Jesse Winker

Jesse Winker (born August 17, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners. He was an All-Star in 2021.

Jesse Winker
Winker with the Cincinnati Reds in 2019
Milwaukee Brewers – No. 33
Outfielder / Designated hitter
Born: (1993-08-17) August 17, 1993
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
April 14, 2017, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.264
Home runs81
Runs batted in266
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Amateur career

Winker was born in Buffalo, New York, and lived nearby in Niagara Falls, New York, before moving to Orlando, Florida, at the age of seven.[1] Winker was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round (49th overall) of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft out of Olympia High School in Orlando.[2] As a junior at Olympia, he had a .509 batting average.[3] He had committed to play college baseball at the University of Florida for the Florida Gators,[4] but chose to sign with the Reds rather than attend college.

Professional career

Cincinnati Reds

Winker made his professional debut for the Billings Mustangs in 2012.[5] In 62 games, he hit .338/.443/.500 with five home runs in 228 at bats. Prior to the 2013 season, Winker was ranked by Baseball America as the Reds sixth-best prospect.[6] He played the 2013 season with the Dayton Dragons[7][8] where he became a Midwest League All-Star and Home Run Derby champion.[9] He hit .281/.379/.463 with 16 home runs in 417 at bats over 112 games.

Before the 2014 season, he was ranked by Baseball America as the Reds fourth best prospect.[10] He started the season with the Bakersfield Blaze. In June he was promoted to the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos.[11] In July, Winker played in the All-Star Futures Game, going 1-2.[12][13] His season came to an end in July after suffering a partially torn tendon in his right wrist in a car accident.[14] In 74 games, he hit .287/.399/.518 with 15 home runs and 57 runs batted in (RBI). Winker returned after the season to play in the Arizona Fall League.[15] Winker spent 2015 with Pensacola, where he posted a .282 batting average with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs.[16]

The Reds added Winker to their 40-man roster after the 2016 season.[17] He began the 2017 season with the Louisville Bats of the Class AAA International League,[18] and was promoted to the major leagues on April 14.[19] In 2017, Winker batted .298 with seven home runs in 47 games played. Winker began 2018 with Cincinnati, and was a starting outfielder before a right shoulder injury in July ended his season.[20] Prior to his injury, he slashed .299/.405/.431 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs.[21]

In 2019 for Cincinnati, Winker played in 113 games with a batting line of .269/.357/.473 to go along with a career-high 16 home runs as well as 38 RBI.[22] In 2020, Winker played in 54 games for the Reds, slashing .255/.388/.544 with 12 home runs and 23 RBI.[23] He was nominated by MLB.com to play as the DH for the National League Unofficial 2020 All-Star team.[24]

On June 6, 2021, Winker hit three home runs in a narrow 8-7 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals, helping the Reds complete a four-game sweep with his second three-homer game of the year. He also became the first player in Reds history to log multiple 3-homer games in a season.[25] That season, he was named the NL starting right fielder for the All-Star Game.[26]

Seattle Mariners

On March 14, 2022, the Reds traded Winker and Eugenio Suárez to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Justin Dunn, Jake Fraley, Brandon Williamson,[27] and a player to be named later, which turned out to be Connor Phillips.[28][29] The transaction was a cost-cutting measure that saved the franchise just under $36 million but was unpopular with Reds fans.[30]

On April 24, Winker hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th inning for his first walk-off as a member of the Mariners.[31] Winker and the Mariners agreed to a two-year contract on June 16.[32]

During a June 26 game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium, Winker was hit in the thigh by an alleged beanball from Angels pitcher Andrew Wantz. Winker proceeded to charge the Angels dugout and a bench-clearing brawl ensued. Winker first confronted injured Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon, and Rendon proceeded to strike Winker in the face with his left hand while wearing a cast on his right, then Winker later got into an altercation with Ryan Tepera. Winker was later seen arguing with Angels interim manager Phil Nevin shortly before another skirmish broke out near them. Winker, along with several other players from both the Mariners and Angels, was ejected from the game.[33] Upon leaving the field, Winker flipped off the Angel Stadium crowd sitting behind the visitors' dugout, a gesture for which he later apologized.[34]

In 2022, Winker batted .219/.344/.344 with 14 home runs and 53 RBIs, with a career-worst .688 OPS.[35][36] After the season, he had surgery on his knee and his neck.[37][38]

In October 2022, Seattle Mariners beat writer Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times spoke about Winker's work ethic and future with the team. Asked why Winker wasn't with the team during an American League Division Series, Divish said:

I think he was home.... I think they probably just told him to go home.... I think by the end of the season, it's what scouts call a tired act. I just think some of his teammates were done with him, were just tired of putting up with him. I think the team is frustrated with him. Everything that Mitch Haniger does to prepare for a game to get ready, Jesse Winker's kind of the opposite.... I don't think he puts in the time to be better defensively or to have a better arm or any of the work that should be done.... And it's noticeable. Players notice it.... And once you lose your teammates, why be there? So there's gonna be some hard conversations either with Jesse from this front office, or they're just gonna move on.[39]

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 2, 2022, the Mariners traded Winker and Abraham Toro to the Milwaukee Brewers for Kolten Wong.[40]

In the 2023 regular season, Winker batted .199/.320/.247 in 166 at bats with one home run, 23 RBIs, and 51 strikeouts with the Brewers, with isolated power of .048.[36] He was in the bottom 1% of all major league players in speed, had career lows in his exit velocity (86.8 mph) and hard hit percentage (31.9%), and had a career-high strikeout percentage (25.9%).[41] He played 49 games at DH, and six games in the corner outfield.[36] In the post-season, he went hitless in two at bats.[36]

Personal life

Winker has a daughter who was born in 2020.[42]

References
  1. Moritz, Amy (July 28, 2017). "WNYer Jesse Winker, a Reds prospect, enjoys homecoming at Coca-Cola Field". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  2. "Reds take pair of potential run-producing OFs". Mlb.mlb.com. May 24, 2013. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  3. Romine, Brentley (February 12, 2012). "Baseball season preview: Olympia seniors focused amid draft talk". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  4. "Jesse Winker Class of 2012 - Player Profile | Perfect Game USA".
  5. "Former Olympia outfielder finds way in Montana with Reds' minor-league team". Articles.orlandosentinel.com. July 31, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  6. J.J. Cooper (January 9, 2013). "2013 Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects". Baseballamerica.com. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  7. Katz, Marc. "Winker at 19, a boy looking to be a big leaguer". Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  8. "Reds prospect Winker has swing that sings". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  9. "Jesse Winker among 20 Greatest Dragons". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  10. "2014 Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects". Baseballamerica.com. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  11. "Reds prospect Jesse Winker compared to Jay Bruce". Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  12. "Reds' Robert Stephenson, Jesse Winker hope to build on Futures Game". Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  13. Vilona, Bill (July 13, 2014). "Blue Wahoos players create memories in Futures Game win". pnj.com. Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  14. Rosecrans, C. Trent (July 26, 2014). "Car wreck likely to end Reds prospect's season". cincinnati.com. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  15. "Reds' Winker looks good in return to diamond". Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  16. "Jesse Winker Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  17. "Jesse Winker among 7 protected from Rule 5 draft". Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  18. WCPO Staff (March 24, 2017). "Reds option OF prospect Jesse Winker to AAA Louisville". Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  19. Dykstra, Sam (April 14, 2017). "Reds calling up Winker for big league debut: No. 63 overall prospect went 10-for-31 in eight games at Triple-A". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  20. Baer, Bill (July 26, 2018). "Jesse Winker to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery". mlb.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  21. "Jesse Winker Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  22. "Cincinnati Reds: Grading Jesse Winker's inconsistent 2019 season". September 30, 2019.
  23. "Cincinnati Reds: Confident Jesse Winker will lead the league in home runs". Blog Red Machine. March 8, 2021.
  24. Castrovince, Anthony (August 26, 2020). "The 2020 All-Star teams could have been ..." MLB.com. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  25. "'Special ballplayer': Winker's 3 HRS lift Reds". MLB.com.
  26. Nightengale, Bobby (July 12, 2021). "'Pretty surreal': Nick Castellanos, Jesse Winker enjoying All-Star Game experience". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  27. "Mariners complete blockbuster trade with Reds for All-Star Jesse Winker and more". Seattle Times. March 14, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  28. Kramer, Daniel (March 29, 2022). "Mariners' No. 15 prospect traded to Cincinnati". MLB.com. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  29. Clark, Dave (March 30, 2022). "Reactions: Connor Phillips joins Reds as player to be named later in trade with Mariners". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  30. Blackburn, Sam. "Reds fans know trading good players in prime to cut payroll isn't way to win," Times Recorder (Zanesville, OH), Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  31. Wicke, Tyler (April 24, 2022). "Jesse Winker's extra-inning walk-off clinches series sweep over Royals, Mariners win 5-4". The News Tribune.
  32. "Seattle Mariners, OF Jesse Winker avoid arbitration with 2-year deal". ESPN.com. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  33. Kramer, Daniel; Wexler, Sarah (June 26, 2022). "Winker HBP leads to intense benches-clearing scene". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  34. Selbe, Nick (June 26, 2022). "Jesse Winker Flips Off Crowd After HBP, Brawl in Angels-Mariners". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  35. "Before his return to Seattle, Jesse Winker reflects on down year with Mariners". The Seattle Times. April 16, 2023.
  36. "Jesse Winker Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com.
  37. "Seattle reporter says Mariners are frustrated with 'tired act' Jesse Winker".
  38. "Mariners' Jesse Winker has one surgery and needs another". October 19, 2022.
  39. "Seattle reporter says Mariners are frustrated with 'tired act' Jesse Winker". The Enquirer.
  40. "Mariners land 2B Wong in trade with Brewers". December 2, 2022.
  41. "Jesse Winker Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | MLB.com". baseballsavant.com.
  42. Rosecrans, C. Trent (July 13, 2021). "A little girl changed Jesse Winker's life. She might also have helped make him an All-Star". The Athletic.
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