Jesse William Foppert (born July 10, 1980 in
Reading, PennsylvaniaReading is a city and the county seat of Berks County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the center of the Greater Reading Area...
) is a
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is...
who is currently a
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player, whose contract with a team has expired, who's eligible to sign with another franchise. The term came into wide use in North America after sports leagues stopped using a "reserve clause" after much acrimonious collective bargaining, which provided a...
.
Foppert attended
San Rafael High SchoolSan Rafael High School is a coeducational public secondary school located at 185 Mission Avenue in San Rafael, California, United States.The school is part of the San Rafael City Schools school district...
and then went to the
University of San FranciscoThe University of San Francisco is a selective, private, Jesuit university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco...
. He went 8-4 with a 3.75
ERAIn baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. The ERA tells the average number of runs a pitcher would surrender over the course of a full game had he been kept in for the full nine innings...
in 16 games during 2001. Foppert was then selected in the 2nd round (74th overall) by the
San Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California who currently play in the National League West Division. One of the oldest baseball teams, the Giants hold the honor of having won the most games of any team in the history of baseball...
in the
2001 Major League Baseball Draft-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Selections:-Background:The Minnesota Twins selected St. Paul, MN native Joe Mauer with the number one pick in the 2001 draft. The 18-year-old Mauer, a catcher from Cretin High School in St. Paul, became the seventh Minnesotan to be selected in the...
.
After immediately signing with the Giants, Foppert was assigned to the
Salem-Keizer VolcanoesThe Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a minor league baseball team in Keizer, Oregon, United States. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League, and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants since the Volcanoes' inception in 1997...
, the Giants Low Single A team.
Jesse William Foppert (born July 10, 1980 in
Reading, PennsylvaniaReading is a city and the county seat of Berks County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the center of the Greater Reading Area...
) is a
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is...
who is currently a
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player, whose contract with a team has expired, who's eligible to sign with another franchise. The term came into wide use in North America after sports leagues stopped using a "reserve clause" after much acrimonious collective bargaining, which provided a...
.
High school and college
Foppert attended
San Rafael High SchoolSan Rafael High School is a coeducational public secondary school located at 185 Mission Avenue in San Rafael, California, United States.The school is part of the San Rafael City Schools school district...
and then went to the
University of San FranciscoThe University of San Francisco is a selective, private, Jesuit university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco...
. He went 8-4 with a 3.75
ERAIn baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. The ERA tells the average number of runs a pitcher would surrender over the course of a full game had he been kept in for the full nine innings...
in 16 games during 2001. Foppert was then selected in the 2nd round (74th overall) by the
San Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California who currently play in the National League West Division. One of the oldest baseball teams, the Giants hold the honor of having won the most games of any team in the history of baseball...
in the
2001 Major League Baseball Draft-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Selections:-Background:The Minnesota Twins selected St. Paul, MN native Joe Mauer with the number one pick in the 2001 draft. The 18-year-old Mauer, a catcher from Cretin High School in St. Paul, became the seventh Minnesotan to be selected in the...
.
Professional career
After immediately signing with the Giants, Foppert was assigned to the
Salem-Keizer VolcanoesThe Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a minor league baseball team in Keizer, Oregon, United States. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League, and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants since the Volcanoes' inception in 1997...
, the Giants Low Single A team. There, he went 8-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 14 starts and helped the Volcanoes make the playoffs. He was named the Volcanoes Player of the Month for July and August of that year. He helped the Volcanoes to the league title after pitching a 6 inning shutout with 12
strikeoutIn baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters. Pitchers with a greater number of strikeouts are often praised, while batters with a greater number of...
s for the victory in the
Northwest LeagueThe Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Short-Season A classification minor league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...
postseason.
Foppert continued his quick rise through the Giants system. In , he split the season between Double A Shreveport and Triple A
FresnoThe Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball team based in Fresno, California. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League , is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park , located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002...
. He led all of Giants minor leaguers with 183 strikeouts and was named to the
Texas LeagueThe Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a AA league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1890...
All-Star game. He was the Giants minor league player of the year that year.
Foppert was ranked the 5th highest prospect by
Baseball AmericaBaseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
and the best pitching prospect in . He would be in the Giants starting rotation that season. He made one start for Fresno before having his contract purchased on April 10 when
Ryan JensenRyan Jensen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the San Francisco Giants from 2001 to 2003 and for Kansas City Royals in 2005. He won 13 games in 2002 for the Giants....
went on the
disabled listIn Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
. On April 14, he made his major league debut in relief. On April 22, he made his first major league start against the
Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions, in addition to the distinction of playing in the first modern World Series. The Pirates are also often...
, but got the loss as he only lasted 4 innings and gave up 5 runs. He would get his first major league win on May 3 against the
Cincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. They are members of the Central Division of the National League....
when he went 5 1/3 innings and gave up 4 runs.
On August 20, 2003, he was pulled from a start against the
Atlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From to the present, the Braves have played in Turner Field....
after pitching just 3 2/3 innings. He was diagnosed with
neuritisNeuritis is inflammation of a nerve or the general inflammation of the peripheral nervous system.-Symptoms:Symptoms depend on the nerves involved, but may include pain, paresthesia, paresis, hypoesthesia , anesthesia, paralysis, wasting, and disappearance of the...
in his right elbow. He then underwent
Tommy John surgeryTommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
in September 2003. He went 8-9 with a 5.03 ERA in 2003.
He would pitch in the final game of the season against the
Los Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles, California, USA. The team is in the Western Division of the National League. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming the Brooklyn...
. It would be his only game of that season. He pitched 1 inning of scoreless relief striking out two.
Foppert spent the first two months of the with Fresno. He made 3 appearances (2 starts) in June for the Giants. On July 30, 2005, he was then traded to the
Seattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League...
along with
catcherCatcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order...
Yorvit TorrealbaYorvit Adolfo Torrealba [pron., /joɾ.ˈvit ˌto.re.ˈal.ba/] is a catcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Colorado Rockies. He previously played for the San Francisco Giants, and the Seattle Mariners...
for
outfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Randy WinnDwight Randolph "Randy" Winn is an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. Winn is a switch hitter, and throws right-handed.-Early life:Winn grew up in , and attended San Ramon Valley High School...
. For the rest of the 2005 season, he would pitch for the Mariners Triple A team, the
Tacoma RainiersThe Tacoma Rainiers are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Pacific Coast League , and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners...
including 2 starts in the postseason for them.
Foppert played in just 5 games for the Rainiers in after spending most of the season on the disabled list.
Foppert was released on March 19, from the Mariners after failing to make the club as a nonroster invitee. He rejoined the Giants on March 24, 2007 when he was signed to a minor league contract. Foppert began the season with the
Fresno GrizzliesThe Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball team based in Fresno, California. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League , is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park , located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002...
of the
Pacific Coast LeagueThe Pacific Coast League is a minor league baseball league operating in the West, Midwest, and Southeast of the United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League...
. He became a free agent at the end of the season and re-signed with the Giants in December. In June , the Giants released Foppert.
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