| Josh Zeid | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Zeid in 2016 | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1987-03-24)March 24, 1987 (age 37) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| July 30, 2013, for the Houston Astros | |||||||||||||||
| Last MLB appearance | |||||||||||||||
| July 24, 2014, for the Houston Astros | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 0–1 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 5.21 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 42 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Joshua Alexander Zeid (/zaɪd/ZYDE;Hebrew:ג'וש זייד; born March 24, 1987) is anAmerican-Israeli former professionalbaseballpitcher and current coach. He plays forTeam Israel. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theHouston Astros.
Zeid played for thegold-medal-winning Team USA Youth National Team in 2003. In his senior year in high school he was named Gatorade Connecticut High School Player of the Year, andBaseball America ranked him the nation's 27th-best prospect. He was drafted in the 10th round of the2009 Major League Baseball Draft, and in 2010 he was named aSouth Atlantic League midseason All-Star, and won theMiLB Best Reliever (Class A–Full Season) Award. He debuted in the major leagues with the Houston Astros in 2013.
He pitched forTeam Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, and was named to the2017 All-World Baseball Classic team. Hisfastball reached 97 mph.
After retiring from major league baseball, Zeid joined theChicago Cubs front office as a pitching analyst. In November 2019, he obtainedIsraeli citizenship so that he could play for Team Israel inbaseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He pitched for Team Israel at the2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.
Zeid was born to Ira (a dentist) and Karen Zeid (who works at asenior center) inNew Haven, Connecticut, grew up inWoodbridge, Connecticut, and is Jewish.[1][2][3][4][5] As a child he had abar mitzvah, went toHebrew school three days a week, and attendedCongregation B'nai Jacob.[1][6] He always wears aStar of David around his neck and achai, and as to being Jewish, he said: “If you become a successful athlete, you should let people know where you’re from.”[7][2]
In January 2013 he married the former Stephanie Tiedemann, a doctor ofneuropsychology atThe University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, and a former Vanderbilt (2007) andFlorida Institute of Technology (Masters/Doctor of Psychology) student.[8][9][10] They have two sons, Parker and Barrett.[11][12]
Zeid was a pitcher for the Hornets atHamden Hall Country Day School (2005), where he had 400 strikeouts, a school record.[7][10] In addition to pitching, he played first base, shortstop, and center field.[13] He played for the gold-medal-winning Team USA Youth National Team in 2003, and was anAFLAC All American in 2004.[5]
In his junior and senior years he led his high school team to two straight New England Championships, and a record of 54–15.[13][7] In his junior year in 2004, he struck out 68 batters in 42 innings and had a 1.66 ERA, while batting .412.[14] In his senior year, he struck out 130 batters in 65.0 innings and batted .450, and was team captain.[13][5][7] That year, he was the Gatorade Connecticut High School Player of the Year,Baseball America ranked him the country's 27th-best prospect, and he was aLouisville Slugger, National High School Baseball Coaches Association,Collegiate Baseball, andStreet & Smith All American.[13][5][7] He played for the Long Island Titans in the summer of his senior year. They finished 43–5.[5] He earned two varsity letters in basketball.[5]
He played college baseball, pitching for theVanderbiltCommodores baseball team for two years, and then forTulane University, where he pitched for theGreen Wave baseball team and was an English major.[7][15] He also pitched for theTorrington Twisters of theNew England Collegiate Baseball League in 2006, and for theHarwich Mariners of theCape Cod Collegiate Baseball League in 2007.[13][5][16] In the 2016-17 off-season, he took a class at Tulane, as he had just a few credits left in order to obtain his degree.[17] He graduated in January 2019.[18]
He was drafted out of Tulane by thePhiladelphia Phillies in the 10th round of the2009 Major League Baseball Draft as a starter.[7] Zeid received a $10,000signing bonus.[19][20] He pitched as a starter for the Single–AWilliamsport Crosscutters, and had an 8–5 record with a 2.94 ERA, holding batters to a .217 average.[15]
In 2010, he pitched for theLakewood BlueClaws and split his season between starting and relieving, finishing the season 8–4 with 8 saves, a 2.93 ERA, 111 strikeouts in 107.3 innings, and 27 walks. He was named aSouth Atlantic League midseason All-Star, won theMiLB Best Reliever (Single–A) award, andBaseball America named him the # 23 prospect in the Phillies organization and said he had the bestslider of any pitcher in their minor league system.[15][21][22][23] In the off-season he played for theMesa Solar Sox of theArizona Fall League where he was named an AFL Rising Star, blogging about his experience for MLB.com.[15][21]
He played for Double-A Reading in 2011, starting the season in its starting rotation before moving to the bullpen.
Zeid was traded on July 29, 2011, along withJonathan Singleton,Jarred Cosart, andDomingo Santana to theHouston Astros for All Star right fielderHunter Pence.[7][15][24][25]
After the season, Zeid pitched for theSalt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League, where he was named an AFL Rising Star.[15]
Going into 2012, he was ranked #19 in the Astros system by baseball writer Jonathan Mayo, for his "plusfastball" and "nastyslider."[26] In 2012, Zeid pitched as a reliever for an entire season for the first time, pitching in 47 games for the Double-ACorpus Christi Hooks, and striking out 66 batters in 56.1 innings.[15]
In March 2013, Zeid was looking to add a third pitch to his fastball and slider.[4] In 2013, he threw a 95–97 mph fastball, and a hard slider.[9] Only the top 15 percent of major league pitchers throw a 95 mph fastball.[2]
He pitched as thecloser for the Triple–AOklahoma City RedHawks in 2013, with a 4–1 record, 13 saves in 15 save opportunities (tied for the club lead), and 3.50 ERA over 43 games, as Zeid struck out 53 batters in 43.2 innings.[9][27][28]
Zeid was called up to the majors for the first time on July 29, 2013.[29][30] In 25 relief appearances he stranded 15 of 17inherited runners, and held lefties to a .178 batting average.[28] He ended 2013 with a 0–1 record and a 3.90 ERA in27+2⁄3 innings pitched.
He made 23 appearances in 2014, recording a 6.97 ERA before suffering fromsesamoiditis and being shut down in July for foot surgery known as sesamoidectomy. Zeid underwent the procedure to both feet, with the second foot surgery, to his left foot, taking place in October 2014.[31][32][33][34] He was expected to recover three months following his surgery.[33]
Pitching for Houston, according toFangraphs, Zeid threw about 60% fastballs with an average velocity of 94.3 mph, in addition to sliders and an occasionalchangeup.[35]
In 2014, he again pitched for Oklahoma City, going 2-2 with 7 saves and a 2.45 ERA in 17 relief appearances, as in 18.1 innings Zeid gave up 2 walks and had 21 strikeouts.[36]
Zeid was claimed offwaivers by theDetroit Tigers on November 20, 2014.[37] Zeid had pitched for Tiger managerBrad Ausmus on Team Israel in the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifiers.[38] On March 24, 2015, he was optioned to theToledo Mud Hens of the Triple–AInternational League, and pitching for the Mud Hens he went 4-3 with 2 saves and a 4.46 ERA in 42 games, 4 of which were starts.[39][36]
On April 7, 2016, Zeid signed with theNew Britain Bees of theAtlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 8 games (7 starts) 37.1 innings he struggled going 2-3 with a 5.06 ERA with 43 strikeouts and he threw 1 complete game.
On June 10, 2016, Zeid signed a minor league contract with theNew York Mets. He made his debut for their Double–A affiliate, theBinghamton Mets. Zeid pitched6+2⁄3 innings while striking out six batters. He spent the remainder of the season pitching for Binghamton and the Triple–ALas Vegas 51s, going an aggregate 7-6 with a 4.61 ERA.[17] Zeid elected free agency following the season on November 7.[40]
Zeid signed a minor league contract with theSt. Louis Cardinals on March 21, 2017.[41] He pitched for theMemphis Redbirds of the Triple–APacific Coast League, going 9-4 (his 9 wins tied for 6th-most in the league) and striking out 95 batters in 102 innings as he pitched in 33 games, starting 12 of them.[42][36][43] He elected free agency on November 6.[44]
Zeid announced his retirement from professional baseball on April 5, 2018, at 31 years of age, saying "You have to throw in the mid-to-high-90s, consistently, or there’s someone 10 years younger than you who will."[45]
In January 2019 through January 2023, Zeid was a rehab pitching coordinator and player development pitching analyst for theChicago Cubs.[46][47] He also ran the Pitch Lab in Arizona for the team.[47][48]
Zeid joined theTexas Rangers organization as the pitching coach of theFrisco RoughRiders of theDouble-ATexas League prior to the 2023 season.[49]
As of July 2023, Zeid was entering his first season (2023-24) as the Pitching Coach and Pitching Analyst atSan Jacinto College in Houston, Texas.[50]
Zeid played for theIsraeli national baseball team in the2013 World Baseball Classic qualifier in September 2012, under managerBrad Ausmus.[51][52][53] He pitched in all 3 games, earning a save in Israel’s victory over Spain.[54] His mother said: "As we watched the games ... we loved ... thenachas andkvelling that goes deep into our hearts."[54] During the opening game, against South Africa, Zeid pitched 1.2 innings, giving up a walk on three strike outs, and was credited with a hold.[55] During the second game, against Spain, Zeid gave up a hit and an earned run while recording a save.[56] During the third and final game, the qualifying game, once again against Spain, he gave up a hit and two earned runs, while walking one and striking out two, in a game that Zeid was credited with the loss.[57]
Zeid pitched forIsrael at the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifier, and had a 1.35 ERA in6+2⁄3 innings.[58][6] In the first game of the series Zeid threw 48 pitches over 3.2 innings, giving up 2 hits and an earned run while striking out 2.[59] UnderWorld Baseball Classic rules any pitcher who throws over 50 pitches cannot pitch again for four days, therefore by pulling Zeid before reaching this limit, it enabled Israel to utilize Zeid again in the tournament. During the third and final game of the tournament, Zeid was the winning pitcher, after throwing 37 pitches over 3 innings of no hit ball, while giving up a walk and recording 3 strikeouts.[60]
Zeid again pitched forIsrael, at the 2017 World Baseball Classic main tournament, in March 2017.[61] In the first game of round one, he was the winning pitcher as # 41-ranked Israel defeated # 3-ranked South Korea, with Zeid striking out four batters in three innings.[62] Zeid said the win was the pinnacle of his career: "This has to be it. This has to be the top, top win as a team, I think in my career. I’ve been lucky enough to be part of a couple of championships in the lower levels in the minor leagues and in high school, but nothing compares to this stage."[63] Overall, he was 1-0 with 2 saves and pitched 10 shutout innings giving up 5 hits, including 4 scoreless innings as a starting pitcher against world # 1 Team Japan, as his fastball hit 96 mph.[64][65][20]
Following the conclusion of the tournament, pitcher Josh Zeid was named to the2017 All-World Baseball Classic team.[66] In November 2019, he obtainedIsraeli citizenship so that he could play for Team Israel inbaseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[67]
His fastball in 2021 was approximately 92 mph.[68]
He pitched for Team Israel at the2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.[69] He was 0-0 with an ERA of 3.12, as in three games (starts against Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and a relief appearance against South Korea) he pitched 8.2 innings and held batters to a .214 batting average.[69]
Zeid pitched for Team Israel in the2023 European Baseball Championship in September 2023 in theCzech Republic.[70]
