Connor Kok-Wy Joe (born August 16, 1992) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

and

first baseman 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 major ...

for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

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). He has previously played in MLB for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

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 Fi ...

Amateur career

Joe attended

Poway High School Poway High School is a four-year secondary school in southern California accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Established in 1961, its approximately 2,408 students are from the city of Poway and the community of Rancho ...

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, 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 ...

at the

University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Sc ...

. In the summer of 2011, he played with the

Kelowna Falcons The Kelowna Falcons are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Kelowna, British Columbia. The Falcons are members of the West Coast League and play their home games at Elks Stadium. History The franchise traces its roots back to the Kelowna ...

of the

West Coast League The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCC ...

prior to attending the University of San Diego. Then in 2013, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operate ...

with the

Chatham Anglers The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thous ...

, and was named a league all-star.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Joe was drafted by the

in the first round, 39th overall, of the

2014 Major League Baseball draft The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...

. Joe made his professional debut in 2015 with the

West Virginia Power The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dir ...

, and batted .245/.366/.303 on the year. He spent the 2016 season in High-A with the

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...

, slashing .277/.351/392 in 107 games. After the 2016 season, he played in the

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 fi ...

. Joe was assigned to the Double-A

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...

to begin the 2017 season.

Atlanta Braves

On August 5, 2017, Joe was traded to the

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) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...

in exchange for

Sean Rodriguez Sean John Rodriguez (born April 26, 1985) is an American former professional baseball utility player who is currently a player development instructor for the Philadelphia Phillies. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los ...

. In 20 games with the Double-A

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. ...

, Joe had a .135 batting average.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On September 25, 2017, Joe 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 Brookly ...

in exchange for international bonus pool money. He split the 2018 season between the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

and the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their hom ...

, slashing .299/.408/.527 with career-highs in home runs (17) and RBI (55).

San Francisco Giants

Joe was selected by 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 the 2018 Rule 5 draft. On March 21, 2019, the Reds traded Joe to the

in exchange for Jordan Johnson and cash considerations. Joe was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the play ...

on April 8 after only getting 1 hit in 16 plate appearances.

Second stint with Dodgers

Joe cleared waivers and was returned to the Dodgers on April 13. Joe spent the remainder of the season in Triple-A with Oklahoma City, and batted .300/.427/.503 with 15 home runs and 68 RBI. Joe opted out of the 2020 season after being diagnosed with

testicular cancer Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility. Risk factors include an ...

. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.

Colorado Rockies

On November 20, 2020, Joe signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On May 7, 2021, Joe was selected to the active roster. Joe played first base while also playing left field, finishing the season hitting .285 with eight home runs and 35 RBI in 63 games.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 18, 2022, Joe was traded to the

in exchange for Nick Garcia.

Personal life

Joe's parents are Mee-Sun and Peter Joe. He is of Chinese heritage. His grandparents emigrated from China: his father's family moved to Connecticut and his mother’s family moved to New York. After his parents married, they moved to

Poway, California Poway () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. The unincorporated community became a city on December 1, 1980. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city has a population of 49,701 as of 2 ...

, a suburb of San Diego. His family owned and operated two restaurants in San Diego. Joe and his wife Kylie reside in Arizona. On March 18, 2020, Joe announced he had undergone surgery for testicular cancer and was in his recovery process. He was declared cancer free on July 20, 2020.

References

External links

San Diego Toreros bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joe, Connor 1992 births Living people Baseball players from San Diego Major League Baseball outfielders San Francisco Giants players Colorado Rockies players Pittsburgh Pirates players San Diego Toreros baseball players Chatham Anglers players West Virginia Power players Surprise Saguaros players Bradenton Marauders players Altoona Curve players West Virginia Black Bears players Mississippi Braves players Tulsa Drillers players Oklahoma City Dodgers players American baseball players of Chinese descent Duluth Huskies players

Amateur career

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Atlanta Braves

Los Angeles Dodgers

San Francisco Giants

Second stint with Dodgers

Colorado Rockies

Pittsburgh Pirates

Personal life

See also

References

External links