Jonah Heim

Jonah Nathan Heim (born June 27, 1995) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics.

Jonah Heim
Heim with the Texas Rangers in 2021
Texas Rangers – No. 28
Catcher
Born: (1995-06-27) June 27, 1995
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 25, 2020, for the Oakland Athletics
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.232
Home runs44
Runs batted in180
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Born in Buffalo, New York, Heim attended Amherst Central High School, where the cold weather limited how often he played outdoors. The Baltimore Orioles selected him in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft, and he took several years to develop his offensive abilities in the Orioles' farm system. Heim was traded twice in the minor leagues, first to the Tampa Bay Rays and then to Oakland, where he made his MLB debut in 2020. The following year, the Athletics traded Heim to Texas, where he became the Rangers' starting catcher and went on to represent the team at the 2023 MLB All-Star Game.

Early life

Jonah Nathan Heim was born June 27, 1995, in Buffalo, New York.[1] A childhood fan of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB), Heim's favorite players were catchers like Jorge Posada and Russell Martin,[2] and he grew up watching the Buffalo Bisons, the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate, play at Sahlen Field.[3] Heim began playing baseball when he was two years old, and around the age of 12, he took up switch hitting, telling his father, "hitting from the right side is boring".[4]

Heim attended Kenmore East High School for one year before his parents moved out of the school district, requiring him to transfer to Amherst Central High School.[5] The harsh climate in Buffalo meant that Amherst could only play 20 outdoor baseball games in a season, and the team's stadium lacked an outfield wall, so home runs landed in nearby backyards or soccer fields.[6] After batting .470 and picking off 12 baserunners during his junior year of high school, Heim was invited to play in several national exhibition games, where he caught the attention of professional scouts and college recruiters.[5] Amherst retired Heim's No. 6 jersey shortly after his 2013 graduation.[7]

Career

Baltimore Orioles organization (2013–2016)

The Baltimore Orioles selected Heim out of high school in the fourth round, 129th overall, of the 2013 MLB Draft.[8] At the time, Heim had committed to playing college baseball with the Michigan State Spartans, but he turned down the commitment and joined the Orioles on a $389,700 signing bonus.[9] After signing, Heim was assigned to the Rookie-level GCL Orioles of the Gulf Coast League. He struggled in his rookie season, batting .185 with four runs batted in (RBI) in 27 games.[10] Heim's poor hitting continued in the 2014 season, but Baltimore hitting coach Jeff Manto was unconcerned with the catcher's development, attributing it in part to his limited playing time in high school.[11] Heim split the season between the GCL Orioles and the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Class A Short Season New York–Penn League, batting .196 with one home run and seven RBI in 46 games.[12]

Heim began the 2015 season with the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Class A South Atlantic League, where he split time at catcher with Alex Murphy.[13] He improved offensively to start the season, batting .258 with 10 extra-base hits and 16 RBI in 36 games before going on the injured list with a foot injury in May.[14] He did not begin a rehab assignment until the end of August and returned to Delmarva on September 1.[15][16] Heim finished the season batting .252 with one home run and 18 RBI in 45 minor league games.[12] The Orioles promoted Heim to the Frederick Keys for the 2016 season,[17] where he was named a Carolina League All-Star.[18] Although he had a lifetime .216 batting average in 88 games for the Orioles organization,[19] Heim cited his time in Frederick as a turning point for his offensive development.[20]

Tampa Bay Rays

On August 1, 2016, the Orioles traded Heim to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for veteran utility player Steve Pearce.[21] From there, he was assigned to the Class A-Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs, where he recorded the game-winning RBI in his Florida State League debut.[22] Between Frederick and Charlotte, Heim batted .217 in 2016, with eight home runs and 33 RBI in 102 games.[12] Heim opened the 2017 season with the Low-A Bowling Green Hot Rods, where he batted .268 with nine home runs and 53 RBI in 77 games before being promoted back to the Stone Crabs in August.[23] There, he added an additional eight RBI on the season while batting .218 in 16 games.[12]

Oakland Athletics

Heim was traded to the Oakland Athletics on December 19, 2017, as the player to be named later to complete a trade for Joey Wendle.[24] He spent 2018 with both the Stockton Ports and the Midland RockHounds, batting .258 with eight home runs and sixty RBIs in 119 total games between both teams.[25] He split the 2019 season between Midland and the Las Vegas Aviators, hitting a combined .310/.385/.477/.862 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs.[26] On November 1, 2019, Heim was added to the Athletics 40-man roster.[27]

On June 30, 2020, Minor League Baseball canceled the 2020 season due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.[28] As a result, Heim was one of several Athletics prospects who began the pandemic-shortened season at an alternate training site as a member of the Oakland taxi squad.[29] While not participating in games, he spent the first part of the season working with MLB pitchers during bullpen sessions and batting practice.[30] On August 24, the Athletics optioned backup catcher Austin Allen and promoted Heim to the active roster in his place.[31] Heim made his major league debut the next day, starting behind the plate in Oakland's 10–3 win over the Texas Rangers. In the seventh inning, Heim recorded his first MLB hit with a single off of Texas pitcher Kyle Gibson.[32] Heim spent the remainder of the season as a backup for Sean Murphy. He appeared in 13 regular season games, all but one of which he started at catcher.[33] In that time, he batted .211 with no extra-base hits and five RBI.[34] Heim was named to the Athletics' postseason roster,[35] but he did not appear in any playoff games for Oakland.[33] After defeating the Chicago White Sox in the 2020 American League Wild Card Series,[36] Oakland was eliminated by the Houston Astros in the 2020 American League Division Series (ALDS).[37] After the MLB season, Heim planned to rejoin the Toros del Este for the 2020–21 Dominican Winter League season, but he recanted due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.[38]

Texas Rangers

On February 6, 2021, Heim, Khris Davis, and Dane Acker were traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Elvis Andrus and Aramis Garcia.[39] Heim hit his first major league home run on April 6, 2021, off Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Tommy Milone.[40] On July 31, Heim hit home runs from each side of the plate, including his first career walk-off home run, off Seattle Mariners pitcher Diego Castillo.[41] On August 1, he hit another walk-off home run versus Seattle to become the first player in Texas Rangers history, and the first rookie in MLB history, to record walk-off home runs in two straight games.[42] Uniquely, in July 2021, the Rangers played the Toronto Blue Jays in Heim's hometown of Buffalo, New York due to the Blue Jays' temporary relocation to Sahlen Field as a result of not being able to play at the Rogers Centre during the pandemic, resulting in Heim getting the opportunity to play a major-league series in front of a hometown crowd. Heim went 2-for-7 in the two games he played, while the Rangers were swept by the Blue Jays.[43] Over 82 games in 2021, Heim hit .196/.239/.358/.598 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs.[44]

Heim hit his first major league grand slam on April 14, 2022, off Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani in a 10–5 Rangers win; it was the first and to date, only grand slam Ohtani has given up in his major league career.[45] Heim appeared in 127 games for Texas in 2022, in which he hit .227/.298/.399/.697 with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs.[46]

Heim was voted in as the American League starting catcher for the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[47] He went on the injured list with a sprained tendon in his wrist on July 28.[48]

Personal life

Heim has two children with his wife Mackenzie. Their son Nash was born in January 2021,[3] and their daughter Luxx was born in April 2022.[49] He has a tattoo of the Buffalo skyline on his arm.[50]

References
  1. "Jonah Heim Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  2. Gallegos, Martin (August 26, 2020). "Heim, dad 'emotional' over callup, debut". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  3. Harrington, Mike (July 15, 2021). "For Jonah Heim, the long road to games at Sahlen Field will be a family affair". The Buffalo News. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  4. Rubin, Shayna (August 25, 2020). "A's Jonah Heim to make MLB debut; his father recalls the moment he realized his son would be a big leaguer". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  5. Monnin, Mary Jo (April 23, 2013). "Amherst's Heim impresses big-league scouts". The Buffalo News. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  6. Hoyt, Joseph (July 15, 2021). "Rangers' rare road trip to Buffalo gives catcher Jonah Heim the most unique of homecomings". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  7. "Amherst Retires Heim's Jersey". USA Today. June 18, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  8. "Orioles complete 2013 First-Year Player Draft". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. June 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  9. Baseball America 2016 Prospect Handbook: Scouting Reports and Rankings of the Best Young Talent in Baseball. Durham, NC: Baseball America. April 5, 2016. ISBN 978-1-932-39167-1. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  10. Jones Jr., Dean (June 6, 2014). "Looking back at the Orioles' 2013 draft class". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  11. Harrington, Mike (August 17, 2014). "Manfred has many challenges on his plate". The Buffalo News. p. B7. Retrieved September 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Jonah Heim Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  13. Marshall, Ryan (April 6, 2015). "All eyes on home plate: Heim and Murphy have potential". The Daily Times. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  14. Encina, Eduardo (May 29, 2015). "Orioles minor league roundup: Delmarva catcher Jonah Heim will likely need foot surgery". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  15. Encina, Eduardo (August 27, 2015). "Instructional league set for two prospects". The Baltimore Sun. p. D5. Retrieved September 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Jonah Heim 2015 Minor & Winter Leagues Game Logs & Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  17. Northam, Mitchell (April 4, 2016). "Delmarva Shorebirds reveal 2016 roster". The Daily Times. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  18. Melewski, Steve (June 8, 2016). "A look at Frederick's three All-Stars". MASN. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  19. Northam, Mitchell (August 2, 2016). "After Orioles trade, Shorebirds' Mercedes promoted". The Daily Times. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  20. Shusterman, Jordan (May 9, 2023). "The unique and unexpected breakout of Rangers catcher Jonah Heim". FOX Sports. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  21. "Rays send utilityman Steve Pearce back to O's for catcher Jonah Heim". ESPN. Associated Press. August 1, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  22. Topkin, Marc (August 6, 2016). "Rays Tales: Notes on the players traded at the deadline". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  23. Levine, Bryan (August 4, 2017). "All-Stars Lowe, Sullivan promoted". Port Charlotte Sun. p. A12. Retrieved September 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. "A's Acquire C Jonah Heim from Tampa Bay as PTBNL in Wendle Trade". MLB.com. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  25. "Jonah Heim Stats, Highlights, Bio". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  26. Melissa Lockard (November 4, 2019). "With Jonah Heim on the 40-man roster, the A's have their long-term catching tandem in place". The Athletic. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  27. "A's select C Jonah Heim from Triple-A Las Vegas". MLB.com. November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  28. West, Jenna (June 30, 2020). "Minor League Baseball's 2020 Season Canceled". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  29. Harrington, Mike (July 22, 2020). "Amherst's Jonah Heim to start season on Oakland Athletics' taxi squad". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  30. Slusser, Susan (August 25, 2020). "A's catcher Jonah Heim goes 1-for-3 in MLB debut at Texas". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  31. Rubin, Shayna (August 25, 2020). "A's Jonah Heim to make MLB debut; his father reflects". The Mercury News. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  32. "Amherst's Jonah Heim singles in big league debut as family cheers from home". The Buffalo News. August 25, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  33. Hickey, John (October 15, 2020). "Athletics' Catcher Jonah Heim Will Give Winter Ball Another Shot". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  34. "Jonah Heim Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  35. Adler, David (September 30, 2020). "Every rookie on a 2020 postseason roster". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  36. Gallegos, Martin (October 2, 2020). "A's advance, win 1st playoff series since '06". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  37. Gallegos, Martin (October 8, 2020). "Slugging A's run ended by Astros in ALDS". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  38. Hickey, John (October 18, 2020). "On Second Thought: Athletics' Heim Will Skip Winter Ball This Time Around". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  39. "Oakland A's Trade Khris Davis, Jonah Heim, Dane Acker to Rangers for Andrus, Garcia, Cash". February 6, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  40. Harrington, Mike (April 6, 2021). "Watch Now: Amherst's Jonah Heim belts first MLB home run". The Buffalo News. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  41. Landry, Kennedi (July 31, 2021). "Heim stays hot with a walk-off 2-run blast". MLB.com. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  42. Landry, Kennedi (August 1, 2021). "Heim blasts walk-off HR in 2nd straight game". MLB.com. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  43. "Heim back home: Rangers catcher Jonah Heim reflects on series in Buffalo". WGRZ. July 18, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  44. Weaver, Levi (October 6, 2021). "Grading the 2021 Texas Rangers: Position players edition". The Athletic. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  45. Halicke, Chris (April 14, 2021). "Rangers' Jonah Heim Hits First Grand Slam Against Shohei Ohtani in 10–5 Win Over Angels". SI.com. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  46. Postins, Matthew (November 8, 2022). "Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps: Jonah Heim". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  47. Landry, Kennedi (June 29, 2023). "Semien, Seager, Jung, Heim named to 2023 All-Star Game as starters". MLB.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  48. https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2023/07/28/jonah-heim-out-with-sprained-wrist-tendon-as-rangers-place-another-all-star-on-il/
  49. Casella, Paul (May 3, 2022). "'It's just a lot of joy': Heim homers in first game after daughter's birth". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  50. Pelusi, Julianne (July 18, 2021). "Heim back home: Rangers catcher Jonah Heim reflects on series in Buffalo". WGRZ. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
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