Jordan Blake Balazovic (born September 17, 1998) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and in the KBO League for the Doosan Bears.
| Jordan Balazovic | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Balazovic with the St. Paul Saints in 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Free agent | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born: September 17, 1998 Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
| Professional debut | |||||||||||||||
| MLB: June 18, 2023, for the Minnesota Twins | |||||||||||||||
| KBO: July 14, 2024, for the Doosan Bears | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 1–0 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 4.44 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 17 | ||||||||||||||
| KBO statistics (through 2024 season) | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 2–6 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 4.26 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 69 | ||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Career
editMinnesota Twins
editBalazovic attended St. Martin Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft[1] and he signed, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at Auburn University.[2]
Balazovic spent his first two professional seasons in 2016 and 2017 with the Gulf Coast Twins, posting a 1.97 ERA and a 4.91 ERA, respectively. He spent 2018 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, going 7–3 with a 3.94 ERA in 12 games (11 starts),[3] and returned there to begin 2019 before being promoted to the Fort Myers Miracle.[4][5] In July, he represented the Twins in the 2019 All-Star Futures Game.[6] Over 19 games (18 starts) with Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers, he pitched to an 8–5 record and a 2.69 ERA, striking out 129 over 93+2⁄3 innings. In July and August he played for team Canada in the 2019 Pan American Games.[7]
Balazovic did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] The Twins added Balazovic to their 40-man roster after the 2020 season.[9]
Balazovic spent the 2021 season with the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge, recording a 5–4 record and 3.62 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 97.0 innings pitched across 20 starts. He pitched in 22 games (21 starts) for the Triple-A St. Paul Saints in 2022, but struggled to an 0–7 record and 7.39 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 70.2 innings pitched.
On February 11, 2023, Balazovic suffered a broken jaw after being struck twice by a stranger and had his jaw wired shut.[10] On March 3, Balazovic was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the season.[11] He made 14 appearances, mainly working out of the bullpen,[12] and logged a 4.79 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 35+2⁄3 innings of work. On June 18, Balazovic was promoted to the major leagues for the first time after Jorge Lopez was placed on the injured list.[13] In the major leagues, Balazovic recorded a 1–0 record and a 4.44 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 24.1 innings pitched over 18 games. He was designated for assignment on February 7, 2024.[14] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A on February 13.
Doosan Bears
editOn July 4, 2024, Balazovic signed with the Doosan Bears of the KBO League.[15][16] He made 12 starts, posting a 2–6 record with a 4.26 ERA and 69 strikeouts across 57 innings pitched. Balazovic became a free agent following the season.
References
edit- ^ Colpitts, Iain (June 10, 2016). "Mississauga pitcher Jordan Balazovic drafted by Minnesota Twins". Mississauga.com. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ tigerterrace (June 11, 2016). "Auburn recruits that were drafted". 247sports.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.[dead link]
- ^ "Balazovic carving path into Twins' Future". MiLB.com. July 7, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- ^ "Canadian pitcher Jordan Balazovic continues progression with Cedar Rapids Kernels". The Gazette. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- ^ "Miracle's Balazovic perfect in FSL debut". MiLB.com. May 5, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- ^ Helfand, Betsy (July 7, 2019). "Royce Lewis, Jordan Balazovic represent Twins at Futures Game – Twin Cities". Twincities.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- ^ "Three Former OBJ on Pan Am Roster – Ontario Blue Jays". www.objbaseball.com. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ La Velle E. Neal III (November 24, 2020). "Twins add Balazovic, Ober and Rortvedt to their 40-man roster". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ "Balazovic not letting tough start to key spring slow him down". mlb.com. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ "Twins' Jordan Balazovic: Optioned to Triple-A level". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "Twins' Jordan Balazovic: Moves to bullpen at Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ "Twins' Jordan Balazovic: Called up by Minnesota". cbssports.com. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ "Twins Claim Zack Weiss, Designate Three Players". MLB Trade Rumors. February 7, 2024.
- ^ "Jordan Balazovic Signs With KBO's Doosan Bears". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
- ^ "Doosan Bears Sign Jordan Balazovic, release ex-ace Raul Alcantara". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)