Jake Esch

Position: RHP
Born: 3/27/1990
Height: 6'4
Weight: 190
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Drafted in the 11th round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft (MIA).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 12-10 with a 4.31 ERA in 26 starts between Jacksonville (Double-A) and New Orleans (Triple-A), striking out 96 while walking 46 and allowing 143 hits in 142 innings.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Recalled from New Orleans on August 31 when RHP David Phelps was placed on the 15-day DL.
MLB Debut Date: 8/31/2016

Debut Details
August 31, in a 5-2 loss to the New York Mets. The starting pitcher, he did not get a decision, allowing two runs, both earned, on seven hits over 4.1 IP, walking three and striking out two. He had a 1-2-3 first inning, getting the first big-league batter he faced, Jose Reyes, to ground out to shortstop before striking out the next two batters, Asdrubal Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedes, both swinging. In the second inning, leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson drew a walk and scored on Wilmer Flores’ two-run homer to left field. The next two batters, Jay Bruce and Travis d’Arnaud, both singled but Kelly Johnson popped out to shortstop and Bartolo Colon grounded into a double play to end the threat. Esch pitched out of a mini-jam in the third as well when, after retiring the first two batters, he walked both Cespedes and Granderson before getting Flores on a lineout to center field. In the fourth, Bruce, d’Arnaud and Johnson all singled to load the bases with no outs but Colon once again grounded into a double play, this time a 5-2-3 play where they nailed lead runner Bruce at home before somehow retiring the speedy Colon at first for the second out. Reyes followed by grounding out to second base to end the inning. In the fifth, Esch retired Cabrera on a groundout but after Cespedes singled, Esch was lifted for a reliever.

Player Notes
The Minnesota native missed some time in 2015 with a strained oblique, but combined between Jacksonville and New Orleans (along with a little rehab time in the Gulf Coast League) to go 8-8 with a 3.72 ERA in 23 starts, fanning 95 and walking 32 in 123.1 IP while giving up 112 hits. In 2014 at Jupiter (High A) he was 6-6 with a 4.06 ERA in 25 starts, striking out 105 and walking 34 in 135.1 IP, giving up 147 hits. Primarily a shortstop in high school, he played both ways at Georgia Tech, but the Marlins opted to put him on the mound full-time with his fastball, slider and curveball repertoire.