James Urban Hoey (born December 30, 1982) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Baltimore Orioles and

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

between 2006 and 2011.

Early years

Hoey returned to the Trenton area in his sophomore year of high school and played for the Hamilton High School West varsity baseball team. In his senior year of high school, Hoey helped the team to win the

NJSIAA The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

Group III state championship with a 13-1 season. This was the school's first championship in its 70-year history. James walked away with 131 strike outs and a 0.48 ERA. In honor of James's prior accomplishments and his rapid success through the minor-league system, Hamilton High West retired his number during a formal ceremony on February 1, 2007.WZBN Video Vault - Former Bronc Hoey to Have Number Retired at Hamilton West on February 1, 2007
, Rider University, January 15, 2007. Accessed October 22, 2007. "Former Bronc and current Baltimore Oriole James Hoey will have his number retired by Hamilton West High School on February 1, 2007." Hoey played college baseball for Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. In 2001, 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 operat ...

with the Hyannis Mets 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 thousan ...

Professional career

During the 13th round of the June 2003 MLB amateur draft, the Orioles organization drafted Hoey out of Rider University and signed him on June 11. Initially, Rider University was using him as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

. As a starter, Hoey had a 2.79

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Compa ...

for the rookie-level Bluefield Orioles and also made 15 starts for the Aberdeen IronBirds in

He missed the rest of 2004 and most of due to

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

; the surgery, as well as maturing, allowed him to gain three miles per hour on his fastball. Upon returning from the surgery, he became a relief pitcher. He pitched fifteen innings as a reliever in the short-season Class A New York–Penn League for the Aberdeen IronBirds in 2005 and started in the South Atlantic League with the Delmarva Shorebirds. He became Delmarva's closer at the start of the season; from there, he started a rapid ascent through the Orioles' minor-league system, receiving call-ups to the high-Class A Frederick Keys and the Class AA

Bowie Baysox The Bowie Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. History From 1989 to 1992, ...

before the end of the minor-league season. Across the three levels, he combined for 33 saves and a 2.28 ERA; he allowed three home runs, struck out 73 batters, and walked 18 in 51 innings of work. He was called up to the Orioles on August 23, 2006, and made his first appearance with them against the

. Early in the 2008 season it was announced that Hoey would undergo arthroscopic shoulder surgery and miss the entire year. He began the 2009 season with the

. On December 9, 2010, the Orioles traded Hoey along with fellow minor-league pitcher

Brett Jacobson Brett derives from a Middle English surname meaning "Briton" or "Breton", referring to the Celtic people of Britain and Brittany, France. Brette can be a feminine name. People with the surname * Adrian Brett (born 1945) English flutist and writer ...

to the Minnesota Twins for shortstop

J. J. Hardy James Jerry Hardy (born August 19, 1982) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, and Baltimore Orioles. Hardy attended Sabino High School in T ...

and utility infielder

Brendan Harris Brendan Michael Harris (born August 26, 1980) is an American retired professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Minnesota T ...

. Hoey was called up to the major leagues by Minnesota on April 17, 2011, when they optioned

Jeff Manship Jeffrey Michael Manship (born January 16, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cleveland Indians. Manship ha ...

to the minors. On December 12, 2011, Hoey was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays. Hoey started the 2012 season with the Blue Jays AAA affiliate Las Vegas 51s. The

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 level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

transaction page for October 10 shows that Hoey elected free agency. He was signed by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

to a minor league contract on December 22, 2012.

Personal

Hoey has begun a charity golf tournament, to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

References

External links

Scout.com: Minor League Pitcher of the Year: Jim HoeyShoulder surgery ends Hoey's season
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoey, Jim Major League Baseball pitchers Baltimore Orioles players Minnesota Twins players Aberdeen IronBirds players Bluefield Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Delmarva Shorebirds players Frederick Keys players Hamilton High School West alumni Hyannis Harbor Hawks players Las Vegas 51s players Norfolk Tides players Rochester Red Wings players Somerset Patriots players Rider Broncs baseball players Baseball players from New Jersey People from Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Mercer County, New Jersey 1982 births Living people Nashville Sounds players