Jordy Joe Mercer (born August 27, 1986) 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 ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

. 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

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. Prior to beginning his professional career, he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

. He has also competed for the

United States national baseball team The United States national baseball team, also known as Team USA, represents the United States in international level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The United S ...

in international competition. Mercer bats and throws right-handed.

Amateur career

Mercer attended Taloga High School in Taloga, Oklahoma. Mercer earned All-State honors in high school and played three seasons starting at shortstop for the Elk City Travelers of Oklahoma amateur baseball organization. Out of high school, the

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

drafted Mercer in the 26th round (796th overall) of the

2005 MLB draft The 2005 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best drafts in recent memory. ''SourceMajor L ...

. Mercer did not sign, as he did not feel ready for professional baseball. Mercer attended

Oklahoma State University–Stillwater Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

, where he played baseball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team in the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

. At Oklahoma State, Mercer was a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

and

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, ...

, serving as the team's closer. He was named to the Big 12 All-Star Team as a utility player in 2006 and 2008. He set the Oklahoma State record for saves. In the summer of 2007, following his sophomore year at Oklahoma State, Mercer joined the U.S. national baseball team. He competed in the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Rio 2007, were a major Americas, continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of ...

, winning silver, and

2007 World Port Tournament The 2007 World Port Tournament was an international baseball competition held at the DOOR Neptunus Familiestadion in Rotterdam, the Netherlands from August 2–12, 2007. It was the 11th edition of the tournament and featured teams from Chinese Ta ...

, winning silver. Mercer competed for the U.S. team in the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Guadalajara 2011, were an international multi-sport event held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby c ...

, winning silver. He also competed for the U.S. in the

2011 Baseball World Cup The 2011 Baseball World Cup (BWC) was the 39th international Men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, which titled it the Amateur World Series from the 1938 tournament through the ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates drafted Mercer in the third round, with the 79th overall selection, of the 2008 MLB draft, choosing him as a shortstop. He began his professional career that season with the

State College Spikes The State College Spikes are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in State College, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Medlar Field on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. The team was fo ...

of the Low–A

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

, before he was promoted to the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans St ...

of the Single–A

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 ...

. In 2009, Mercer played for the

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinn ...

of the High–A

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

, finishing fifth in the Carolina League and second in the Pirates' farm system with 83

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 ...

(RBI). He was promoted to the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...

of the Double-A Eastern League in 2010. He began the 2010 season with Altoona, before receiving a promotion to the

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 ...

of the Triple-A of 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 (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

. The Pirates added him to their 40-man roster after the 2011 season 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 ...

. On May 29, 2012, the Pirates optioned Yamaico Navarro to Indianapolis and promoted Mercer to MLB. Mercer recorded his first MLB hit off

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

pitcher

Johnny Cueto Johnny Cueto Ortiz (; born February 15, 1986) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago W ...

on May 30, 2012. Mercer got only 9 at-bats with the Pirates before being sent back to Indianapolis on June 24, 2012. On May 3, 2013, Mercer was called up from Indianapolis and led the Pirates to a 3–1 victory over the Washington Nationals with a two-run home run. On May 11, 2013, he had his first multiple home run game with two home runs against the

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

. Mercer was sent back to Indianapolis when

Neil Walker Neil Martin Andrew Walker (born September 10, 1985) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and current broadcaster. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Milwaukee Bre ...

was activated from the disabled list on May 13. Mercer was recalled on May 15 when John McDonald was placed on the disabled list. Mercer was named the new Pirates starting shortstop for the 2014 season, with

Clint Barmes Clint Harold Barmes (, born March 6, 1979) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2003 through 2015 for the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, and ...

becoming his backup. In his first full season as a starter, Mercer hit .255 with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs in 149 games. Mercer competed with Korean rookie

Jung-ho Kang Jung-ho Kang (; ; born April 5, 1987) is a South Korean former professional baseball third baseman. He played in the KBO League for the Hyundai Unicorns and Nexen Heroes, as well as in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. ...

for playing time in 2015. On July 19, 2015, Mercer suffered a leg contusion and sprained

medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), also called the superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint and occurs in ...

after being slid into at second base by Brewers outfielder

Carlos Gómez Carlos Argelis Gómez Peña, nicknamed Go-Go, (; born December 4, 1985) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Ra ...

. Mercer's season was cut short to 116 games, hitting .244 with 3 home runs. In 2016, he played in 149 games, establishing career highs in at bats (519), runs (66), RBIs (59) and walks (51). The following season, Mercer hit a career high 14 home runs in 145 games. In 2018, Mercer was placed on the disabled list on August 16 due to a calf injury. He ended the season playing in 117 games, hitting .251 with 6 home runs. After the

2018 MLB season The 2018 Major League Baseball season began on March 29. The regular season ended on October 1, extended a day for tiebreaker games to decide the winners of the National League Central and National League West. The postseason began on October ...

, and eleven years in the Pirates organization, Mercer became a

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 ...

Detroit Tigers

On December 14, 2018, he signed a one-year $5.25 million deal with the

. On April 13, 2019, he was placed on the injured list with a right quad injury. He was recalled on April 30, but went back on the injured list May 8 and did not return to major league action until July 1. Mercer was solid at the plate over the last two months of the season, hitting .342 in August and .302 in September, to finish the 2019 season at .270. He also had 9 home runs and drove in 22 runs in 256 at-bats. Mercer became a free agent following the 2019 season. On January 30, 2020, the Tigers signed Mercer to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. Mercer was released by the Tigers prior to the 2020 season in March; he re-signed with the Tigers on a minor league pact shortly after his release. Mercer made the

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster for the Tigers in 2020. On August 6, Mercer was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and he elected free agency.

New York Yankees

On August 17, 2020, Mercer signed a minor league contract with the

. The Yankees promoted Mercer to the major leagues on August 28. On September 1, Mercer was designated for assignment by the Yankees.

Washington Nationals

On February 5, 2021, Mercer signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On March 27, 2021, Mercer was selected to the 40-man roster. On April 10, 2021, Mercer had 3 hits in his debut with the Nationals. On June 30, Mercer hit his first home run with the team. On April 5, 2022, Mercer announced his retirement from professional baseball.

Personal

Mercer and his wife, Kacey, have two sons. Mercer grew up an

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 ...

fan.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercer, Jordy 1986 births Living people Altoona Curve players Baseball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Baseball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Baseball players from Oklahoma Detroit Tigers players Harrisburg Senators players Hickory Crawdads players Indianapolis Indians players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball shortstops Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Mesa Solar Sox players New York Yankees players Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball players Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in baseball People from Dewey County, Oklahoma Pittsburgh Pirates players State College Spikes players United States national baseball team players Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen