Joseph Barrett Wentz is a Detroit Tigers pitcher. Wentz was chosen 40th overall in the 2016 MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves.
Wentz was born to Dave and Jenny Wentz on October 6, 1997. Riley Pint was his first friend while he was in second grade.
Wentz went to Prairie Village, Kansas’ Shawnee Mission East High School. In his junior and senior years, he was voted the Sunflower League Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016.
At the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Wentz won the 2015 Junior Home Shot Derby, hitting a 543-foot home run (166 m).
Wentz has pledged his allegiance to the University of Virginia. Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations had scouted him prior to the 2016 MLB draft.
With the 40th overall pick in the inaugural Competitive Balance round, the Atlanta Braves selected him as a possible first-round pick.
Rather than attend college, Wentz signed a $3.05 million contract with the Atlanta Braves.
Wentz began his professional career with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Braves and was then moved to the Rookie-level Appalachian League’s Danville Braves.
In 44 innings thrown, he had a 1–4 record, a 3.68 earned run average and 53 strikeouts.
Wentz pitched for the Rome Braves in 2017, going 8–3 with a 2.60 ERA in 26 appearances, and the Florida Fire Frogs in 2018, going 3–4 with a 2.28 ERA in 16 starts.
The Braves traded Wentz and Travis Demeritte to the Detroit Tigers on July 31, 2019, in exchange for Shane Greene.
Wentz was 7–8 with a 4.20 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 128+23 innings in his first complete season at the AA level.
After the 2020 season, the Tigers added him to their 40-man roster. In March 2020, he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire season.
Who Is Joey Wentz Brother, Vance Wentz?
Vanz Wentz was born in Leawood, Kansas, United States to Dave and Jenny Wentz. His older brother Joey Wentz is a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. Unlike his brother, Vance plays basketball