Joseph Lee Estes (born October 8, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Oakland Athletics organization.
Joey Estes | |
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![]() Estes pitching for the Lansing Lugnuts in 2022 | |
Oakland Athletics | |
Pitcher | |
Born: (2001-10-08) October 8, 2001 (age 21) Palmdale, California | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
Estes attended Paraclete High School in Lancaster, California. As a freshman in 2016, he compiled a 1.05 ERA, and as a sophomore, he went 9–1 with a 0.31 ERA over ninety innings.[1] In 2019, as a senior, he went 8–0 with a 0.91 ERA and 124 strikeouts.[2] He was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 16th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[3] He signed, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at Long Beach State University.[4]
Estes made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Braves with whom he gave up nine earned runs over ten innings. He did not play a game in 2020 after the minor league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] Estes spent the 2021 season with the Augusta GreenJackets of the Low-A East, starting twenty games and pitching to a 3–6 record, a 2.91 ERA, and 127 strikeouts over 99 innings.[6] His .181 batting average against was ninth in the minor leagues.[7] He was named the league's Pitcher of the Week twice during the season, and was named the league's Pitcher of the Year following the season's end.[8]
On March 14, 2022, the Braves traded Estes, Shea Langeliers, Ryan Cusick, and Cristian Pache to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Matt Olson.[9][10] He was assigned to the Lansing Lugnuts of the High-A Midwest League for the 2022 season.[11] Over twenty starts, he went 3-7 with a 4.55 ERA and 92 strikeouts over 91 innings.[12]