Joseph Barrett Wentz (born October 6, 1997) is an American 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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for 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 ...

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). He has previously played in MLB for 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 ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

selected Wentz with the 40th overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft and traded him to the Tigers in 2019, with whom he made his MLB debut for in 2022.

Early life

Wentz was born on October 6, 1997, to Dave and Jenny Wentz. He first met Riley Pint in second grade, and the two became friends. Wentz attended

Shawnee Mission East High School Shawnee Mission East High School is a public high school in Prairie Village, Kansas, United States, for grades 9 through 12. It is one of five high schools operated by the Shawnee Mission USD 512 school district. Shawnee Mission East High Sc ...

Prairie Village, Kansas Prairie Village is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and located within the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 22,957. History After the successful development of the Coun ...

. He was named the Sunflower League Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016, his junior and senior years. Wentz won the 2015 Junior

Home Run Derby The Home Run Derby is an annual home run hitting competition in Major League Baseball (MLB) customarily held the day before the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, MLB All-Star Game, which places the contest on a Monday in July. In the context ...

at the

2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 86th edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The game was played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio on Tuesday, July 14. It was televised nationally on Fox. The Ameri ...

, hitting one home run that traveled .

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

Wentz committed to the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

. He had been scouted by

(MLB) teams prior to the 2016 MLB draft. Considered a likely first round pick, the

selected him in the first Competitive Balance round, with the 40th overall selection. Wentz chose to sign with the Braves for $3.05 million rather than attend college. Wentz started his career with the

Gulf Coast Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are an American baseball team. They are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast Lea ...

of the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the low ...

and was later promoted to the Danville Braves of the Rookie-level

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...

. He finished the 2016 season with a 1–4

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

, 3.68

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 ...

, and 53

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 in 44

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 ...

. Wentz spent 2017 with the Rome Braves, posting an 8–3 record with a 2.60 ERA in 26 starts, and 2018 with the

Florida Fire Frogs The Florida Fire Frogs were a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League from 2017 to 2020. They were located in North Port, Florida, and served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Founded in 2017, the Fire Frogs ...

where he was 3–4 with a 2.28 ERA in 16 starts.

Detroit Tigers

On July 31, 2019, the Braves traded Wentz and Travis Demeritte to the

in exchange for Shane Greene. In his first full season at the Double–A level, Wentz went 7–8 with a 4.20 ERA and 137 strikeouts in innings. Wentz 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 ...

. He did not participate in the Tigers' alternate training site during the year after undergoing

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery 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 body, ...

in March. On November 20, 2020, the Tigers added Wentz to their 40-man roster to protect him from 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 ...

. He was optioned to the Triple–A

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 ...

to begin the 2021 season. Working his way back from surgery, Wentz pitched a total of 18 games with the Single–A

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. ...

and Double–A

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 ...

, posting an 0–7 record with a 5.25 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 72 innings. On May 11, 2022, Wentz was recalled and promoted to the major leagues for the first time to start against the

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 ...

. In his third start for the Tigers on September 9, Wentz earned his first major league win against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

, allowing no runs in innings while striking out five. In 2023, Wentz pitched in 25 games (19 starts), going 3–13 with a 6.90 ERA and 98 strikeouts across innings. In 38 appearances for the Tigers in 2024, Wentz struggled to a 5.37 ERA with 60 strikeouts over innings pitched. Wentz 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 pla ...

by Detroit on August 30.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On September 3, 2024, Wentz was claimed off waivers by the

, and due to being out of minor league options, he reported directly to the major league team. In eight appearance down the stretch, Wentz recorded a 1.50 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 12 innings of work. Wentz made 19 appearances for Pittsburgh to begin the 2025 season, posting a 2-1 record and 4.15 ERA with 22 strikeouts over 26 innings of work. Wentz was designated for assignment by the Pirates on June 7, 2025.

Minnesota Twins

On June 11, 2025, Wentz was claimed off waivers by the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wentz, Joey 1997 births Living people Baseball players from Lawrence, Kansas Major League Baseball pitchers Detroit Tigers players Pittsburgh Pirates players Minnesota Twins players Gulf Coast Braves players Danville Braves players Rome Braves players Florida Fire Frogs players Mississippi Braves players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Erie SeaWolves players Toledo Mud Hens players