Joe Thatcher

Last updated
2⁄3 innings. From 2009 through 2012, Thatcher appeared in 190 games and held left-handers to a .182 average. Overall, he has a 2.66 ERA and .221 opponents batting average during that span. [9]

Arizona Diamondbacks

Thatcher again began 2013 as the Padres' left-handed specialist, pitching to a 2.10 ERA in 30 innings over 50 games. At the end of July, the Padres traded Thatcher with Matt Stites and a compensatory draft pick to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Ian Kennedy. [10] With the Diamondbacks in 2013, Thatcher allowed 7 earned runs in 91⁄3 innings across 22 games. In the off-season, Thatcher and the Diamondbacks agreed to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration. [11]

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

On July 5, 2014, Thatcher was traded along with Tony Campana to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in exchange for prospects Zach Borenstein and Joey Krehbiel. [12]

Houston Astros

Thatcher with the Houston Astros Joe Thatcher Astros followthrough Houston April 2015.jpg
Thatcher with the Houston Astros

On February 13, 2015, Thatcher signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros. [13] [14] On March 30, 2015, the Astros announced that Thatcher had made the Opening Day roster. On July 21, 2015, the Astros designated Thatcher for assignment after 36 appearances. On August 2, Thatcher was resigned to a minor league deal. [15] He was re-added to the major league roster on September 1. [16]

Cleveland Indians

In December 2015, he signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians. [17] [18] He was released in March 2016.

Los Angeles Dodgers

In April 2016, he signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. [19] In 17 games, he had an ERA of 3.60. He was released on June 3, 2016, after exercising an opt-out clause in his contract. [20]

Cleveland Indians

The Indians re-signed Thatcher to a minor league contract on July 23, 2016. [21] He was released on August 13, 2016.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs signed Thatcher to a minor league contract on Aug 15, 2016. [22] He retired after the season. [23]

Coaching

In 2016, after retiring from professional baseball, Thatcher accepted a position as associate coach of the Indiana University Kokomo baseball team. [24]

Pitching style

Thatcher was unusual in that he threw only two pitches, neither of which was a four-seam fastball. He almost exclusively threw a cut fastball at 83–87 mph or a slider at 77–79. His slider was mainly a 2-strike pitch. Early in his career, he threw a changeup to right-handed hitters, but he threw only a small handful of those after the 2008 season. [25]

Personal life

During the offseason, Thatcher resides in Kokomo, Indiana and enjoys playing golf on his down time. [26] He is the son of Phil and Sara Thatcher and his father also pitched for Indiana State University while his mother was a cheerleader. [27]

Thatcher's wife, Katie, is also a Kokomo native. [28] The couple formed the Joe and Katie Thatcher Endowment Foundation in 2008 to benefit the Howard County, Indiana, community. [29]

Thatcher is a member of Catholic Athletes for Christ. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Óliver Pérez</span> Mexican baseball player (born 1981)

Óliver Pérez Martínez is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals, and Cleveland Indians. He competed for the Mexico national baseball team in the 2006, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Wolf</span> American baseball player (born 1976)

Randall Christopher Wolf nicknamed "Wolfie", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, and Detroit Tigers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Qualls</span> American baseball player (born 1978)

Chad Michael Qualls is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, and Colorado Rockies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Albers</span> American baseball player (born 1983)

Matthew James Albers is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals, and Milwaukee Brewers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucas Harrell</span> American baseball player

Lucas William Bradley Harrell is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, and Toronto Blue Jays. Harrell has also played for the LG Twins of the KBO League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent Strom</span> American baseball player and coach (born 1948)

Brent Terry Strom is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and current pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. His MLB playing career spanned from 1972 to 1973 and 1975 to 1977 for the New York Mets, Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres. He served as pitching coach for the Houston Astros in 1996 and from 2014 to 2021, helping guide the club to the 2017 World Series championship. He also coached the Kansas City Royals from 2000 to 2001. According to an interview with Tommy John, Strom was the second pitcher to receive Tommy John surgery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clayton Richard</span> American baseball player (born 1983)

Clayton Colby Richard is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, and Toronto Blue Jays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Cahill</span> American baseball player (born 1988)

Trevor John Cahill is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Athletics drafted Cahill in the second round of the 2006 MLB draft and he made his MLB debut with the A's in 2009. Cahill was an All-Star in 2010, finishing 9th in that year's AL Cy Young Award voting, and won a World Series title with the 2016 Cubs as well as a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He ranks among the top 20 active pitchers in career victories and has earned over 48 million dollars in his professional baseball career. Since his rookie year with the Athletics in 2009, his nickname became the Pterodactyl or the Dactyl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Hudson</span> American baseball player (born 1987)

Daniel Claiborne Hudson is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hudson was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round of the 2008 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut for the White Sox in 2009, and has also played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres. Hudson was on the mound at the end of Game 7 of the 2019 World Series to clinch the Nationals' first championship in franchise history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyson Ross</span> American baseball player (born 1987)

Tyson William Ross is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Detroit Tigers. Ross was drafted by the Athletics in the 2nd round of the 2008 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2010 and was an MLB All-Star in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Héctor Ambriz</span> American baseball player (born 1984)

Héctor Ambriz is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, and San Diego Padres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Boxberger</span> American baseball player (born 1988)

Bradley George Boxberger is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Vincent (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1986)

Nicholas James Vincent is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves. Vincent was drafted by the Padres in the 18th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, and made his major league debut in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Manaea</span> American baseball player (born 1992)

Sean Anthony Manaea is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres. He played college baseball at Indiana State University.

Patrick James Schuster is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Ross (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1993)

Joseph Andrew Ross is an American professional baseball pitcher in the San Francisco Giants organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals. The San Diego Padres selected Ross in the first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. In 2015 Ross made his major league debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jandel Gustave</span> Dominican baseball player (born 1992)

Jandel Francisco Gustave is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He signed with the Houston Astros as an amateur free agent in 2010. Gustave made his MLB debut in 2016 for the Astros and has also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Musgrove</span> American baseball player (born 1992)

Joseph Anthony Musgrove is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nabil Crismatt</span> Colombian baseball player (born 1994)

Nabil Antonio Crismatt Abuchaibe is a Colombian professional baseball pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Solomon (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1996)

Peter Joseph Solomon is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He played college baseball at the University of Notre Dame. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2021 with the Houston Astros.

References

  1. ↑ Tribune, PEDRO VELAZCO Kokomo. "Howard, Thatcher excited to build IUK baseball program". Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
  2. ↑ Center, Bill (March 23, 2013). "LHP Thatcher made shrewd decision in choosing baseball". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  3. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Joe Thatcher Traded To San Diego Padres, Set To Join Major League Club". Indiana State Sycamores. July 26, 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Joe Thatcher Independent, Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History".
  6. ↑ Hughes, David (July 27, 2007). "Former Indiana State pitcher Joe Thatcher gets ultimate call". Tribune-Star. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  7. 1 2 Brock, Corey (April 27, 2011). "Thatcher slated for left shoulder surgery". MLB.com. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  8. ↑ Brock, Corey (February 20, 2012). "Thatcher hoping shoulder woes behind him". MLB.com. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  9. 1 2 Brock, Corey (March 13, 2013). "Thatcher comfortable taking it slow in spring". MLB.com. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  10. ↑ Nightengale, Bob (July 31, 2013). "Diamondbacks deal Ian Kennedy to Padres". USA Today. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  11. ↑ "D-backs avoid arbitration, agree to a one-year contract with Joe Thatcher for 2.38 million". D-backs Press Release. MLB.com. January 17, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Angels pick up Thatcher from Diamondbacks". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 5, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Reliever Thatcher agrees to minor league deal with Astros". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  14. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (February 13, 2015). "Astros invite reliever Thatcher to Major League camp". MLB.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Joe Thatcher designated for assignment by the Astros". 21 July 2015.
  16. ↑ "Houston Astros Farm Report: Fresno Grizzlies are gearing up for a championship". Climbing Tal's Hill. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  17. ↑ Links, Zach (December 17, 2015). "Indians To Sign Joe Thatcher". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  18. ↑ Bastian, Jordan (December 21, 2015). "Indians add 2 lefties on Minor League deals". MLB.com.
  19. ↑ "Storylines: Tomlin leaves with sore hamstring". Scout.com. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  20. ↑ Stephen, Eric (June 4, 2016). "Dodgers release Joe Thatcher from minors contract". SB Nation. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  21. ↑ Hoynes, Paul (July 23, 2016). "Cleveland Indians working hard to stay cool, while handling summer heat". Cleveland.com.
  22. ↑ "Cubs' Joe Thatcher: Signed by Cubs" . Retrieved 2016-09-03.
  23. ↑ "Thatcher ends baseball career with no regrets".
  24. ↑ "IU Kokomo - 2017 Baseball Coaches". www.iukcougars.com. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
  25. ↑ "PITCHf/x Player Card: Joe Thatcher". Brooks Baseball. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  26. ↑ "Thatcher Endowment to hold golf outing" . Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  27. ↑ Geiselman, Steve (August 15, 2009). "Major league drama". Kokomo Perspective. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  28. ↑ Brock, Corey (November 21, 2012). "Indiana will always be home for Thatcher". MLB.com. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  29. ↑ Goad, Jenn (March 20, 2014). "The Joe and Katie Thatcher Foundation gives back". Kokomo Perspective. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  30. ↑ Beattie, Trent (June 15, 2014). "Arizona Diamondbacks Pitcher Shares Father's Day Reflections". National Catholic Register. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Joe Thatcher
Joe Thatcher 01.JPG
Thatcher with the San Diego Padres in 2009
Pitcher
Born: (1981-10-04) October 4, 1981 (age 41)
Kokomo, Indiana, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
July 26, 2007, for the San Diego Padres
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 2015, for the Houston Astros