Jason Motte
Encyclopedia
Jason Louis Motte is a Major League Baseball
relief pitcher
for the St. Louis Cardinals
.
, Montgomery, N.Y., in 2000 where he was a catcher
. He then attended Iona College (New York)
.
Originally a catcher in the minor leagues, he converted into a pitcher in after he broke his thumb and his batting average
dropped. Since then, he has soared in the minor leagues and was added to the Cardinals 40-man roster in early December 2007 to avoid the rule 5 draft as one of the Cardinals' top pitching prospects. He was called up from the minors on September 2, 2008.
Motte spent the majority of the 2008 season with the Memphis Redbirds
, the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A farm team from the Pacific Coast League
. Motte would go on to have a total of 12 appearances in 2008 with an ERA of 0.82 in the big leagues. In 11 innings of relief, Motte struck out 16 batters, allowed 3 walks, and 5 hits. Motte earned his first save on September 18 against Cincinnati
in their ballpark, getting the final out in the ninth inning, with a fly ball to left field.
Motte's primary pitch is a fastball
, which was clocked in the upper 90s during 2008. During the 2008–2009 off-season, he added a slider
as a secondary pitch, which he continues to work on and develop.
During the 2009 spring training
camp, Motte competed with Ryan Franklin
and Chris Perez
in an attempt to earn the role as the Cardinals' 2009 closer; Manager Tony LaRussa said there would be no closer, and that he would use a mix of relievers in the ninth inning. Motte was called on to save the first game. However, when called upon, Motte gave up four runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth inning. Pittsburgh won 6–4. After this blown save opportunity, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa moved Motte into a middle reliever role. Since blowing the save on opening day, and despite occasional rough outings (resulting in a 4.59 ERA) Motte had recorded 14 holds
During the 2011 season, Motte became the primary closer for the Cardinals. Motte helped his team win the Wild Card. Motte pitched in two games against the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2011 NLDS, where the Cardinals won the series 3 games to 2. Motte also pitched in 3 games in the 2011 NLCS against team rival the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals won the series in 6 games. Motte was on the mound for the final out of the NLCS winning the Cardinals their 18th pennant. Motte was also on the mound when the Cardinals won the World Series against the Texas Rangers.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
for the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
.
Career
Motte graduated from Valley Central High SchoolValley Central High School
Valley Central High School is located in Montgomery, New York.It educates students in grades 9-12 in the Valley Central School District, which includes much of the town of Montgomery, portions of neighboring Wallkill and Newburgh and the three villages of Maybrook, Montgomery and Walden as well as...
, Montgomery, N.Y., in 2000 where he was a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
. He then attended Iona College (New York)
Iona College (New York)
Iona College is located in New Rochelle, New York, 20 miles north of Manhattan in suburban Westchester County. The college occupies 35 acres on North Ave. The college also operates a Graduate Center in Pearl River, Rockland County, New York....
.
Originally a catcher in the minor leagues, he converted into a pitcher in after he broke his thumb and his batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
dropped. Since then, he has soared in the minor leagues and was added to the Cardinals 40-man roster in early December 2007 to avoid the rule 5 draft as one of the Cardinals' top pitching prospects. He was called up from the minors on September 2, 2008.
Motte spent the majority of the 2008 season with the Memphis Redbirds
Memphis Redbirds
The Memphis Redbirds are the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They play their home games at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium's capacity is 14,320. They entered the Pacific Coast League as an expansion team in 1998, and were owned as a...
, the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A farm team from the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
. Motte would go on to have a total of 12 appearances in 2008 with an ERA of 0.82 in the big leagues. In 11 innings of relief, Motte struck out 16 batters, allowed 3 walks, and 5 hits. Motte earned his first save on September 18 against Cincinnati
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in their ballpark, getting the final out in the ninth inning, with a fly ball to left field.
Motte's primary pitch is a fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
, which was clocked in the upper 90s during 2008. During the 2008–2009 off-season, he added a slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....
as a secondary pitch, which he continues to work on and develop.
During the 2009 spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
camp, Motte competed with Ryan Franklin
Ryan Franklin
Ryan Ray Franklin is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals.-Early life:...
and Chris Perez
Chris Perez (baseball)
Christopher Ralph Perez is a right-handed relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. His pitches have been clocked at 98 mph on the radar gun. He is 6' 4", 225 lbs. In 2010, fans began referring to him by the nickname "Pure Rage."Perez grew up on Anna Maria Island in Florida. Perez...
in an attempt to earn the role as the Cardinals' 2009 closer; Manager Tony LaRussa said there would be no closer, and that he would use a mix of relievers in the ninth inning. Motte was called on to save the first game. However, when called upon, Motte gave up four runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth inning. Pittsburgh won 6–4. After this blown save opportunity, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa moved Motte into a middle reliever role. Since blowing the save on opening day, and despite occasional rough outings (resulting in a 4.59 ERA) Motte had recorded 14 holds
During the 2011 season, Motte became the primary closer for the Cardinals. Motte helped his team win the Wild Card. Motte pitched in two games against the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2011 NLDS, where the Cardinals won the series 3 games to 2. Motte also pitched in 3 games in the 2011 NLCS against team rival the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals won the series in 6 games. Motte was on the mound for the final out of the NLCS winning the Cardinals their 18th pennant. Motte was also on the mound when the Cardinals won the World Series against the Texas Rangers.