Josh Spence

Joshua Patrick William "Josh" Spence (born 22 January 1988) is an Australian professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. Previously, he pitched for the San Diego Padres.

Career

Spence enrolled at Central Arizona College, and played for their baseball team in 2008 and 2009. He was selected in the 2008 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and the 2009 draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but did not sign either time. He transferred to Arizona State University to play for the Arizona State Sun Devils for the 2010 season, where he joined Mike Leake and Seth Blair in the Sun Devils' starting rotation.^[1] He was drafted by the Padres in the ninth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft, and signed with the Padres.

He was called up by San Diego on 21 June 2011, after they designated Luis Durango for assignment to make room for him on the 40-man roster.^[2] Spence made his debut on 25 June 2011 in the top of the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves, he faced three All-Stars in Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones, and Brian McCann, setting them down in order. He became the 29th Australian to reach the Majors and first pitcher since Rich Thompson debuted for the Angels in 2007.^[3]

The Padres designated Spence for assignment after the 2012 season. The New York Yankees claimed Spence off waivers on November 6.^[4] He was designated for assignment by the Yankees on December 14. He signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins in December 2013.

Pitching style

Spence is a finesse pitcher, relying on pitch location and movement rather than overpowering speed. His two main pitches are a sinker averaging about 84 mph and a slider averaging 78. He also has a changeup at 76-77 mph that he uses often against right-handed hitters.^[5]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)