Jerome O'Bryan "L. J." Hoes (born March 5, 1990) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

. He 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

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 ...

and the Houston Astros.

Early life

Hoes was born in Washington, DC, where he attended St. John's College High School. Hoes was drafted by the

as a second baseman in the third round of the

2008 Major League Baseball Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first ro ...

Professional career

Baltimore Orioles

Hoes was assigned to the GCL Orioles, where in 48 games, he hit .308 with 1 HR, 18 RBI and 10 SB. Hoes played 2009 with Single-A

Delmarva The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a large peninsula and proposed state on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the vast majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore regions of Maryland and Virginia ...

, where in 119 games, he hit .260 with 2 HR, 7 RBI and 20 SB. Hoes spent most of 2010 with A-Advanced

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

, but also had a rehab assignment with Low-A

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

and a 3-game stint with Double-A Bowie. In 108 total games, he hit .290 with 4 HR, 50 RBI and 11 SB. After beginning 2011 with Frederick, Hoes was promoted to Bowie in late May. He was used mostly as an outfielder in Bowie, and has played in the outfield since then. In 136 total games, he hit .285 with 9 HR, 75 RBI and 20 SB. Prior to the 2012 season, Hoes was ranked by Baseball America as the Orioles fifth best prospect. Hoes began the year in Bowie, but was promoted to Triple-A

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

in June. In 133 games before being called up, he hit .287 with 5 HR, 54 RBI and 20 SB. Hoes was called up to the majors for the first time on September 11, 2012. He made his debut on September 25, where he came in as a pinch-runner. His first plate appearance, a groundout, came the next day as a pinch-hitter. After the season, he played for the

Mesa Solar Sox The Mesa Solar Sox are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games in Mesa, Arizona, at Sloan Park, which is also the spring training facility of the Chicago Cubs. The team was established ...

, where in 19 games, he hit .257 with 4 SB. Hoes began 2013 with Norfolk, where he played until he was recalled on July 28.

Houston Astros

On July 31, 2013, Hoes was traded to the Houston Astros with

Josh Hader Joshua Ronald Hader (born April 7, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers. Hader is a four-time All-Star and three-t ...

for

Bud Norris David Stefan "Bud" Norris (March 2, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles ...

. He made his Astros debut that night, going 0–5 in an 11–0 win over the Orioles. Hoes had appeared in one game for the 2013 Orioles before the trade. He played in 46 more games with the Astros that year, hitting .287 with 1 HR and 10 RBI. Hoes hit .172 for the Astros in 2014. He was optioned to AAA

Oklahoma City RedHawks Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

on August 15, 2014.

Baltimore Orioles (second stint)

After the 2015 season, Hoes was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Astros, and later traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. On January 26, 2016, Hoes was designated for assignment by Baltimore to make room for Efren Navarro on the 40-man roster. He was sent outright to 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 ...

, the Orioles Triple-A affiliate, on February 4, 2016. Playing in 102 games for the

, Hoes slashed .242/.318/.331 with 6 home runs, 33 RBI, and 8 stolen bases. He became a free agent following the season on November 7. On February 24, 2017, he was suspended for 50 games for a second positive drug test and was then released by Norfolk.

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

On June 23, 2017, Hoes signed with the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseb ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He became a free agent after the 2017 season.

Baltimore Orioles (third stint)

On July 14, 2018, Hoes signed a minor league deal with the

. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoes, L. J. 1990 births Aberdeen IronBirds players African-American baseball players Baseball players from Washington, D.C. Baltimore Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Delmarva Shorebirds players Frederick Keys players Fresno Grizzlies players Gulf Coast Orioles players Houston Astros players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Living people Major League Baseball outfielders Mesa Solar Sox players Norfolk Tides players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players 21st-century African-American sportspeople St. John's College High School alumni