Justin Robert Topa (born March 7, 1991) 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 ...
of
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
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
and
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
. Topa was drafted by 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 ...
in the
2013 MLB draft
The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of t ...
.
Amateur career
Topa was a four-year letter winner at Chenango Valley High School where he led his team to the Section 4 Class-B Championships in 2008 and 2009. He was named to the All-Conference team and third-team All-State squad as a pitcher while also earning All-Division as a second baseman. He also played on the golf, hockey and basketball teams.
Topa attended
LIU Brooklyn
LIU Brooklyn is a private university in Brooklyn, New York. It is the original unit and first of two main campuses of the private Long Island University system.
Campus
LIU Brooklyn is located at the intersection of Flatbush and DeKalb Aven ...
where he finished his
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, ...
career with 20 wins, 200 strikeouts and 13 complete games. He was named NEC Rookie of the week three times, Louisville Slugger Player of the Week, Northeast Pitcher of the Week, and ECAC Co-Pitcher of the week honors during the 2010 season. He missed the 2012 season recovering from
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, ...
.
Despite the injury, the
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 ...
drafted him in the 33rd round of the
2012 MLB draft
The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...
, but he did not sign with the team.
Career
Pittsburgh Pirates
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 ...
drafted Topa in the 17th round, 509th overall, of the
2013 MLB Draft
The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of t ...
.
He signed with the team on June 13 and made his professional debut with the
Jamestown Jammers
The Jamestown Jammers were a minor league baseball team based in Jamestown, New York from 1994 until 2014. The team was the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in the New York–Penn League. The team play ...
of the
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 ...
on June 18, 2013, in relief at the
Mahoning Valley Scrappers
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...
pitching one inning, allowing one hit, and striking out one. Topa finished the season with a 5–2
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 ...
and 2.19
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). Topa spent 2014 with the
West Virginia Power
The Charleston Dirty Birds are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a MLB Partner League, partner league ...
. He missed the 2015 season recovering from a second Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow. He played for the
Bradenton Marauders
The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...
in 2016. Topa was released by the Pirates on April 1, 2017.
Rockland Boulders
In May 2017, Topa signed with the
Rockland Boulders of the
Can-Am League
The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional baseball league with teams in Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. Founded in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio, the league was for ...
. He pitched in 20 games for Rockland, carrying a 3.50 ERA with 80 strikeouts over innings pitched. He also rediscovered his love of baseball in the independent league.
He began the 2018 season with Rockland as well an appeared in 4 games with the club, pitching to a 4.43 ERA with 15 strikeouts over 20.1 innings with the club.
Texas Rangers
On June 17, 2018, Topa signed a minor league contract with the
Texas Rangers. He spent the majority of the season with the Double-A
Frisco RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...
and also appeared in one game for the High-A
Down East Wood Ducks
The Down East Wood Ducks were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They were located in Kinston, North Carolina, and are named for the wood duck, a colorful local waterfowl. Establi ...
. In 9 games (6 starts) for Frisco, Topa recorded a 5.71 ERA with 34 strikeouts across 41 innings. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.
Milwaukee Brewers
On March 28, 2019, Topa signed a minor league contract with the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
. He spent the majority of the season with the
Biloxi Shuckers
The Biloxi Shuckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Biloxi, Mississippi, and are named in ref ...
and also played for the
Carolina Mudcats
The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games ...
. On July 28, 2020, the Brewers added Topa to their 60-man player pool. Topa was called up to the majors for the first time on August 31, 2020 and made his debut that night against 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 ...
. Topa pitched two innings allowing two runs on two hits while striking out two. Topa finished the season with the Brewers and pitched two scoreless innings in Game 1 of the
NL Wild Card Series.
On March 29, 2021, it was announced that Topa had suffered a flexor tendon strain and would miss the first half of the 2021 season. On April 6, Topa was placed on the 60-day
injured list
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL).
General guidelines
...
. On September 4, Topa was activated off of the injured list.
On May 30, 2022, Topa was placed on the 60-day injured list with an elbow injury. He was activated on August 13 and optioned to the Triple-A
Nashville Sounds
The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
. In parts of three seasons with the Brewers, Topa had an 8.35 ERA in innings.
Seattle Mariners
On January 7, 2023, the Brewers traded Topa to the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
for minor league pitcher Joseph Hernandez.
The Mariners traded for Topa because he excelled at inducing ground balls.
Topa was optioned to the Triple-A
Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...
to begin the 2023 season, but joined the team on April 10. In 75 relief outings, Topa registered a 2.61 ERA with 61 strikeouts, 3 saves and two blown saves across 69 innings of work.
Minnesota Twins
On January 29, 2024, the Mariners traded Topa,
Anthony DeSclafani
Anthony James DeSclafani (born April 18, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Gia ...
,
Gabriel González, Darren Bowen, and cash to 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 ...
for
Jorge Polanco. On May 15, Topa was diagnosed with a partial tear in the
patellar tendon
The patellar tendon is the distal portion of the common tendon of the quadriceps femoris, which is continued from the patella to the tibial tuberosity. It is also sometimes called the patellar ligament as it forms a bone to bone connection whe ...
in his left knee. He subsequently received a
platelet-rich plasma
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), also known as autologous conditioned plasma, is a concentrate of plasma protein derived from whole blood, centrifuged to remove red blood cells but retaining platelets. Though promoted for treating various medical con ...
injection and was shut down for six weeks. Topa was activated from the injured list on September 25. He pitched in three of the Twins final five games of the season, allowing no runs and one hit in innings.
Personal life
Topa's wife Trish had their first child in 2023.
Growing up, Topa was a batboy for the minor league
Binghamton Mets
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...
.
Topa remains close friends with Jamie Keefe, his manager with the Rockland Boulders.
Topa has collected
baseball cards
A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on cardboard, silk, or plastic. In the 1950s, they came with a stick of gum and a limited number of cards. These cards feature one or more baseball players, teams, s ...
since he was a child, along with his father. In 2024, he appeared on
Topps baseball cards for the first time, initially in a Seattle Mariners team card. Topa posted on social media that he wanted to collect different versions of the Mariners card. Topps created a card of Topa in a later 2024 set, which the Topas also collected.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Topa, Justin
1991 births
Living people
Arizona Complex League Brewers players
Baseball players from Binghamton, New York
Biloxi Shuckers players
21st-century American sportsmen
Bradenton Marauders players
Carolina Mudcats players
Down East Wood Ducks players
Frisco RoughRiders players
Gulf Coast Pirates players
Jamestown Jammers players
LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds baseball players
Madison Mallards players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Milwaukee Brewers players
Minnesota Twins players
Nashville Sounds players
Rockland Boulders players
Seattle Mariners players
St. Paul Saints players
Tacoma Rainiers players
West Virginia Power players