Connor Joe

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

2014
INJURED

Joe suffered a back strain before he reported to Jamestown and spent the remainder of the summer rehabbing.

2015
A:  245/366/303, 290 AB, 12 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 50 BB, 34 K, 0-4 SB

The Pirates were very cautious with Joe’s rehab.  He didn’t appear at West Virginia until May 11 and got numerous days off once he did start playing.  He didn’t exactly struggle at the plate.  He had a low strikeout rate and drew a lot of walks, although for an experienced college hitter in low A that’s not generally a strong indicator.  What he didn’t do was hit the ball with much authority.  On defense, although he played some at third during spring training, he played only first base for the Power.

2016
A+:  277/351/392, 390 AB, 26 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 45 BB, 84 K, 2-6 SB

Joe was the primary third baseman at Bradenton.  He played third exclusively and struggled defensively, which isn’t a huge surprise.  He had 25 errors and an .892 fielding percentage, and didn’t show good reactions at the position.  Once Wyatt Mathisen returned from his shoulder injury, he saw time at third, and Chase Simpson played there some as well, as the Marauders were overloaded with corner players.  As a result, Joe played in only 107 of the team’s 134 regular season games.  He did, however, stay healthy.  At the plate, he got off to a bad start.  He had a .582 OPS in April and .688 in May, and struck out in a quarter of his ABs while seeing his walk rate drop sharply.  In June, he started hitting, posting a 306/386/428 line the rest of the year.  His plate discipline returned, as he had 32 walks and 43 strikeouts, less than one every five ABs.  Joe crushed LHPs, with a 1.011 OPS, but posted only a .641 mark against RHPs.  All of Joe’s numbers have to be considered in the context of the Florida State League, which is the best pitchers environment in the minors.  The league had only a 250/321/356 slash line on the season.  McKechnie Field in Bradenton played as the league’s best hitters park a few years ago, but that hasn’t been true in recent seasons.  Joe had a .796 OPS at home and .696 on the road.

2017
A-:  250/308/333, 12 AB, 1 2B, 1 BB, 4 K
AA:  240/338/380, 242 AB, 11 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 34 BB, 40 K, 2-6 SB
AA (Atl):  135/233/154, 52 AB, 1 2B, 6 BB, 18 K, 0-1 SB

Joe spent the first four months of the season with Altoona, apart from missing a few weeks in July.  He split hit time between first base and right field, and didn’t hit much, although he at least had good walk and K rates.  In early August, the Pirates traded Joe to Atlanta for Sean Rodriguez.  He hit almost nothing over the last month with the Braves.  Near the end of the season, Atlanta traded Joe to the Dodgers for international pool money.

2018
AA:  304/425/554, 204 AB, 16 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 38 BB, 57 K, 1-3 SB
AAA:  294/385/494, 160 AB, 10 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 22 BB, 31 K, 2-2 SB

Joe split the season between AA and AAA, and for the first time showed the bat that scouts had expected.  He hit for average and power at both levels, and continued to show good plate discipline.  The Dodgers played Joe at the infield corners, but he had serious error problems at third, posting a fielding percentage of .888.  After the season, the Reds selected Joe in the Rule 5 draft.

2019
AAA (LAD):  300/426/503, 360 AB, 26 2B, 1 3B, 15 HR, 72 BB, 81 K, 1-3 SB
MLB (SF):  067/125/067, 15 AB, 1 BB, 5 K

During spring training, Cincinnati traded Joe to San Francisco, which meant that the Giants still had to keep him in the majors all year.  He lasted only 15 ABs, then the Giants designated him for assignment.  After he cleared waivers, they offered him back to the Dodgers.  Joe continued hitting well at the AAA level.  The Dodgers played him mostly at first, but he saw a little time at third and in the outfield corners.

2020
DNP

Joe didn’t see any action during the pandemic season.  Afterward, he became a free agent and signed a minor league deal with Colorado.

2021
AAA:  326/418/596, 92 AB, 7 2B, 9 HR, 15 BB, 22 K, 1-1 SB
MLB:  285/379/469, 179 AB, 9 2B, 8 HR, 26 BB, 41 K

The Rockies added Joe to their 40-man roster and called him up in early May.  He was up and down several times before he came to the majors to stay at the beginning of August.  He missed most of September, though, with a hamstring injury.  Joe didn’t hit well in his first few weeks in the majors, but as the season went along he began hammering the ball at both levels.  In the majors, Joe pummeled LHPs for a .941 OPS.  He had a solid .814 against RHPs.  Coors Field helped his hitting immensely, as he had a 1.035 OPS at home and .723 on the road.  In the field, Joe played first and the outfield corners.

2022
MLB:  238/338/359, 404 AB, 20 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 55 BB, 97 K, 6-8 SB

Joe spent the season with Colorado.  He spent most of his time in left, but also played some at first and in right.  His hitting tailed off sharply.  He again had a platoon split, with a .744 OPS against LHPs and .671 against RHPs.  And Coors helped again, as he had a .747 OPS at home and .646 on the road.  Joe again played first and the outfield corners.  After the season, the Pirates acquired him in a trade for Nick Garcia.

The Pirates have needed right-handed hitters for first base and the outfield, a need that just grew when they acquired Ji-Man Choi.  They then acquired Andrew McCutchen, which left Joe with a dubious role, but he made the team anyway.  He has two options left.