Joe Alexander Jiménez (born January 17, 1995) is a Puerto Rican 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 ...

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for the

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(MLB). He made his MLB debut with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

in 2017 and was an

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in 2018.

Professional career

Minor leagues (2013–2016)

Jiménez signed with the

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in June 2013. He made his professional debut that year with the

Gulf Coast Tigers The Florida Complex League Tigers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Tigers. The team plays its home game ...

. He spent 2014 with the

Connecticut Tigers The Norwich Sea Unicorns are a baseball team located in Norwich, Connecticut. From 2010 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They play ...

and started 2015 with the

West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpar ...

. During the 2015 season, Jiménez went 5–1 with a 1.47 ERA, a 0.791 WHIP and 17 saves in 40 appearances for West Michigan, and was named the Tigers Minor League Pitcher of the Year. During the 2016 season, Jiménez pitched for the

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. ...

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...

and the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

. In July, he pitched in the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

. He had a 3–3

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with 30 saves, a 1.51

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), 0.80

walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a Sabermetrics, sabermetric measurement of the number of Baserunning#Becoming a runner, baserunners a pitcher has allowed per Innings pitched, inning pitched. WHIP is calculate ...

(WHIP), and a .144

batting average against In baseball statistics, batting average against (denoted by BAA or AVG), also known as opponents' batting average (denoted by OBA), is a statistic that measures a pitcher's ability to prevent hits during official at bats. It can alternatively be ...

with 78

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s over

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

. Jiménez was named the Tigers Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Jiménez began the 2017 season with the Mud Hens. Jiménez played for the Puerto Rican national team in the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts wer ...

prior to the 2017 season, where he won a silver medal.

Detroit Tigers (2017–2022)

On April 10, 2017, the

purchased Jiménez's contract, promoting him to the major league roster. He made his Major League debut for the Tigers on April 13 in a game against the

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) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

, pitching a scoreless ninth inning, while recording one strikeout. He was optioned back to the Mud Hens after the game. Jiménez was called up again on July 31, 2017, after Justin Wilson was traded. In 24 games, he had an ERA of 12.32 in 19 innings. Jiménez began the 2018 season in the Tigers bullpen, primarily filling a setup role. He earned his first major league save on June 2, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

. On July 8, 2018, Jiménez was selected to play in the 2018 All-Star Game, his first All-Star appearance. Through the All-Star break, Jiménez had a 2.72 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 13 holds, 3 saves, and 48 strikeouts in 43 innings. Following the All-Star break, Jiménez had some struggles, posting a 7.78 ERA over the remainder of the season. He finished the season with a 5–4 record, 4.31 ERA, and 78 strikeouts in innings, while appearing in a team-high 68 games. Jiménez began the 2019 season in a setup role, but assumed the closer role for the Tigers following the July 31, 2019, trade of Shane Greene to the Atlanta Braves. He saved 9 games and posted a 4.37 ERA. Jiménez also struck out 82 batters in innings for a career-high 12.4/9 IP strikeout rate. With the 2020 Detroit Tigers, Jiménez appeared in 25 games, compiling a 1–3 record with 7.15 ERA and 22 strikeouts in innings pitched. On January 15, 2021, the Tigers and Jiménez agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract, avoiding arbitration. On March 27, 2021, the Tigers optioned Jiménez to the team's alternate training site in Toledo. Before the Toledo Mud Hens season began, Jiménez was recalled to the Tigers on April 15. He was optioned back to Toledo on April 21, then recalled again on May 8. Jiménez made 52 relief appearances for the 2021 Tigers, posting a 6–1 record with a 5.96 ERA while striking out 57 batters in innings. On March 22, 2022, the Tigers and Jiménez agreed on a one-year contract worth $1.79 million, avoiding arbitration. He responded with one of his best seasons as a Tiger. Appearing mostly in middle relief, he made 62 appearances, posting a 3–2 record with a 3.49 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, while striking out 77 batters in innings.

Atlanta Braves (2023–present)

On December 7, 2022, the Tigers traded Jiménez to the

in exchange for Justyn-Henry Malloy and Jake Higginbotham. On January 13, 2023, Jiménez signed a one-year, $2.765 million contract with the Braves, avoiding salary arbitration. On November 2, 2023, Jiménez signed a three-year contract with the Braves worth $26 million. After a career high in innings pitched (), alongside a 2.62 ERA and three saves during the 2024 season, Jiménez underwent surgery on his left knee, and was expected to miss at least eight months of the 2025 season.

Pitch selection

Jiménez mixes three primary pitches. He throws a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch (baseball), pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the fastest ball thrown by a pitcher. It is s ...

that averages , topping out at . His offspeed pitches include a slider that averages and a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

averaging .

Personal life

Joe is the younger brother of former Texas Rangers catcher A. J. Jiménez.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jimenez, Joe 1995 births Living people 2017 World Baseball Classic players American League All-Stars Atlanta Braves players Connecticut Tigers players Detroit Tigers players Erie SeaWolves players Gigantes de Carolina (baseball) players Gulf Coast Tigers players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from San Juan, Puerto Rico Toledo Mud Hens players West Michigan Whitecaps players