Jim Hoey

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**Jim Hoey**

Baltimore Orioles — No. 27
Relief pitcher
Born: December 30, 1982 (1982-12-30) (age 25) Trenton, New Jersey
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
August 23, 2006 for the Baltimore Orioles
Selected MLB statistics (through 2007)
Win-Loss	3-5
Earned run average	8.13
Strikeouts	24
Teams
Baltimore Orioles (2006-present)

James Urban "Jim" Hoey (born December 30, 1982 in Trenton, New Jersey) is a relief pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles. He is known mainly for his fastball, which he regularly throws at 95 to 96 miles per hour; he did strike a batter out on a 100 mph fastball while playing for the Bowie Baysox. In addition to the fastball, he throws a slider and changeup.

Hoey played high school baseball at Hamilton High School, which retired his number in a ceremony held on February 1, 2007.^[1]

The Orioles drafted Hoey out of Rider University in 2003 and were initially using him as a starting pitcher. As a starter, Hoey had a 2.79 ERA for the rookie-level Bluefield Orioles and also made 15 starts for the Aberdeen IronBirds in 2004. [1] He missed the rest of 2004 and most of 2005 due to Tommy John surgery; the surgery, as well as maturing, allowed him to gain three miles per hour on his fastball. Upon returning from the surgery, he became a relief pitcher. He pitched fifteen innings as a reliever in the short-season Class A New York-Penn League for the Aberdeen IronBirds in 2005 and started 2006 in the South Atlantic League with the Delmarva Shorebirds. He became Delmarva's closer at the start of the season; from there, he started a rapid ascent through the Orioles' minor-league system, receiving call-ups to the high-Class A Frederick Keys and the Class AA Bowie Baysox before the end of the minor-league season. Across the three levels, he combined for 33 saves and a 2.28 ERA; he allowed three home runs, struck out 73 batters, and walked 18 in 51 1/3 innings of work. He was called up to the Orioles on August 23, 2006, and made his first appearance with them against the Minnesota Twins. At the beginning of the 2008 season he was placed out for the season.