| Josh Wolf | |
|---|---|
| San Francisco Giants | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (2000-09-01)September 1, 2000 (age 24) Bellaire, Texas | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
Joshua David Wolf (born September 1, 2000) is an Americanprofessional baseballpitcher in theSan Francisco Giants organization. He has also pitched for theIsraeli national baseball team.
Wolf was born inBellaire, Texas, and is Jewish.[1] He had hisBar Mitzvah at theWestern Wall inJerusalem, and was a member ofCongregation Beth Israel in Houston.[2][3][4] His mother is from Israel and his father is fromCincinnati.[2]
Wolf attendedSt. Thomas High School inHouston,Texas. Wolf played for the school's baseball team and was twice named All-State.[5] As a junior he was 4-1 with a 1.06earned run average (ERA), and 53strikeouts in 39innings.[6] In his senior year, he struck out 126 batters in 69 innings, had a 1.52 ERA, and was named Outstanding Male High School Athlete of the Year by the Jewish Sports Heritage Association.[5] He committed to attendTexas A&M University.[7][8]
TheNew York Mets selected Wolf in the second round, with the 53rd overall selection, of the2019 MLB draft.[9][7][10] He was ranked the 36th-best prospect by MLB.com, and the 55th-best prospect byBaseball America.[9] At the time of the draft, he could throw a 97 miles per hour (156 km/h)fastball, and had an above averagecurveball.[11] He signed with the Mets for a $2.15 millionsigning bonus, forgoing his commitment to Texas A&M.[12][13] He made his professional debut in 2019 with theRookie-levelGulf Coast League Mets, going 0–1 with a 3.38 earned run average over eight innings, in which he struck out 12 batters and walked one batter.[14]
Wolf did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[15]
On January 7, 2021, the Mets traded Wolf,Amed Rosario,Andrés Giménez, andIsaiah Greene to theCleveland Indians forFrancisco Lindor andCarlos Carrasco. At the time, Wolf was the number 9 prospect in the Mets system.[16] Indians president of baseball operationsChris Antonetti said: “He's a young, hard-throwing right-handed pitcher with a good mix of pitches. He's got an above-average fastball, up to 96 [mph]. He's got a really good slider. His changeup is his third pitch, and that's developing. He has the ingredients to develop into a successful starting Major League pitcher.”[16]
For the 2021 season, Wolf was assigned to theLynchburg Hillcats of theLow-A East.[17] Over 18 games (17 starts), Wolf went 1–3 with a 5.35 ERA, striking out 67 batters over65+2⁄3 innings.[18] He split 2022 between the rookie–levelArizona Complex League Guardians and Lynchburg, and was 2-2 with a 5.61 ERA, striking out 25 batters in 25.2 innings.[14]
Wolf pitched for theIsraeli national baseball team in the2023 World Baseball Classic.[19] He split the 2023 campaign between the ACL Guardians andHigh-ALake County Captains, struggling to a combined 6.11 ERA with 47 strikeouts across45+2⁄3 innings pitched.[20]
Wolf was released by the Guardians organization on May 19, 2024 after posting a 5.11earned run average over12+1⁄3 innings in 10 relief appearances for High–A Lake County.
On May 23, 2024, Wolf signed a minor league contract with theSan Francisco Giants.[21]