Jair Jurrjens
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Jair Francoise Jurrjens ( ; born January 29, 1986) is a
Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
an 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 Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. He has 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
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 ...
,
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 ...
(with whom he was an All Star in 2011),
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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
, and
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 ...
, and in 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 ...
(CPBL) for the
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...
. He pitched for Team Netherlands in the
2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...
.


Childhood

Jurrjens was named after the Biblical judge
Jair In the Biblical Book of Judges, Jair or Yair ( he, יָאִיר ''Yā’īr'', "he enlightens") was a man from Gilead of the Tribe of Manasseh, east of the River Jordan, who judged Israel for 22 years, after the death of Tola, who had ruled of ...
by his mother Esther. She and Jurrjens' father, Carl, have two other children, Carl, Jr. and Charlotte. In 2002, Jurrjens' Curaçao Senior League team won the
Senior League World Series The Senior League World Series is a baseball tournament for adolescence aged 13 to 16 years old that began in 1961. In 2017, the tournament was moved from Bangor, Maine to Easley, South Carolina. (Easley was the site of the Big League World Seri ...
in
Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Modern Bangor ...
. Jurrjens speaks
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
, Spanish, Dutch and
Papiamentu Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; nl, Papiaments) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), with official status in Arub ...
.


Professional career


Detroit Tigers

Jurrjens was signed as an undrafted
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
by 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 ...
in 2003. In seven games during his 2003 campaign with the
GCL Tigers The Florida Complex League Tigers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Tigers. The team plays its home gam ...
, Jurrjens accumulated a 2–1 record with 20 strikeouts and just three walks. However, Jurrjens really broke out during his 2005 season with the
West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpark. ...
, the Tigers' single-A affiliate. In 26 games started, Jurrjens went 12–6 with 108 strikeouts and 36 walks. He was a mid-season
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
All Star with West Michigan.Jair Jurrjens Stats, Highlights, Bio , MiLB.com Stats , The Official Site of Minor League Baseball
/ref> He continued to improve during the 2006 season, beginning with a 5–0, 2.08
ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Compa ...
start with the Lakeland Tigers that resulted in him being named to the
Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
mid-season All Star team. Jurrjens was promoted to the
Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving ...
, the Tigers' Double-A affiliate. In 12 games with the SeaWolves, Jurrjens went 4–3 with a 3.36 ERA. Jurrjens began the 2007 season pitching for the SeaWolves. On August 6, he was named Pitcher of the Week. On August 15, the Tigers purchased Jurrjens' contract from the SeaWolves, adding him to their 40-man roster. Jurrjens made his major league debut on August 15, 2007, as a starting pitcher against 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 ...
, making him the first pitcher from Curaçao to reach the major leagues. In that game, he gave up four earned runs in seven innings, taking the loss. He recorded his first major league win in his next start, also against the Indians, allowing only one run on one hit in innings pitched.


2006 World Baseball Classic

Jurrjens joined fellow Curaçao native
Andruw Jones Andruw Rudolf Jones (; born April 23, 1977) is a Curaçaoan former baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Atlanta Braves. Jones also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, ...
on the Netherlands national baseball team for the
2006 World Baseball Classic The 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. It was held from March 3 to 20 in stadiums that are in and around Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto ...
. Jurrjens pitched one inning against
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
in the WBC, giving up three runs and earning him a loss.


Atlanta Braves

On October 29, 2007, Jurrjens and outfielder
Gorkys Hernandez Gorky's Zygotic Mynci were a psychedelic folk and alternative rock band which formed in Carmarthen, Wales, in 1991. The group performed music in both Welsh and English, and they had eight Top 75 singles on the UK Singles Chart during their car ...
were traded to the Atlanta Braves for shortstop Édgar Rentería. Jurrjens was listed by ''
Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
'' as the Braves' 3rd-best prospect entering the 2008 season. By the end of April 2008, Jurrjens was 3–2 with a 3.05 ERA and 28 strikeouts. Jurrjens was asked prior to the game on April 20 about how he felt facing his fellow countryman
Andruw Jones Andruw Rudolf Jones (; born April 23, 1977) is a Curaçaoan former baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Atlanta Braves. Jones also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, ...
. Jurrjens said, "It's going to be fun to face him", then said "It's going to be even more fun to strike him out." Jurrjens then went on to strike Jones out all three times he faced him. Jurrjens pitched well throughout the first half of the 2008 season, compiling a 9–4 record with an impressive 3.00 ERA prior to the All-Star Break. On July 9, 2008 Jurrjens was named National League Rookie of the Month for the month of June. Jurrjens appeared to tire during the second half of the season, going 4–6 with a subpar 4.66 ERA after the All-Star Break. Overall, Jurrjens finished his rookie season with a record of 13–10 and a 3.68 ERA in 188 innings. Jurrjens finished third in voting for the 2008 NL Rookie of the Year award. Jurrjens lost the award to
Geovany Soto Geovany Soto (born January 20, 1983) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher from 2005 to 2017, most prominently as a member of the Chicago Cubs where he appeared in the MLB ...
with Joey Votto finishing second. Despite his impressive rookie season, some remained skeptical of Jurrjens' future prospects as a pitcher in the major leagues. As a result, Jurrjens went into the 2009 season looking to avoid a "sophomore slump." Jurrjens again pitched very well in the first half of 2009, going just 7–7 but posting an excellent 2.91 ERA in 19 starts. Unlike 2008, there was no drop-off in the second half for Jurrjens, as he went 7–3 with an exceptional 2.24 ERA in 15 second-half starts. He was named Pitcher of the Month in September. Overall in 2009, Jurrjens went 14–10 while finishing third in the National League with a 2.60 ERA in 215 innings and tying for the league lead with 34 games started. Jurrjens went 7–6 with a 4.64 ERA in 2010, a season in which he dealt with some health problems. He underwent arthroscopic surgery for a torn
meniscus Meniscus may refer to: *Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity *Meniscus (liquid) The meniscus (plural: ''menisci'', from the Greek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface ...
in his right knee in October, having missed September and the Division Series with pain in his knee. Jurrjens began the 2011 season on the
disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...
, but got off to a strong start after he was activated. He was named Pitcher of the Month in May. He pitched his first career shutout on July 1, 2011 against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing one hit and one walk. It was his eleventh win of the season and improved his ERA to a league-best 1.89 ERA. Jurrjens led the National League in wins and ERA at the All-Star break, and was chosen to play in his first All-Star Game. He pitched 1 scoreless innings in the NL's 5–1 win. Following the All-Star break, Jurrjens went 0–1 with a 6.26 ERA in four starts. On August 6, the Braves placed him on the 15-day DL due to pain in his surgically repaired right knee. The move was retroactive to August 2. He returned briefly, but did not play for the Braves in September. Jurrjens got off to a poor start in the 2012 season, while suffering from a strained groin,Atlanta Braves: Looking Back at Jair Jurrjens Career , FOX Sports
/ref> with an 0–2 record and a 9.37 ERA in his first four starts. On April 23, he was optioned to the Braves' Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett, his first demotion in five seasons with the Braves. Atlanta's general manager, Frank Wren, stated that the move was intended to give Jurrjens the opportunity to work through his difficulties at the Triple-A level and get back on track pitching wise. On June 22, 2012, Jurrjens was called back to the majors by the Braves after teammate
Brandon Beachy Brandon Alan Beachy (born September 3, 1986), is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. Amateur career Beachy attended Northwestern High School ...
injured his right elbow and underwent
Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...
. He got his first win of the 2012 season against the Boston Red Sox. For the season, he posted a 6.89 ERA. He was not tendered a contract before the deadline on November 30, 2012, and became a free agent.


Baltimore Orioles

On January 24, 2013, Jurrjens agreed to a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles for $1.5 million. Incentives could have brought the deal to $4 million. However, after the Orioles reviewed Jurrjens' medical information, they instead signed Jurrjens to a minor league contract. Jurrjen's contract was purchased from the Triple-A Norfolk Tides on May 18. He made his first start with the Orioles on that day, pitching 5 innings and picking up a no-decision, while the Orioles lost the game 6-10. He was optioned back to the Norfolk Tides on May 21, and recalled on June 29. He was optioned back to Norfolk on July 1. Jurrjens was designated for assignment by the Orioles on July 12 in order to clear room for
Jairo Asencio Jairo Manuel Asencio (born May 30, 1983) is a professional baseball right-handed pitcher who is a free agent. He has played for the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, and Baltimore Orioles in MLB. He spent 2014 with the Kia Tigers ...
. Jurrjens opted for free agency instead of playing in Triple A, and became a free agent on July 18.


Return to Detroit organization

On July 24, 2013, Jurrjens was signed to a minor league deal bringing him back to Detroit. Jurrjens was quickly optioned to the Triple-A
Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...
.


Cincinnati Reds organization

On May 20, 2014, Jurrjens signed a minor league deal with 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 2014, he was 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA for the AAA
Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...
.Jair Jurrjens Baseball Statistics [2003–2015]
/ref>


Colorado Rockies

On July 2, 2014, Jurrjens was traded to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for minor league first baseman Harold Riggins. Jurrjens made his 2014 season debut on July 4, making his first major league start since June 29, 2013, pitching innings and allowing eight runs on 12 hits. After the start, Jurrjens was taken to the hospital, though his "breathing problem" had since ceased. He said "It was super scary. Every time I needed to take a deep breath, I couldn't do it."http://blogs.denverpost.com/rockies/2014/07/05/jair-jurrjens-returns-rockies-scary-breathing-problem-sends-hospital/18095/ Rockies manager Walt Weiss said the altitude may have affected Jurrjens in his first appearance." He was designated for assignment on July 21, and was resigned to a minor league contract. In 2014, he was 0-1 with a 10.61 ERA for the Rockies in two starts, and 0-5 with a 4.60 ERA for the AAA
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 ...
in eight starts. Jurrjens elected free agency in October 2014, but was resigned by the Rockies to a minor league deal and began 2015 with the Rockies AAA affiliate the Albuquerque Isotopes. He was released by the Rockies on August 28, 2015 after posting a 2-5 record and a 6.88 ERA in 17 games for the Isotopes.


Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions

Jurrjens signed with the
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...
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 ...
on February 13, 2016. He was on the disabled list twice, once with a groin injury, and was 6-7 with a 5.38 ERA. He was released in August.


Los Angeles Dodgers

On March 29, 2017, he signed a minor league contract with 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 was assigned to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers to begin the season. He appeared in 11 games (10 starts) for Oklahoma City and was 4–3 with a 4.64 ERA. On June 15, 2017, he was suspended 80 games for testing positive for exogenous testosterone. On November 6, 2017, he elected free agency. Jurrjens signed with the Tigres Del Licey in the Dominican Winter League for the 2017/18 season.


Long Island Ducks

On March 7, 2018, Jurrjens signed with the
Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor-league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "partne ...
of the independent
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...
. In 9 appearances for the Ducks, Jurrjens logged a 3-3 record and 3.55 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 50.2 innings of work. He became a free agent following the 2018 season.


Mexican League

On December 20, 2019, Jurrjens signed with the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Mexican League for the 2020 season. Jurrjens did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. He later became a free agent. On June 7, 2021, Jurrjens signed with the Guerreros de Oaxaca of the Mexican League. He made 7 starts, going 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 38 innings. Jurrjens became a free agent following the season. On May 17, 2022, Jurrjens signed with the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League. However, he was released on May 25, 2022, without making an official appearance for the team. On July 1, 2022, Jurrjens signed with the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League.


International career

Jurrjens played for Team Netherlands in the
2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...
.


Pitching repertoire

Jurrjens has a four-seam fastball currently at 91–92 MPH. Jurrjens pairs his fastball with a changeup to lefties in the low 80s and a
slurve The slurve is a baseball pitch in which the pitcher throws a curve ball as if it were a slider.
in the high 70s to righties.


References


External links


Jair Jurrjens CPBL statistics and profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jurrjens, Jair 1986 births 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2015 WBSC Premier12 players 2017 World Baseball Classic players Albuquerque Isotopes players Atlanta Braves players Baltimore Orioles players Colorado Rockies players Curaçao baseball players Curaçao expatriate baseball players in Mexico Curaçao expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Curaçao expatriate baseball players in the United States Detroit Tigers players Dutch people of Curaçao descent Erie SeaWolves players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Gulf Coast Tigers players Gwinnett Braves players Lakeland Tigers players Living people Long Island Ducks players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball players from Curaçao Major League Baseball pitchers National League All-Stars Norfolk Tides players Oneonta Tigers players People from Willemstad Papiamento-speaking people Tigres del Licey players Curaçao expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Toledo Mud Hens players West Michigan Whitecaps players Oklahoma City Dodgers players