Joe Savery
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Joseph Cain Savery (born November 4, 1985) 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 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 ...
. 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
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
from 2011 through 2013 and
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
in 2014. Before playing professionally, Savery attended
Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...
, and played
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
for the
Rice Owls Rice University athletic teams are known as the Rice Owls. The name comes from the owls in Rice's crest. Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics. A member of Conference USA, Rice sponsors teams in seven men's and seven women's NCAA sanctio ...
.


Amateur career

A 2004 graduate of Lamar High School, Savery was a four-year starter and letterman for the Lamar Redskins. During his tenure at Lamar, he earned first team all-state and first team all-greater Houston. He was a three-time first team all-district 18-5a honoree, and was voted the most valuable player in the district in 2004. Joe was named the 2004 Proline player of the year after hitting .556 with 7 home runs and 40 RBI as a senior. He also went 11–0 on the mound with 93 strikeouts, posting a 0.53 ERA. Joe lead the Redskins to be nationally ranked in 3 different polls during his senior year. Savery matriculated to
Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...
in August 2004, where he played for the
Rice Owls baseball The Rice Owls baseball team is the interscholastic baseball team representing Rice University in Houston, Texas, United States. The Owls have appeared often in the NCAA Tournament since the tenure of head coach Wayne Graham began in 1992. The pr ...
team. Savery concentrated on baseball, starting at first base and in the outfield when not pitching. As a
freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...
in 2005, Savery stepped into the starting lineup as opening-day pitcher and a regular in the batting lineup. Savery earned second- and third-team all-America honors while being named National Freshman of the Year and
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...
Player of the Year. He was named first-team all-WAC at pitcher and
first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
after leading the conference with a .382 batting average and finishing second with a 2.49 ERA. In the postseason, Savery helped Rice to an upset
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
regional win over
LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
at formidable
Alex Box Stadium Alex Box Stadium, pronounced Alec Box Stadium, was a baseball stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. It was the home field of the LSU Tigers baseball team. The stadium was located across the street from Tiger Stadium, which is visibl ...
in
Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
. In the NCAA super regional against top-ranked
Tulane Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
, Savery broke his right hand in the opening game while making a sliding catch against the
Turchin Stadium Greer Field at Turchin Stadium is a baseball stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the on-campus home the Tulane University Green Wave college baseball team. From 1893 to 1989, Tulane's home ballpark was Tulane Diamond, which was located abo ...
fence. The injury prevented Savery from hitting, but he pitched into the seventh inning and allowed only one run in Rice's Game 2 loss. Tulane advanced to the
2005 College World Series The 2005 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was held from May 30 through June 26, . Sixty-four NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in t ...
with a win in Game 3. As a
sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...
in 2006, Savery again earned third-team all-America status despite making only 11 pitching starts due to injury. At the plate, Savery hit .335 and was one of Rice's most dangerous postseason hitters, earning MVP honors in that year's conference tournament and making the all-regional team. He also hit a three-run home run in the decisive third game of the NCAA super regional against
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, helping the Owls to the
2006 College World Series The 2006 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was held from June 2 through June 26, . Sixty-four NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in t ...
. At the College World Series, Savery went 3-for-3 in Rice's opening-game win against
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
but was just 1-for-9 after that. As a
junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...
in 2007, Savery spent much of the season trying to recover his form on the mound after offseason surgery. He continued to dominate at the plate, leading the Owls in hitting, but struggled with control and efficiency on the mound while posting a sub-3.00 ERA. Savery was named a first-team all-America as a two-way player and earned his second conference Player of the Year award in three seasons. He saved his best for the postseason, leading Rice through the NCAA regional with a Most Outstanding Player performance that included a dominant mound performance in the Sunday clincher against
TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...
. Four days after the regional, during an emotional pre-super-regional press conference, Savery was selected in the first round of the
2007 Major League Baseball Draft The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players and was held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the f ...
. Rice then swept
Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
in a tense super regional to advance to the
2007 College World Series The 2007 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was held from June 1 to 24, . Sixty-four NCAA Division I college baseball teams advanced to the post season tournament after having played through a regular season, and for some, a conference tourname ...
. After hitting a homer in the first game against
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
, Savery finally got to pitch in Omaha and earned the win in a 14–4 defeat of
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
.


Professional career


Philadelphia Phillies

Savery was the Phillies' first-round
draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...
pick out of Rice in 2007 as the 19th overall pick. After signing with the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
, Savery was assigned to the
Williamsport Crosscutters The Williamsport Crosscutters are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. From 1994 to 2020, they were a ...
of the New York-Penn League (Class A Short Season). In 7 starts, he compiled a 2–3 W-L record with a 2.73 ERA. He struck out 22 and walked 13. He played in the 2007
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 fill ...
with the
Peoria Saguaros Peoria can refer to: People * Peoria tribe, Native American tribe Places United States * Peoria, Arizona, largest city in the U.S. with that name; named after Peoria, Illinois. ** Peoria Unified School District **Peoria Sports Complex ** Peoria ...
. In 2008 Savery skipped over Class A Lakewood and was assigned to Class A Advanced Clearwater. There he went 9–10 with a 4.13 ERA over 27 games (24 starts). He compiled 122 Ks in 150.1 innings while giving up 60 walks. He allowed 10 home runs as well. In 2009 Savery split time between Reading and Lehigh Valley, the AA and AAA affiliates of the Phillies, respectively. In Reading he had one of his best seasons. He went 12–4 with a 4.41 ERA struck out 77 in 112.1 innings pitched while walking 53, and giving up 13 home runs. He earned a mid-season call-up to AAA Lehigh Valley. There he went 4–2 in 7 starts with an ERA of 4.38. In 39 innings he walked 24 while striking out only 19, indicating some issues with his control. In 2010 Savery was assigned to Lehigh Valley where his stats and his control got worse. He went 1–12 with his worst ERA of his professional career at 4.66, striking out 67 and giving up 51 walks in 127.1 innings. During the off-season of 2010 it was announced that Savery would be converted into a hitter, with the hope he can recapture his collegiate success. He participated in the FIL after the season to learn first base which is where he will play in 2011. During the off-season Joe worked on his strength and conditioning. He switched some of his training techniques from being a pitcher, and began training more like a hitter. After hitting .348 for the AAA
Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...
the Phillies were quite optimistic about Joe's chances of becoming a force in their Major League Lineup. After a successful spring training in 2011, Joe was sent to
Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Clearwater, Florida, and have played their home games at BayCare Ballpark since 2 ...
. As of April 15, 2011, Joe is hitting .621, with 4 doubles and 1 home-run. He finished the season batting .307 with 2 home runs for Clearwater. He was later promoted to AA Reading and AAA Lehigh Valley where he was once again converted to a pitcher, but this time a relief pitcher. He compiled a 1.80 ERA, 2 saves, 25/6 k/BB ratio, in 25 innings pitched for the IronPigs. Savery was called up to the Philadelphia Phillies on September 16, , after spending most of the 2011 season with the Phillies' AAA affiliate, the
Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...
. He made his debut on September 20, 2011, against the Washington Nationals. In his first four appearances, Savery faced nine batters, giving up one hit, recording two strike-outs and no walks. Savery opened the season with the Phillies, appearing on an Opening Day roster for the first time in his career. He was optioned to the IronPigs on April 15 to accommodate
José Contreras José Ariel Contreras Camejo (born December 6, 1971), is a Cuban former professional baseball pitcher, who played in the Cuban National Series (CNS), Major League Baseball (MLB), and internationally for the Cuban national baseball team. Contr ...
's return to the active roster, but returned to the Phillies less than a week later after
Cliff Lee Clifton Phifer Lee (born August 30, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Between 2002 and 2014 he played for four teams, most notably the Philadelphia Philli ...
landed on the 15-day Disabled List. Savery started the 2013 season with Lehigh Valley. He was recalled on April 19 and made one appearance before being optioned. He was recalled again by the Phillies on May 6 when
Roy Halladay Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III (May 14, 1977 – November 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies between 1998 and 2013. His nicknam ...
went on the disabled list, but didn't make an appearance before being optioned. He was recalled on May 31 when the struggling
Chad Durbin Chad Griffin Durbin (born December 3, 1977), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, and Detroit Tigers of the American League (AL), and the Ari ...
was released. On July 23, Savery was placed on the disabled list with elbow stiffness, and returned as a September call-up on September 3. In 18 games with the Phillies in 2013, Savery went 2–0 with 1 hold and a 3.15 ERA, striking out 14 in 20 innings. Savery was designated for assignment on February 16, 2014.


Oakland Athletics

Savery was claimed off waivers by the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
on February 17, 2014. He was designated for assignment on September 1, 2014.


Chicago White Sox

Savery signed a minor league deal with 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 p ...
on January 22, 2015. He was released on March 30.


Retirement

On April 8, 2015, Savery announced his retirement from professional baseball.


References


External links


Joe Savery
at Baseball Almanac
Savery pre-draft scouting report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savery, Joe 1985 births Living people Philadelphia Phillies players Oakland Athletics players Rice Owls baseball players Williamsport Crosscutters players Clearwater Threshers players Reading Phillies players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Sacramento River Cats players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Houston Lamar High School (Houston, Texas) alumni All-American college baseball players