Corban Reece Joseph (born October 28, 1988) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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) East Division. As one of the America ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

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

, and

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

Career

Joseph attended Franklin High School in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020 Uni ...

, where he played for the high school baseball team. In his sophomore year, he was named All-Midstate for baseball. In his senior year, he batted .510 with 15

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 58

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs) for Franklin and was named Midstate Player of the Year. He committed to attend the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

to play for the Kentucky Wildcats baseball team after his high school graduation in 2008.

New York Yankees

Joseph was drafted by the

in the fourth round, with the 140th overall selection, of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft out of Franklin High School. He signed with the Yankees on June 10. Joseph joined the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Yankees. In 2009, he played for the Class-A

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Char ...

, where he named the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

's player of the month for July and a post-season all-star

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

despite playing just 37 games at third. He began the 2010 season with the Tampa Yankees of the

Class A-Advanced High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

, where he had a .302 batting average, six home runs and 52 RBIs before he was promoted to the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League B ...

Eastern League in August. Joseph spent the entire 2011 season with the Thunder. He was added to the Yankees 40 man roster on November 18, 2011. In 2012, he played for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

. After starting the 2013 season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Yankees promoted Joseph on April 30, when they placed Kevin Youkilis on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

. However, he was optioned to the minors two days later without appearing in a game. The Yankees recalled Joseph on May 13 as the 26th man in a doubleheader against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

, starting him at

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 ...

during the first game and second base in the second game. During the second game of the doubleheader, Joseph got his first career base hit. He was then optioned back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the doubleheader. Joseph was outrighted off the Yankees roster on November 20, 2013. He was released by the Yankees on August 27, 2014.

Atlanta Braves

On November 19, 2014, he signed a minor league deal with 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

and was assigned to the Double-A

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they were referred to locally, were a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, from 2005 to 2024. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and competed in ...

to begin the year. He hit .268 with 20 RBI before being released by the Braves on June 2, 2015.

Baltimore Orioles

On June 16, 2015, Joseph signed a minor league contract with the

. He finished the year with the Double-A Bowie Baysox, slashing .349 in 22 games. He split the 2016 season between Bowie and the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

, posting a .315/.369/.442 batting line with 8 home runs and 46 RBI. He elected free agency on November 7, 2016.

Washington Nationals

On November 19, 2016, he agreed to terms with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, although he was reassigned to minor league camp on March 13, 2017. He spent the year split between the Double-A

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...

and the Triple-A

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, accumulating a .275/.331/.398 batting line with 7 home runs and 40 RBI. Joseph elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Baltimore Orioles (second stint)

On February 19, 2018, Joseph signed a minor league deal with the Orioles. Joseph was recalled to the majors on June 15 and started at first base, his first major league appearance in over five years. His brother, catcher Caleb Joseph was on the O's roster while he was up. He was next optioned to the Triple–A

on June 20. He was designated for assignment on June 29 then saw his contract purchased again on September 7, 2018. In 14 major league games for Baltimore, Joseph notched 4 hits in 19 plate appearances. He was outrighted on November 1, then re-signed with the Orioles a minor league deal on November 5.

Oakland Athletics

The

selected Joseph in the minor league phase of the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

at the 2018

Winter Meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...

. Joseph played for the

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a comm ...

of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. On August 14, the Athletics promoted Joseph to the major leagues. He hit his first career major league home run on August 15, in a close 7-6 victory, over the visiting Houston Astros. On September 1, Joseph was designated for assignment.

San Francisco Giants

On September 3, 2019, Joseph was claimed off waivers by the

. On September 14, the Giants designated Joseph for assignment after he went 1-for-16 in 8 games for the club.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On September 16, 2019, Joseph was claimed off waivers by the

. In 9 games for Pittsburgh, he went 2-for-11 (.182). On October 25, Joseph was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

. He elected free agency on October 31.

Chicago Cubs

On January 31, 2020, Joseph signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Joseph was released by the Cubs organization on May 28.

Washington Nationals (second stint)

On May 29, 2021, Joseph signed a minor league contract with the

organization. In 32 games split between the Double-A

and Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

, he slashed a combined .282/.355/.409 with two home runs and 13 RBI. Joseph was released by the Nationals organization on January 7, 2022.

Personal life

Joseph's brother,

Caleb Caleb ( ; , Tiberian vocalization: , Modern Israeli Hebrew: ) is a figure who appears in the Hebrew Bible as a representative of the Tribe of Judah during the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land. Following the Israelite conquest of Ca ...

, has also played in MLB. Caleb was also selected in the 2008 draft; he was chosen by the

in the seventh round. They briefly played together with the Orioles in 2018. Their father, Mark, played college baseball for Lipscomb.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Corban 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Franklin, Tennessee Baseball players from Tennessee Major League Baseball first basemen New York Yankees players Baltimore Orioles players Oakland Athletics players San Francisco Giants players Pittsburgh Pirates players Gulf Coast Yankees players Charleston RiverDogs players Tampa Yankees players Trenton Thunder players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Mississippi Braves players Bowie Baysox players Norfolk Tides players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Syracuse Chiefs players Harrisburg Senators players Las Vegas Aviators players Rochester Red Wings players