Joseph Dillon Gunkel (born December 30, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Minnesota Twins organization. He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hanshin Tigers and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Career

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox chose Gunkel in the 18th round in the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.[1] He signed with the club on June 19, 2013. He was assigned to the GCL Red Sox to begin his professional career. On July 6, he was assigned to the Lowell Spinners. Gunkel began the 2014 season with the Greenville Drive, and would later be assigned to the Salem Red Sox.[2] In May 2015, Gunkel moved from Salem and started play with the Portland Sea Dogs.

Baltimore Orioles

On June 3, 2015, Gunkel was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Alejandro De Aza.[3] He was assigned to the Double-A Bowie Baysox. Gunkel started the 2016 season with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. After the season, on November 18, 2016, Gunkel had his contract selected to the major league roster.[4] He was designated for assignment by the Orioles on April 7, 2017 following the acquisition of Miguel Castro.[5]

Los Angeles Dodgers

On April 10, 2017, Gunkel was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for a player to be named later.[6] He was assigned to the Oklahoma City Dodgers after being claimed. On April 25, Gunkel was designated for assignment after pitching to a 4.00 ERA and allowing 5 runs in 9.0 innings pitched after appearing in only three Triple-A games for the Dodgers organization.[7]

Miami Marlins

On April 27, 2017, Gunkel was claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins and was assigned to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp two days later.[8] On May 10, Gunkel was designated for assignment for the third time in 2017.[9] He went unclaimed this time, and was sent outright to the Jumbo Shrimp on May 12. He would spend the rest of the season with the Jumbo Shrimp and the New Orleans Baby Cakes. Gunkel was assigned to the Baby Cakes to begin the 2018 season and spent the entirety of the season with them, pitching to a 3.03 ERA and allowed 23 runs on 63 hits in 22 appearances. He began the 2019 season with the Baby Cakes and spent the season with New Orleans and the Jupiter Hammerheads. On November 4, 2019, he elected free agency.

Hanshin Tigers

On December 15, 2019, Gunkel signed with the Hanshin Tigers of the Nippon Professional Baseball.[10] He made his NPB debut on June 24 for the Tigers and pitched 4.0 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits. He became a free agent following the 2022 season.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

On December 21, 2022, Gunkel signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball. [11] In 2023, he made 5 appearances for the Hawks, logging a 5.82 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 17.0 innings of work. On December 4, the Hawks announced that Gunkel would not be returning to the team, making him a free agent.[12][13]

Minnesota Twins

On January 31, 2024, Gunkel signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Minor League Baseball - Joe Gunkel". Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  2. ^ "Gunkel Continues to Shine in Salem; Wendle Injured in Double A".
  3. ^ "O's deal de Aza to Red Sox, get minor league RHP". 3 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Home".
  5. ^ "Home".
  6. ^ "Dodgers News: Joe Gunkel Acquired in Trade with Orioles". 11 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Dodgers option Eibner to OKC, DFA Gunkel". 25 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Marlins Claim Joe Gunkel".
  9. ^ "Marlins Place Adeiny Hechavarria on DL, Designate Joe Gunkel for Assignment".
  10. ^ "外国人選手との契約締結について" (in Japanese). December 15, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  11. ^ https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/12f98a5f8521aee9a692acab4ed775d0b13fcda9
  12. ^ "Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks press release 2023/12/01 (金) 来季契約について". Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Official site (in Japanese). December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  13. ^ "[SoftBank] 5 foreign helpers including Gankel and Galvis left the team. Despine left the team for the second year in a row". news.yahoo.co.jp. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  14. ^ https://www.milb.com/transactions/2024-01-31

External links