John Thomas Hatch (born September 29, 1994) 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, ...

in 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 ...

organization. He has previously 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

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 ...

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 ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

Career

Amateur career

Hatch attended

Jenks High School Jenks High School is a secondary school located within Tulsa County in Jenks, Oklahoma, United States. It is a part of Jenks Public Schools, which first opened the high school location in 1955 and completing the junior and senior high school in ...

Jenks, Oklahoma Jenks is a city in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States, and a suburb of Tulsa, in the northeastern part of the state. It is situated between the Arkansas River and U.S. Route 75. Jenks is one of the fastest-growing cities in Oklahoma. The city ...

. As a junior, he had a

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 ...

of 7–2 with a 1.60

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). He was not drafted out of high school 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 ...

, and he enrolled at

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 ...

and pitched for the

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National ...

. He pursued a degree in accounting. In 2014, 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

Bourne Braves The Bourne Braves are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Bourne, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Braves play their home games at Doran Park (ballpark) ...

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 1,000 forme ...

. He did not pitch in 2015 due to a sprained

ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspect of the elbow uniting the distal aspect of the humerus to the proximal aspect of the ulna. Structure It consists of two portions ...

, which did not require surgery. He pitched extensively in 2016, as Oklahoma State reached the

2016 College World Series The 2016 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, June 3, 2016, as part of the 2016 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64-team, double-elimination tournament concluded with the 2016 College World Series (CWS) in Omaha, Nebraska, s ...

. In 2016, his junior year, Hatch went 9–3 with a 2.14 ERA in 19 starts, winning the

Big 12 Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year The Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year is a baseball award given to the Big 12 Conference's most outstanding pitcher. The award was first given following the 2001 season. It is selected by the league's head coaches, who are not allowed to vote ...

Award.

Chicago Cubs

The

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

selected Hatch in the third round, with the 104th overall selection, of the

2016 MLB draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

. He signed with the Cubs, receiving a $573,900

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. He did not pitch in 2016 after signing. He made his professional debut in 2017 with the

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs of the National League in Major League Baseball. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games a ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

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 ...

, posting a 5–11 record with a 4.04 ERA in 26 starts. Hatch spent the 2018 season with the

Tennessee Smokies The Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based in Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, fr ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League B ...

Southern League, earning Southern League All-Star honors and compiling an 8–6 record with a 3.82 ERA in 26 starts. He returned to Tennessee to start the 2019 season.

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 30, 2019, the Cubs traded Hatch to the

in exchange for David Phelps. He was assigned to the

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League, is the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Ja ...

, with whom he finished the year. Over 27 starts between Tennessee and New Hampshire, he pitched to a 6–13 record with a 4.12 ERA. Hatch was added to the Blue Jays 40-man roster after the 2019 season. On July 26, 2020, he made his MLB debut. With the 2020 Toronto Blue Jays, Hatch appeared in 17 games, compiling a 3–1 record with 2.73 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched. On April 22, 2021, Hatch was placed on the 60-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation. He was activated from the injured list on July 6. He made only 3 appearances for Toronto in 2021, spending the majority of the year in Buffalo. Hatch made 28 appearances (22 starts) for Triple-A Buffalo in 2022, posting an 8–7 record and 4.67 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 131.0 innings pitched. In one start for the Blue Jays, Hatch allowed a ghastly 10 runs on 12 hits and 2 walks in 4.2 innings of work. Hatch was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to begin the 2023 season. In 6 games for Toronto, he posted a 4.26 ERA with 10 strikeouts in innings pitched. On August 4, 2023, Hatch 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 the Blue Jays.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On August 6, 2023, Hatch was claimed off waivers by the

. In 12 games for the Pirates, he registered a 4.03 ERA with 16 strikeouts in innings of work. Hatch was released by Pittsburgh on November 30 to pursue an opportunity overseas.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

On December 3, 2023, Hatch signed with the

. He made 5 appearances for the Carp in 2024, struggling to an 0–3 record and 7.46 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 22 innings pitched. On November 8, 2024, the Carp announced they would not retain Hatch for the 2025 season, making him a free agent.

Kansas City Royals

On November 18, 2024, Hatch signed with the

Doosan Bears The Doosan Bears () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. Founded in 1982, they are a member of the KBO League. The Bears have won six Korean Series titles (1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, and 2019) and play their home game ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

. However, the contract was voided on December 18, due to concerns over Hatch's physical. On February 7, 2025, Hatch signed a minor league contract with the

. On June 5, the Royals selected Hatch's contract, adding him to their active roster. He went unused in the first game of the team's doubleheader, and was designated for assignment prior to the second game. Hatch cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

on June 8.

References

External links

Oklahoma State Cowboys bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hatch, Thomas 1994 births Living people Baseball players from Tulsa, Oklahoma Bourne Braves players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Major League Baseball pitchers Myrtle Beach Pelicans players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball players Omaha Storm Chasers players Pittsburgh Pirates players Toronto Blue Jays players Tennessee Smokies players