Jerry Blevins, Retired
Date of Birth: 9/6/1983
Birthplace: Johnson City, Tennessee
College: University of Dayton
Jerry Blevins, retired relief pitcher, was first drafted in 2004 by the Chicago Cubs. He pitched in their minor league system from 2004 through 2006.
The Cubs traded Blevins to the Oakland Athletics on July 16, 2007. He spent most of the 2007 season in the minors, pitching just 4.2 innings in 6 games with the Athletics.
In 2008, Blevin's time was split between the majors and the minors. He had a 3.11 ERA in 37.2 innings in 36 games with the Athletics. The following season, he pitched in just 20 games with them and he had a 4.84 ERA. He spent the rest of the 2009 season in the minors.
Blevins pitched in 63 games with the Athletics in 2010. He finished the season with 2 wins and 1 loss, 1 save, 46 strikeouts to 18 walks, and a 3.70 ERA in 48.2 innings. The following year, he was in and out of the minors throughout the season. He finished with a 2.86 ERA in 26 games with the Athletics.
The 2012 season was a good one for Blevins. In 63 games with the Athletics, he had a career low ERA of 2.48, 5 wins and 1 loss, and 54 strikeouts to 25 walks in a career high 65.1 innings. He followed that season with another good one in 2013, when he finished with a 3.15 ERA, 5 wins and no losses, and 52 strikeouts to 17 walks in 67 games.
Blevins was traded to the Washington Nationals on December 11, 2013. He finished the 2014 season with a 4.87 ERA, 2 wins and 3 losses, and a career high 66 strikeouts to 23 walks in 64 games in his only season with the Nationals.
The Nationals traded Blevins to the New York Mets on March 30, 2015. He spent most of the 2015 season on the DL with a fractured left arm, pitching just 5.0 innings in 7 games with the Mets.
Blevins had a good year with the Mets in 2016, finishing with a 2.79 ERA. He had 4 wins and 2 losses, 2 saves, and 52 strikeouts to 15 walks in 42.0 innings in 73 games.
Blevins became a free agent on November 3, 2016. He signed a new, one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Mets on February 9, 2017. The contract included a club option for 2018.
Blevins finished the 2017 season with 6 wins and no losses, 1 save, 69 strikeouts to 24 walks, and a 2.94 ERA in 49.0 innings in a career high 75 games.
Blevins pitched in 64 games in 2018. He had 3 wins and 2 losses, 41 strikeouts to 22 walks, and a 4.85 ERA in 42.2 innings.
Blevins became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the Athletics on February 5, 2019. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves on April 28th. He finished the 2019 season with 1 win and no losses, 1 save, 37 strikeouts to 16 walks, and a 3.90 ERA in 32.1 innings in 45 games. He didn't pitch in the postseason.
Blevins became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants on January 12, 2020. He was released on March 26th. He didn't play professional baseball in 2020.
Blevins returned to the Mets on a minor league contract on December 21, 2020.
Blevins retired on April 27, 2021.
Career pitching statistics for Blevins through 2019 include:
- 609 games played
- 495.1 innings pitched
- 30-13 win-loss record
- 508 strikeouts to 195 walks
- 3.54 ERA
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jerry Blevins
ESPN - Jerry Blevins