Jason Foley

Jason Joseph Foley (born November 1, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.

Amateur career

Foley attended Mepham High School in his hometown of North Bellmore, New York, where he played for the school's baseball team. He enrolled at Sacred Heart University to play college baseball for the Sacred Heart Pioneers. Foley had a 10–14 win–loss record over his Sacred Heart career, starting 37 of his 48 appearances over his three seasons, with a 4.84 career earned run average (ERA) and 7.33 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. He played collegiate summer baseball with the Mystic Schooners of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. After his junior season Foley went unselected in the MLB draft. He worked with former professional pitcher Dennis Long, the pitching coach of the Schooners, who helped increase his velocity to 97 mph. Manager Phil Orbe & assistant coach Stephen Leonetti were also on staff. Scouts came to a handful of games at Mystic and Foley was dominant in front of the Tigers Area Scout. The Tigers were so impressed by Foley's performances with Mystic that the organization immediately signed him.

Professional career

Foley threw in six games during the 2016 professional season, primarily at the short season single-A level with the Connecticut Tigers, but Foley turned heads in 2017 at the Class-A level with the West Michigan Whitecaps. Over 18 appearances and 29 innings, Foley logged a 1.55 ERA with five saves, 36 strikeouts to just five walks, and recorded a WHIP of 0.86, giving up just five earned runs during the duration of the season. He moved to the High-A Lakeland Flying Tigers at the end of the season, where he gave up five runs over 7 innings of work. Ahead of the 2018 season, however, Foley underwent Tommy John surgery and saw no professional action the full season.

Previously praised for his velocity by media outlets, hitting 101 MPH on his fastball, before his surgery, Foley lost velocity upon his return in 2019 with Lakeland, however he remained healthy for the full season. Foley finished 2019 with a 3–3 record and a 3.89 ERA over 36 appearances, all in relief. He averaged just under a strikeout per inning, and recorded a WHIP of 1.43. Foley saw no in-game professional action in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however in 2021 he was added to the alternate-site Detroit Tigers roster in Toledo, where players both on the 40-man roster but inactive and off the roster (like Foley) played games to remain fit. In addition, with the first appearance of the season for Casey Mize and his subsequent graduation from the MLB.com Top 30 Prospects rankings for the Tigers, Foley entered the list at #30.

On June 6, 2021, the Tigers selected Foley's contract and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time. At the time of his promotion, Foley had a 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and ten strikeouts in nine appearances (ten innings pitched) with the Toledo Mud Hens. He made his MLB debut that day, pitching a scoreless inning of relief against the Chicago White Sox. Foley pitched in middle relief for the 2022 Tigers, appearing in 60 games and posting a 3.88 ERA with 43 strikeouts.

Foley recorded his first major league save on April 18, 2023, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians to preserve a 1–0 Tigers victory. On July 8, 2023, Foley was the second of three pitchers to throw a combined no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays, pitching innings. For the 2023 season, Foley posted a 3–3 record and a 2.61 ERA. He recorded 7 saves and struck out 55 batters in 69 innings.

Pitch selection

Foley throws a sinking two-seam fastball and a four-seam fastball that each average 96 to 97 miles per hour (MPH), topping out at 101 MPH. His main offspeed pitch is a slider that averages 86 to 89 MPH. He also throws a changeup at 89 to 92 MPH.

References

External links

Sacred Heart Pioneers bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Jason
1995 births
Living people
Baseball players from Nassau County, New York
Chatham Anglers players
Connecticut Tigers players
Detroit Tigers players
Gulf Coast Tigers players
Lakeland Flying Tigers players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Sacred Heart Pioneers baseball players
Sportspeople from Manhasset, New York
Toledo Mud Hens players
West Michigan Whitecaps players