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Revision as of 07:49, 5 March 2007
Baseball player| Jason Hirsh | |
|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies – No. 48 | |
| Starting Pitcher | |
| Bats: RightThrows: Right | |
| debut | |
| August 12, 2006, for the Houston Astros | |
| Career statistics (through October 2, 2006) | |
| Record | 3-4 |
| Innings pitched | 44.2 |
| Strikeouts | 29 |
Stats at Baseball Reference  | |
| Former teams | |
| |
Jason Michael Hirsh, born February 20, 1982, in Santa Monica, CA, is a starting pitcher for the Colorado Rockies in Major League Baseball.
Hirsh, who is Jewish, is fairly large for a baseball player, standing at 6' 8" and weighing 250 lbs. But he’s athletic for his size.
High School
Despite his size, Hirsh drew little interest out of high school because he threw just 86-88 mph. He went undrafted, and no NCAA Division I programs wanted him, so he wound up at Division III California Lutheran.
College
Hirsh attended and played baseball at California Lutheran University, where he was a 3-year starter, and flashed a 97-mph fastball and a mid-80s slider. He compiled a 26-6 record with a 2.96 ERA, striking out 238 batters over 258.1 innings. He is tied for first at the university in career wins (26), and holds the record for the most strikeouts in a game (18). Twice in his college career he was named to the First-Team All-SCIAC, and in 2003 he was also an ABCA All-West Region First-Team selection.
He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 2nd round (59th overall) of the 2003 amateur entry draft, and signed for a $625,000 signing bonus.
Minor leagues
He dominated the New York-Penn League in his pro debut, going 3-1, with a 1.95 ERA, and limiting batters to a .175 average, fanning 33 hitters in 32.1 innings of work. The following season, he skipped the low-A Lexington Legends to record 11 victories at the Advanced-A Salem Avalanche, while honing his secondary pitches.
In 2005 Hirsh was the Texas League Pitcher of the Year with Double A Corpus Christi after finishing with a team-leading 13 wins, and leading the league with 165 strikeouts while ranking second in ERA (2.87) and innings (172.1). He also earned Texas League post-season All-Star honors. He was team MBP, and was the Texas League pitcher of the week three times.
Hirsh was rated as the Astros top prospect by Baseball America heading into the 2006 season, and was also listed with "Best Control" in the organization.
Hirsh began 2006 with the Triple A Round Rock Express, where he had a record of 13-2 (including a 12-game winning streak; an Express record), and a 2.10 ERA and 118 strikeouts (both leading the league). He held batters to a .193 batting average. He was named the 2006 Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year.
He led the Pacific Coast League in wins (13), ranked 2nd in ERA (2.10), and 4th in strikeouts (118) and in innings pitched (137.1). He was named the starting pitcher for the U.S. Team at the 2006 MLB All-Star Futures game in Pittsburgh, and was also named a Triple A All-Star.
He was regarded as the top pitching prospect in the Astros' farm system.
In 2003-06, Hirsh's minor league record was 40-18 with a 2.90 ERA. He pitched 472.1 innings, averaging 7.3 hits, 3.0 walks, and 7.8 strikeouts per 9 innings.
Major leagues
Houston Astros (2006)
Hirsh made his major league debut for the Astros on August 12, 2006. He started 9 games, winning 3 of them. He held batters to a .231 batting average when runners were in scoring position.
Colorado Rockies (2007-present)
On December 12, 2006, the Astros traded Willy Taveras, Taylor Buchholz, and Jason Hirsh to the Colorado Rockies for Rockies pitchers Jason Jennings and Miguel Asencio.
Awards
- 2005 - Texas League All-Star P
- 2005 - Double-A All-Star SP
- 2005 - Texas League Most Outstanding Pitcher
- 2006 - Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year
Pitching
Hirsh has good leverage, and pitches down to hitters. His 2-seam fastball has sink at 91-94 mph, while Hirsh’s hard slider is consistent and has bite at 80-86 mph (mManagers rated it the best breaking ball in the Texas League). Hirsh continues to refine his changeup, which has fair deception and movement in the low-80s. He also throws a 4-seam fastball. He’s not afraid to pitch inside, and throws strikes to both sides of the plate.
He can still improve his command, which is average. Likewise, his changeup can get better, and is the least trustworthy of his three offerings.
Miscellaneous
- Makes his offseason home in Burbank, California.
- The Astros drafted and signed his little brother (6'5"; 235 lbs.) Matt, another Cal Lutheran righty, in the 30th round. Matt went 1-2, 5.61 in 2005 at Rookie-level Greeneville.
External links
- The Baseball Cube stats
- No 10. - MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006 - Minor League News
- "Hirsh a candidate for stardom," 2/15/07