Jason Hirsh
Encyclopedia
Jason Michael Hirsh is a starting pitcher
in Major League Baseball
who is a free agent.
Hirsh was a dominant minor league pitcher in 2005–06, winning the Double-A Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award in successive seasons, as he went a combined 26–10 with 283 strikeouts. Following that he was in the starting rotation for the Colorado Rockies, but saw limited action due to injuries in 2007–08.
Hirsh has a very large but athletic frame, standing at 6' 8" and weighing 250 lb (113.4 kg).
Despite his size, Hirsh drew little interest from scouts out of St. Francis High School
of La Cañada, California, because he then threw just 86–88 mph. He went undrafted when he graduated in 2000, and no NCAA Division I programs wanted him, so he wound up at Division III California Lutheran University
, which was only 40 minutes from his house.
and a mid-80s slider
. He compiled a 26–6 record with a 2.96 ERA, striking out 238 batters over 258.1 innings. He is tied for first at the university in career wins (26), and holds the record for the most strikeouts in a game (18). Twice in his college career he was named to the First-Team All-SCIAC, and in 2003 he was also an ABCA
All-West Region First-Team selection.
He was drafted by the Houston Astros
with their top pick, in the 2nd round (59th overall), of the 2003 amateur entry draft, and signed for a $625,000 signing bonus.
Although Hirsh left college after his junior year, he went back after his first minor league season, and then e-mailed his assignments in from his laptop when he was back in the minors to earn a BA in multimedia in 2004.
. In 2004 he recorded 11 victories with the Class A-Advanced Salem Avalanche
, while honing his secondary pitches.
at Ryan's off-season pitching camp in Houston. Hirsh said: "The biggest thing I got out of it was the confidence ... [having Astros manager] Phil Garner
and Nolan Ryan sit there and tell you that you've got the stuff to be in the big leagues."
Playing for the Corpus Christi Hooks
in 2005, he pitched two perfect innings for the Texas League
's West All Star team in the league All Star Game. He was the Texas League Pitcher of the Week three times. For the season, he went 13–8 with a league-best 165 strikeouts while walking only 42, finishing second in the league with 13 wins and second in ERA (2.87) and innings (172.1), and was named 2005 Texas League Pitcher of the Year, team MVP, and Baseball America Double-A All Star. He also earned Texas League post-season All Star honors. "I saw this kid mature, having to go through adversity and how he came out on top," Hooks manager Dave Clark said. "This kid's got something special."
Hirsh was rated as the Astros top prospect by Baseball America heading into the 2006 season, and was also listed as having the "Best Control" in the organization, and the Astros put him on their 40-man roster. "He's a very mature kid," Astros assistant general manager Ricky Bennett said. "He keeps everything in perspective." With Hirsh in spring training with the major league team, manager Phil Garner summed up his estimation of Hirsh as follows:
, where he a mastered a two-seam and four-seam fastball. He suffered a pinched sciatic nerve
in his lower back, and therefore did not pick up a weight until June or July, but he got better through running and extra stretching. He was named the starting pitcher for the U.S. Team at the 2006 MLB All-Star Futures Game
in Pittsburgh, and was also named a Triple A All Star, and pitched an inning in that game. On July 26 he set a team record of consecutive innings without an earned run at 46 2/3 innings. He had a season record of 13–2 (including a 12-game winning streak; an Express record), led the league in wins, and had a 2.10 ERA
(2nd in the league) and 118 strikeout
s (4th in the league) in 137.1 innings, as he held batters to a .193 batting average. Hirsh was named the 2006 Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year, the MLB.com 2006 Triple A Starting Pitcher of the Year, a Baseball America Triple-A All Star, and was also elected to the post-season 2006 All-PCL squad as the top right-handed starting pitcher in the league. "Needless to say, he's had an excellent season," Round Rock manager Jackie Moore said. "He's as consistent from one start to the next as any young pitcher I've been associated with."
He was regarded as the top pitching prospect in the Astros' farm system. He was rated by Baseball America as having the best breaking pitch in the PCL, and the league's ninth best prospect.
During the 2006 season, Hirsh also kept an on-line journal on MiLB.com.
In 2003–06, Hirsh's minor league record was 40–18 with a 2.90 ERA. He pitched 472.1 innings, averaging 7.3 hits, 3.0 walks, and 7.8 strikeouts per 9 innings.
Hirsh was 6–7 in 2009 with a 6.66 ERA in 20 games, 16 of them starts, for Triple-A Colorado Springs in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League before being traded to the New York Yankees.
He began his career with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees by going 2–0 with an 0.82 ERA in his first two starts, pitching 11 innings and walking one while striking out 9.
On December 12, 2006, the Astros traded Hirsh, Willy Taveras
, and Taylor Buchholz
to the Colorado Rockies
for Rockies pitchers Jason Jennings
and Miguel Asencio
.
designated Hirsh his No. 4 starter.
He demonstrated much-improved command of his changeup
, previously a troublesome pitch for him. On July 2 he sprained his right ankle in a game against the Mets, diving back to the third base bag when catcher Paul LoDuca attempted to pick him off. He was forced to leave the game despite having pitched six shutout innings, and ended up on the disabled list from July 3 until August 1.
His season was abruptly interrupted, however, when Hirsh went on the disabled list
again after his right fibula was broken in a game August 7. Not realizing his leg had been broken on a line drive
comebacker hit by the second batter of the game, J.J. Hardy
, that caught him in the shin in the first inning, Hirsh went on to throw out Hardy and pitch 6 innings that day, earning a key win for the club. Asked what he would do the next time he faced Hardy, Hirsh joked: "I might put a catcher's shin guard
on, just for him." The injury ended his season. "I was crushed," Hirsh said. "Obviously, nobody wants to have someone tell them that their season's cut short."
In 2007, in 28 starts Hirsh compiled a 5–7 record with a 4.81 earned run average, and kept batters to a .204 batting average in their first plate appearance against him in games. Hirsh missed pitching in the World Series, as he was still on the 60-Day DL.
In spring training in 2008, Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca
said: "All Jason has to do is trust his stuff. He has the type of fastball you work off, but he was using his fastball the way you'd use an off-speed pitch —- to try and trick hitters."
Hirsh was expected to be in the starting rotation in 2008, as the number 4 starter.
But he found himself on the disabled list after just two scoreless innings in one spring training game, and started the season on the DL because of a strained muscle in his right rotator cuff
and right rotator cuff inflammation. While on the DL, Hirsh spent a number of weeks in a strengthening program and at extended spring training in Tucson, Arizona, to rebuild his arm strength. "This is the first time I've ever really had injuries," Hirsh said. "I had maybe one injury in the minor leagues coming up. Throughout my career, from when I was a little kid, I've never had arm problems, I've never broken a bone, I've never rolled an ankle. But I've managed to do all three of those in the last two years."
He was recalled in September and pitched in only four games during the season, including the first relief appearances of his career, pitching under 9 innings.
In 2009, in spring training Hirsh was reassigned to the Rockies Triple A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox
of the Pacific Coast League
.
. He was assigned to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Yankees manager Joe Girardi
said Hirsh was acquired to provide another option in the back end of the team's rotation. He was 4–0 for the team in 6 starts, with a 1.35 ERA.
Hirsh pitched for the Triple-A team again in 2010. In early August 2010, he was named International League Pitcher of the Week. He finished 2010 with a 9–7 record in 19 starts, and a 3.90 ERA.
that has sink and good movement at 91–94 mph, and throws a "filthy" hard-breaking slider
that is consistently precise, and has bite at 80–86 mph (managers rated it the best breaking ball in the Texas League). Hirsh continues to refine his moderate changeup
, which has fair deception and movement in the low-80s. He also throws a 4-seam fastball in the 94–96 mph range, and touches 97–98. He’s not afraid to pitch inside, and throws strikes to both sides of the plate. "I'm 6-foot-8 and I keep a high three-quarters arm angle," noted Hirsh. "You figure the mound is a foot and a half, and my arm may be another two, three, four feet. It makes the batter have to look up instead of straight at me, and he may have a difficult time adjusting."
He can still improve his command, which is average. His changeup used to be an unreliable pitch, but he has more recently employed it to much greater effect and even goes to it as an out pitch when he is ahead in the count.
. Released by the Astros on June 12, 2006, Matt signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in September 2006.
Hirsh is Jewish, and keeps track of all the Jewish players in major league baseball. He did not find that to be an issue with the 2007 Rockies, even though as The New York Times
put it, "Christianity rocks in Colorado's clubhouse." Hirsh said, "There are guys who are religious, sure, but they don’t impress it upon anybody. It’s not like they hung a cross in my locker or anything. They’ve accepted me for who I am, and what I believe in." Hirsh was featured in the 2008 Hank Greenberg 75th Anniversary edition of Jewish Major Leaguers Baseball Cards, licensed by Major League Baseball and published in affiliation with Fleer
Trading Cards and the American Jewish Historical Society
, commemorating the Jewish Major Leaguers from 1871 through 2008. He joined, among other Jewish major leaguers, Brad Ausmus
, Kevin Youkilis
, Ian Kinsler
, Ryan Braun
, Gabe Kapler
, Jason Marquis
, John Grabow
, Craig Breslow
, and Scott Schoeneweis
.
He married Pamela Clark in 2007. On November 5, 2009, Hirsh and his wife had a baby boy, Brady Antoine Hirsh.
Hirsh makes his offseason home in Denver, Colorado
.
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who is a free agent.
Hirsh was a dominant minor league pitcher in 2005–06, winning the Double-A Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award in successive seasons, as he went a combined 26–10 with 283 strikeouts. Following that he was in the starting rotation for the Colorado Rockies, but saw limited action due to injuries in 2007–08.
Hirsh has a very large but athletic frame, standing at 6' 8" and weighing 250 lb (113.4 kg).
High school
His freshman year of high school when he was 5' 11" he tried out for the school basketball team, got cut, and never went back. "Baseball was it for me," said Hirsh. "High school turned out to be one big growth spurt.... All of a sudden I'm 6-foot-8, and people are like, 'What happened to you?'"Despite his size, Hirsh drew little interest from scouts out of St. Francis High School
Saint Francis High School (La Cañada Flintridge)
Saint Francis High School is a Catholic preparatory high school for young men, located in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA. Founded in 1946 on the lands bought from a golf club, it is owned and directed by the Capuchin Friars of the Western American Province of Our Lady of Angels.Its official...
of La Cañada, California, because he then threw just 86–88 mph. He went undrafted when he graduated in 2000, and no NCAA Division I programs wanted him, so he wound up at Division III California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California.-Mission statement:The University's mission statement is as follows:...
, which was only 40 minutes from his house.
College
Hirsh attended and played baseball at California Lutheran, where he was a 3-year starter, and flashed a 97 mi/h fastballFastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
and a mid-80s slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....
. He compiled a 26–6 record with a 2.96 ERA, striking out 238 batters over 258.1 innings. He is tied for first at the university in career wins (26), and holds the record for the most strikeouts in a game (18). Twice in his college career he was named to the First-Team All-SCIAC, and in 2003 he was also an ABCA
American Baseball Coaches Association
The American Baseball Coaches Association is a baseball coaching organization formed in 1945. It is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level.-History:...
All-West Region First-Team selection.
He was drafted by the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
with their top pick, in the 2nd round (59th overall), of the 2003 amateur entry draft, and signed for a $625,000 signing bonus.
Although Hirsh left college after his junior year, he went back after his first minor league season, and then e-mailed his assignments in from his laptop when he was back in the minors to earn a BA in multimedia in 2004.
Minor leagues
In his pro debut, Hirsh went 3–1 for the 2003 Tri-City ValleyCats, with a 1.95 ERA, limiting batters to a .175 average, and striking out 33 hitters in innings of work. Following the season he was rated the No. 8 prospect in the organization by Baseball AmericaBaseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
. In 2004 he recorded 11 victories with the Class A-Advanced Salem Avalanche
Salem Avalanche
The Salem Red Sox are a minor league baseball team in Salem, Virginia, USA, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. They are a Class High-A team in the Carolina League and are a farm team of the Boston Red Sox...
, while honing his secondary pitches.
2005: Texas League Pitcher of the Year
For a week in January 2005 he worked with Nolan RyanNolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
at Ryan's off-season pitching camp in Houston. Hirsh said: "The biggest thing I got out of it was the confidence ... [having Astros manager] Phil Garner
Phil Garner
Philip Mason Garner is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988...
and Nolan Ryan sit there and tell you that you've got the stuff to be in the big leagues."
Playing for the Corpus Christi Hooks
Corpus Christi Hooks
The Corpus Christi Hooks are a minor league baseball team of the Texas League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team's ownership group is headed by Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan...
in 2005, he pitched two perfect innings for the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
's West All Star team in the league All Star Game. He was the Texas League Pitcher of the Week three times. For the season, he went 13–8 with a league-best 165 strikeouts while walking only 42, finishing second in the league with 13 wins and second in ERA (2.87) and innings (172.1), and was named 2005 Texas League Pitcher of the Year, team MVP, and Baseball America Double-A All Star. He also earned Texas League post-season All Star honors. "I saw this kid mature, having to go through adversity and how he came out on top," Hooks manager Dave Clark said. "This kid's got something special."
Hirsh was rated as the Astros top prospect by Baseball America heading into the 2006 season, and was also listed as having the "Best Control" in the organization, and the Astros put him on their 40-man roster. "He's a very mature kid," Astros assistant general manager Ricky Bennett said. "He keeps everything in perspective." With Hirsh in spring training with the major league team, manager Phil Garner summed up his estimation of Hirsh as follows:
"He looks to me like he maintains good concentration. Whatever he's doing, he looks like he focuses at it. He looks like he throws the ball down in the zone well, which is really good for as big as he is. And his stuff's good. He looks like he has some of the other ingredients that you've got to have to go along with having good stuff. He's a good athlete. He swings the bat pretty good, and he moves on the mound well."
2006: Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year
Hirsh began 2006 with the Triple A Round Rock ExpressRound Rock Express
The Round Rock Express is a class Triple-A Pacific Coast League minor league baseball team in Round Rock, Texas, owned by RSR Sports and founded by Reid Ryan, son of Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. The team is affiliated with the Texas Rangers, for whom Nolan Ryan serves as the president and...
, where he a mastered a two-seam and four-seam fastball. He suffered a pinched sciatic nerve
Sciatic nerve
The sciatic nerve is a large nerve fiber in humans and other animals. It begins in the lower back and runs through the buttock and down the lower limb...
in his lower back, and therefore did not pick up a weight until June or July, but he got better through running and extra stretching. He was named the starting pitcher for the U.S. Team at the 2006 MLB All-Star Futures Game
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game between a team of top minor league prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other parts of the World...
in Pittsburgh, and was also named a Triple A All Star, and pitched an inning in that game. On July 26 he set a team record of consecutive innings without an earned run at 46 2/3 innings. He had a season record of 13–2 (including a 12-game winning streak; an Express record), led the league in wins, and had a 2.10 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(2nd in the league) and 118 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s (4th in the league) in 137.1 innings, as he held batters to a .193 batting average. Hirsh was named the 2006 Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year, the MLB.com 2006 Triple A Starting Pitcher of the Year, a Baseball America Triple-A All Star, and was also elected to the post-season 2006 All-PCL squad as the top right-handed starting pitcher in the league. "Needless to say, he's had an excellent season," Round Rock manager Jackie Moore said. "He's as consistent from one start to the next as any young pitcher I've been associated with."
He was regarded as the top pitching prospect in the Astros' farm system. He was rated by Baseball America as having the best breaking pitch in the PCL, and the league's ninth best prospect.
During the 2006 season, Hirsh also kept an on-line journal on MiLB.com.
In 2003–06, Hirsh's minor league record was 40–18 with a 2.90 ERA. He pitched 472.1 innings, averaging 7.3 hits, 3.0 walks, and 7.8 strikeouts per 9 innings.
2008–09: Rehab
In 2008, Hirsh tried to work back from his rotator cuff problems and rehab his shoulder after May 30 at Colorado Springs in AAA. With reduced velocity, he was 4–4 in 18 games (17 starts), with a 5.80 ERA in 99.1 innings. The slow pace of his recovery made for what Hirsh admitted was "a very trying season. I was mentally defeated several times this year." His velocity returned, however, to the point where the Rockies recalled him when rosters expanded in September.Hirsh was 6–7 in 2009 with a 6.66 ERA in 20 games, 16 of them starts, for Triple-A Colorado Springs in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League before being traded to the New York Yankees.
He began his career with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees by going 2–0 with an 0.82 ERA in his first two starts, pitching 11 innings and walking one while striking out 9.
Houston Astros (2006)
Hirsh made his major league debut for the Astros on August 12, 2006. On August 17, he won his first game and in celebration his teammates doused him with beer in the shower. He started 9 games for the season, winning 3 of them, and held batters to a .231 batting average when runners were in scoring position.On December 12, 2006, the Astros traded Hirsh, Willy Taveras
Willy Taveras
Willy Taveras is a Major League Baseball center fielder.-Houston Astros:Taveras played in 10 games at the end of the Astros season, mostly as a pinch runner....
, and Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Biography:...
to the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
for Rockies pitchers Jason Jennings
Jason Jennings
Jason Ryan Jennings is an American Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-High school/college years:...
and Miguel Asencio
Miguel Asencio
Miguel DePaula Asencio is a Major League Baseball pitcher. He began his pro-career in in the Dominican Republic. In eleven games, he went 0-2 with a 6.55 ERA....
.
Colorado Rockies (2007–09)
In March 2007 Rockies manager Clint HurdleClint Hurdle
Clinton Merrick Hurdle is a former Major League Baseball outfielder whose 10-year career was spent with the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals. After retiring from playing baseball, Hurdle became a manager...
designated Hirsh his No. 4 starter.
He demonstrated much-improved command of his changeup
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball...
, previously a troublesome pitch for him. On July 2 he sprained his right ankle in a game against the Mets, diving back to the third base bag when catcher Paul LoDuca attempted to pick him off. He was forced to leave the game despite having pitched six shutout innings, and ended up on the disabled list from July 3 until August 1.
His season was abruptly interrupted, however, when Hirsh went on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
again after his right fibula was broken in a game August 7. Not realizing his leg had been broken on a line drive
Line drive
In baseball, a line drive is a type of batted ball, sharply hit, and on a level trajectory. The threshold between a line drive and a fly ball can be subjective....
comebacker hit by the second batter of the game, J.J. Hardy
J.J. Hardy
James Jerry "J.J." Hardy is a Major League Baseball shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles.-Early life:...
, that caught him in the shin in the first inning, Hirsh went on to throw out Hardy and pitch 6 innings that day, earning a key win for the club. Asked what he would do the next time he faced Hardy, Hirsh joked: "I might put a catcher's shin guard
Shin guard
A shin guard or shin pad is a piece of equipment worn on the front of a player’s shin to protect them from injury. These are commonly used in sports including association football, baseball, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, rugby, cricket, and other sports...
on, just for him." The injury ended his season. "I was crushed," Hirsh said. "Obviously, nobody wants to have someone tell them that their season's cut short."
In 2007, in 28 starts Hirsh compiled a 5–7 record with a 4.81 earned run average, and kept batters to a .204 batting average in their first plate appearance against him in games. Hirsh missed pitching in the World Series, as he was still on the 60-Day DL.
In spring training in 2008, Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca
Bob Apodaca
Robert John Apodaca, otherwise known as Bob Apodaca is the pitching coach for the Colorado Rockies.Apodaca, who is of Mexican American descent, attended Cerritos College and California State University, Los Angeles...
said: "All Jason has to do is trust his stuff. He has the type of fastball you work off, but he was using his fastball the way you'd use an off-speed pitch —- to try and trick hitters."
Hirsh was expected to be in the starting rotation in 2008, as the number 4 starter.
But he found himself on the disabled list after just two scoreless innings in one spring training game, and started the season on the DL because of a strained muscle in his right rotator cuff
Rotator cuff
In anatomy, the rotator cuff is the group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. The four muscles of the rotator cuff, along with the teres major muscle, the coracobrachialis muscle and the deltoid, make up the seven scapulohumeral muscles of the human body.-Function:The...
and right rotator cuff inflammation. While on the DL, Hirsh spent a number of weeks in a strengthening program and at extended spring training in Tucson, Arizona, to rebuild his arm strength. "This is the first time I've ever really had injuries," Hirsh said. "I had maybe one injury in the minor leagues coming up. Throughout my career, from when I was a little kid, I've never had arm problems, I've never broken a bone, I've never rolled an ankle. But I've managed to do all three of those in the last two years."
He was recalled in September and pitched in only four games during the season, including the first relief appearances of his career, pitching under 9 innings.
In 2009, in spring training Hirsh was reassigned to the Rockies Triple A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox
Colorado Springs Sky Sox
The Colorado Springs Sky Sox are a minor league baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team's colors are red and blue. The team plays in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Colorado Rockies...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
.
New York Yankees (2009–2010)
On July 29, 2009, Hirsh was traded to the New York Yankees for a player to be named laterPlayer to be named later
The concept of the "player to be named later" is most often associated with Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball trades.-Description:...
. He was assigned to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Yankees manager Joe Girardi
Joe Girardi
Joseph Elliott Girardi is a former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager of the New York Yankees. During a 15-year playing career, he played from 1989–2003 for the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies, the New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals...
said Hirsh was acquired to provide another option in the back end of the team's rotation. He was 4–0 for the team in 6 starts, with a 1.35 ERA.
Hirsh pitched for the Triple-A team again in 2010. In early August 2010, he was named International League Pitcher of the Week. He finished 2010 with a 9–7 record in 19 starts, and a 3.90 ERA.
Pitching
Hirsh has good leverage, pitches down to hitters, and has a refined repertoire of pitches. He has a "plus" 2-seam fastballFastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
that has sink and good movement at 91–94 mph, and throws a "filthy" hard-breaking slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....
that is consistently precise, and has bite at 80–86 mph (managers rated it the best breaking ball in the Texas League). Hirsh continues to refine his moderate changeup
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball...
, which has fair deception and movement in the low-80s. He also throws a 4-seam fastball in the 94–96 mph range, and touches 97–98. He’s not afraid to pitch inside, and throws strikes to both sides of the plate. "I'm 6-foot-8 and I keep a high three-quarters arm angle," noted Hirsh. "You figure the mound is a foot and a half, and my arm may be another two, three, four feet. It makes the batter have to look up instead of straight at me, and he may have a difficult time adjusting."
He can still improve his command, which is average. His changeup used to be an unreliable pitch, but he has more recently employed it to much greater effect and even goes to it as an out pitch when he is ahead in the count.
Awards
- 2005 – 3x Texas LeagueTexas LeagueThe Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
Pitcher of the Week (4/24, 6/26, 7/17) - 2005 – Texas League All Star (P)
- 2005 – Texas League Post-Season All Star (SP)
- 2005 – Texas League Pitcher of the Year
- 2005 – Baseball America Double-A All Star
- 2006 – Futures Game US Starting Pitcher
- 2006 – Pacific Coast LeaguePacific Coast LeagueThe Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
All Star (P) - 2006 – Pacific Coast League Post-Season All Star (P)
- 2006 – Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year
- 2006 – MLB.com Triple A Starting Pitcher of the Year
- 2006 – Baseball America Triple-A All Star
Personal
The Astros drafted and signed his younger brother Matt (6 ft 5 in; 235 lbs.), another Cal Lutheran right-handed pitcher, in the 30th round in 2005. Matt went 1–2, 5.61, in 2005 at Rookie-level GreenevilleGreeneville Astros
The Greeneville Astros are a minor league baseball team of the Appalachian League, and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Greeneville, Tennessee, and play their home games at Pioneer Park on the campus of Tusculum College....
. Released by the Astros on June 12, 2006, Matt signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in September 2006.
Hirsh is Jewish, and keeps track of all the Jewish players in major league baseball. He did not find that to be an issue with the 2007 Rockies, even though as The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
put it, "Christianity rocks in Colorado's clubhouse." Hirsh said, "There are guys who are religious, sure, but they don’t impress it upon anybody. It’s not like they hung a cross in my locker or anything. They’ve accepted me for who I am, and what I believe in." Hirsh was featured in the 2008 Hank Greenberg 75th Anniversary edition of Jewish Major Leaguers Baseball Cards, licensed by Major League Baseball and published in affiliation with Fleer
Fleer
The Fleer Corporation, founded by Frank H. Fleer in 1885, was the first company to successfully manufacture bubblegum; it remained a family-owned enterprise until it was taken private in 1989....
Trading Cards and the American Jewish Historical Society
American Jewish Historical Society
The American Jewish Historical Society was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of the American Jewish heritage and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials relating to American...
, commemorating the Jewish Major Leaguers from 1871 through 2008. He joined, among other Jewish major leaguers, Brad Ausmus
Brad Ausmus
Bradley David "Brad" Ausmus is a former All Star catcher in Major League Baseball, and currently a special assistant for the San Diego Padres....
, Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Edmund Youkilis , also known as "Youk" , is an American professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball...
, Ian Kinsler
Ian Kinsler
Ian Michael Kinsler is a Major League Baseball All-Star second baseman for the Texas Rangers.Despite having been drafted in only the 17th round out of college, Kinsler has risen to become a two-time All Star, and a member of the Sporting News 2009 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball...
, Ryan Braun
Ryan Braun
Ryan Joseph Braun is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No...
, Gabe Kapler
Gabe Kapler
Gabriel "Gabe" Stefan Kapler is an American Major League Baseball outfielder.He has played portions of 13 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Tampa Bay Rays...
, Jason Marquis
Jason Marquis
Jason Scott Marquis is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously pitched for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks....
, John Grabow
John Grabow
John William Grabow, nicknamed "Grabes" , is a Major League Baseball left-handed reliever....
, Craig Breslow
Craig Breslow
Craig Andrew Breslow is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. He throws left-handed, and is considered a lefty specialist....
, and Scott Schoeneweis
Scott Schoeneweis
Scott David Schoeneweis is an American Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.In the five seasons from 2003–07, Schoeneweis allowed only one home run to left-handed batters...
.
He married Pamela Clark in 2007. On November 5, 2009, Hirsh and his wife had a baby boy, Brady Antoine Hirsh.
Hirsh makes his offseason home in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
See also
- List of select Jewish Major League Baseball players
External links
- Hardball Times stats
- No 10. – MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006 – Minor League News
- Project Prospect, 1/17/07
- "Hirsh a candidate for stardom," 2/15/07
- "Warming up for the Jewish Boys of Summer," 3/5/08
- Jweekly Celebrity Jewish Baseball, 4/4/08
- "Q&A with Jason Hirsh," The Scranton Times Tribune, 8/2/09
- Hirsh Brothers