the minor leagues from 1987 to 1994 and again in 1998, going 51–38 with a 3.63 ERA in 206 games (110 starts). He pitched in the Rangers' (1987–1991, 1998), Expos' (1991–1993), Dodgers' (1993) and Mets' (1994) organizations. He showed some flashes of excellence throughout his minor league career. For example, he went 4–3 with a 1.88 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings in his very first professional season, spent with the GCL Rangers. The following year, he went 2–0 with a 1.64 ERA in 13 games (four starts), as he struck out 35 batters in 33 innings for three teams. In 1991, he went 15–3 with a 2.27 ERA in 26 games (23 starts). Prior to the 1992 season, he was ranked by '' Baseball America'' as the 91st best prospect in all of baseball.

Yakult Swallows

Hurst pitched for the

Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yom ...

in 2001, going 1–1 with a 5.97 ERA in 22 games (two starts). In 34 2/3 innings, he allowed 43 hits, while walking 11 batters and striking out 13.

Brother Elephants

He also pitched for the

Brother Elephants A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

of the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

and in the

Mexican 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

Hurst has been a pitching coach in the minor leagues since 2006. In 2006, he worked for the

GCL Mets The Florida Complex League Mets are a Rookie-level affiliate for the New York Mets, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Mets. The team plays its home games a ...

. He was with the

Savannah Sand Gnats The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated ...

in 2007 and 2008, from 2009 to 2015 he coached for the

Kingsport Mets The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home ga ...

, and in 2016 he began coaching for the

Columbia Fireflies The Columbia Fireflies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Columbia, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. Their home stadium is Segra Park. The team was previously known as the ...

, the Mets Single A South Atlantic League affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina.The Baseball Cube
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, Jonathan 1966 births Living people Albuquerque Dukes players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Brother Elephants players Charlotte Rangers players Charros de Jalisco players Gastonia Rangers players Gulf Coast Rangers players Harrisburg Senators players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers Mercuries Tigers players Mexican League baseball pitchers Miami Miracle players Montreal Expos players New York Mets players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players Oklahoma City 89ers players Oklahoma RedHawks players Ottawa Lynx players Rieleros de Aguascalientes players Saraperos de Saltillo players Spartanburg Methodist Pioneers baseball players Baseball players from New York City Sultanes de Monterrey players Tulsa Drillers players Yakult Swallows players African-American baseball players