User:GhostRiver/heim

Jonah Nathan Heim (born June 27, 1995) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics. Heim won the 2023 World Series with the Rangers.

Early life
Jonah Nathan Heim was born June 27, 1995, in Buffalo, New York. A childhood fan of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB), Heim's favorite players growing up were catchers Jorge Posada and Russell Martin. He began practicing baseball at the age of two and took up switch hitting around the age of twelve, telling his father that "hitting from the right side is boring". As a child, Heim attended Buffalo Bisons games at Sahlen Field, and one of his youth baseball coaches was retired professional baseball player Jeff Manto.

After attending Kenmore East High School for one year, Heim and his family moved out of the school district, requiring him to transfer to Amherst Central High School. The harsh climate in Buffalo limited Amherst to approximately 20 games in a season, and the team's home field lacked an outfield wall, so home runs landed in adjacent backyards or soccer fields. After batting .470 and picking off 12 baserunners during his junior year of high school, Heim was invited to play in several national exhibition games, where he caught the attention of professional scouts and college recruiters. Amherst retired Heim's No. 6 jersey shortly after his 2013 graduation.

Baltimore Orioles organization (2013–2016)
The Baltimore Orioles selected Heim out of high school in the fourth round, 129th overall, of the 2013 MLB Draft. At the time, Heim had committed to playing college baseball with the Michigan State Spartans, who had offered him a 75 percent athletic scholarship. He ultimately joined the Orioles on a $389,700 signing bonus and was assigned to the Rookie-level GCL Orioles of the Gulf Coast League. Heim struggled in his rookie season, with a 3 for 40 start in the GCL and finishing the year with a .185 batting average and four runs batted in (RBI) across 27 games. Heim's poor hitting continued into the 2014 season, but Manto – now serving as Baltimore's hitting instructor – and Orioles farm director Brian Graham were unconcerned with the catcher's slow development, which they attributed to his limited playing time in high school. Splitting time between the GCL Orioles and the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Class A Short Season New York–Penn League, Heim batted .196 with one home run and seven RBI in 46 games during the 2014 season.

Heim opened the 2015 season with the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Class A South Atlantic League, where he split time at catcher with Alex Murphy. He improved his hitting in Delmarva, batting .258 with 10 extra base hits and 16 RBI in 36 games before suffering a foot injury while sliding into a base on May 26. He did not begin a rehab assignment until the end of August and returned to Delmarva on September 1. Heim finished the season batting .252 with one home run and 18 RBI in 45 minor league games.


 * 2016 Frederick Keys

Tampa Bay Rays organization (2016–2017)
On August 1, 2016, the Orioles traded Heim to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Steve Pearce, a veteran utility player.


 * 2016 Charlotte Stone Crabs
 * 2017 Bowling Green Hot Rods
 * 2017 Charlotte Stone Crabs

Oakland Athletics organization (2018–2019)
The Rays sent Heim to the Oakland Athletics on December 19, 2017, as the player to be named later in Tampa's trade for Joey Wendle the week prior.


 * 2018 Stockton Ports
 * 2018 Midland RockHounds

Heim returned to the RockHounds to start the 2019 season. where he and Collin Theroux alternated between catching and serving as the RockHounds' designated hitter. After batting .285 with four home runs and 31 RBI in 45 Double-A games, Heim was promoted to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators on June 9.


 * 2019 Las Vegas Aviators

Oakland Athletics (2020)
On June 30, 2020, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season. As a result, teams were allowed to carry a 30-player taxi squad at an alternate training site, with players held in reserve until a spot opened on the 30-man major league roster. Oakland invited Heim to their training site as the team's third catcher, behind starter Sean Murphy and backup Austin Allen. While not actively participating in games, Heim took batting practice with the Athletics and caught bullpen sessions to familiarize himself with the major-league pitching staff. On August 24, the Athletics optioned Allen to the alternate training site, promoting Heim to the active roster in his place. He made his MLB debut the next day, starting behind the plate in a 10-3 win over the Texas Rangers. After drawing a walk in his first major league plate appearance, Heim's first MLB hit and run scored came in the seventh inning against Kyle Gibson. Heim took over as Murphy's backup for the remainder of the season, appearing in 13 regular-season games and starting all but one. In that time, he batted .211 with five RBI and no extra-base hits. After defeating the Chicago White Sox in the 2020 American League Wild Card Series, Oakland was eliminated by the Houston Astros in the 2020 American League Division Series (ALDS). Although Heim was named to the Athletics' postseason roster, he did not appear in any playoff games.

Texas Rangers (2021–present)
On February 6, 2021, the Athletics traded Heim, outfielder Khris Davis, and pitcher Dane Acker to the Texas Rangers in exchange for shortstop Elvis Andrus, catcher Aramis Garcia, and cash considerations. While Jose Trevino was slated to serve as the Rangers' starting catcher during the 2021 season, manager Chris Woodward said that there was an "open competition" among Heim, Drew Butera, John Hicks, and Sam Huff for the backup role.


 * 2021
 * 2022
 * 2023

Heim began the 2023 season batting .300 with 22 RBI through 25 games, a hot streak he attributed to a small change in his swing setup. As a switch hitter, Heim focused on contact when hitting from the left and on power from the right. Defensively, pitcher Nathan Eovaldi praised Heim's ability to call a game "to my strengths, and my abilities, as opposed to the hitter's weaknesses". That July, Heim started at catcher for the American League team at the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. At the time, his .282 batting average, 12 home runs, and 59 RBI led all MLB catchers, and Rangers pitchers had a 3.78 earned run average (ERA) when throwing to him. On July 26, Heim left a game against the Houston Astros with a left wrist sprain. The injury required surgery, but doctors told Heim that the procedure could be postponed until after the season if he could tolerate the pain. He returned to the lineup on August 13, but the injury limited Heim to left-handed hitting. Heim finished the regular season hitting .258 with a career high 18 home runs in 124 games, and his 95 RBI were second to Iván Rodríguez in 1999 for the most by a Rangers catcher in a single season.

During the 2023–24 MLB offseason, Heim visited a doctor who informed him that he no longer needed surgery for his wrist injury. He avoided arbitration, signing a one-year, $3.05 million contract with the Rangers for the 2024 season.

Personal life
Heim married his wife Kenzie Prince on October 24, 2020. They have two children together: a son born January 2021, and a daughter born April 2022.