Joseph Dillon Gunkel (born December 30, 1991) is an American

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 is a free agent. He has previously 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

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...

and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Career

Boston Red Sox

The

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

chose Gunkel in the 18th round in the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

. He signed with the club on June 19, 2013. He was assigned to the

GCL Red Sox The Florida Complex League Red Sox are a professional baseball team competing in the rookie-level Florida Complex League (FCL) of Minor League Baseball. The team is owned and operated by the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior ...

to begin his professional career. On July 6, he was assigned to the Lowell Spinners. Gunkel began the 2014 season with the Greenville Drive, and would later be assigned to the Salem Red Sox. In May 2015, Gunkel moved from Salem and started play with the

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

Baltimore Orioles

On June 3, 2015, Gunkel was traded to 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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

in exchange for Alejandro De Aza. He was assigned to the Double-A

Bowie Baysox The Bowie Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. History From 1989 to 1992, ...

. Gunkel started the 2016 season with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. After the season, on November 18, 2016, Gunkel had his contract selected to the major league roster. He was designated for assignment by the Orioles on April 7, 2017, following the acquisition of

Miguel Castro Miguel Ángel Castro (born December 24, 1994) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Oriol ...

Los Angeles Dodgers

On April 10, 2017, Gunkel was traded to 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 exchange for a player to be named later. He was assigned to the Oklahoma City Dodgers after being claimed. On April 25, Gunkel was designated for assignment after pitching to a 4.00 ERA and allowing 5 runs in 9.0 innings pitched after appearing in only three Triple-A games for the Dodgers organization.

Miami Marlins

On April 27, 2017, Gunkel was claimed off waivers by the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

and was assigned to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp two days later. On May 10, Gunkel was designated for assignment for the third time in 2017. He went unclaimed this time, and was sent outright to the Jumbo Shrimp on May 12. He would spend the rest of the season with the Jumbo Shrimp and the

New Orleans Baby Cakes The New Orleans Baby Cakes (formerly the New Orleans Zephyrs) were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They were located in Metairie, Louisiana, a sub ...

. Gunkel was assigned to the Baby Cakes to begin the 2018 season and spent the entirety of the season with them, pitching to a 3.03 ERA and allowed 23 runs on 63 hits in 22 appearances. He began the 2019 season with the Baby Cakes and spent the season with New Orleans and the

Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter, Florida, Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home game ...

. On November 4, 2019, he elected free agency.

Hanshin Tigers

On December 15, 2019, Gunkel signed with the

of the

. He made his NPB debut on June 24 for the Tigers and pitched 4.0 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits. He became a free agent following the 2022 season.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

On December 21, 2022, Gunkel signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of

. In 2023, he made 5 appearances for the Hawks, logging a 5.82 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 17.0 innings of work. On December 4, the Hawks announced that Gunkel would not be returning to the team, making him a free agent.

Minnesota Twins

On January 31, 2024, Gunkel signed a minor league contract with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. In 9 games (7 starts) for the Triple–A

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They prev ...

, he struggled to an 0–5 record and 10.54 ERA with 11 strikeouts across innings pitched. On May 27, Gunkel was released by the Twins organization.https://www.milb.com/transactions/2024-05-27

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gunkel, Joe 1991 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan Bowie Baysox players category:Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players Greenville Drive players Gulf Coast Marlins players Gulf Coast Red Sox players Hanshin Tigers players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Jupiter Hammerheads players Lowell Spinners players New Orleans Baby Cakes players Norfolk Tides players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Oklahoma City Dodgers players Portland Sea Dogs players Salem Red Sox players Sportspeople from Boynton Beach, Florida Baseball players from Palm Beach County, Florida West Chester Golden Rams baseball players