Jonah Nathan Heim…he and wife Mackenzie have a son, Nash (born 1/21/21)…originally signed by Baltimore scout Kirk Fredriksson…graduated from Amherst (NY) High School…hit .522/.614/.836 as a senior… originally committed to Michigan State University before signing with the Orioles.
2022
Established career highs in all four slash categories (.227/.298/.399/.697), hits (92), home runs (16), RBI (48), runs (51) and total bases (162)...selected by the DFW chapter of the BBWAA as winner of the Richard Durrett Hardest Working Ranger Award...played in career-high 127 games and led club with 102 starts at catcher...switch-hitter batted .267/.333/.500/.833 (32- 120) with six HR vs. LHP and .210/.283/.357/.640 (60-286) with 10 HR vs. RHP…slashed .262/.313/.467/.781 (60-229) with 12 HR and 33 RBI over 69 games prior to the All-Star break and .181/.279/.311/.589 (32-177) with just four HR and 15 RBI across 58 games in the 2nd ‘half’...48 RBI were the most by a Rangers catcher since Robinson Chirinos in 2018 (65) and 51 runs scored were most by a Texas backstop since Gerald Laird in 2008 (54)...finished with 37 extra-base hits (16 HR, 1 3B, 20 2B), 35 of which came as a catcher...marked the most XBH as a catcher by a Ranger since A.J. Pierzynski in 2013 (also 35)...had career-high 3 XBH (all 2B) on 7/24 at OAK, tying club record for 2B in a game (35x, last E. Andrus, 8/4/17 at MIN)...became first Texas catcher with 3+ XBH since Robinson Chirinos on 6/22/17 vs. TOR (HR, 2 2B) and just the second catcher in club history with 3 2B’s in a game (Rod Barajas, 7/20/04 vs. CWS)...Registered career-low 3.90 catcher ERA, 9th-lowest among A.L. qualifiers and far below club’s season average (4.22)…Texas went 48-54 (.471) in his starts behind the plate and 20-40 (.333) in games started by other backstops... was ranked among the top catchers in MLB (min. 500.0 inn. caught) by three statistical sites that measure pitch framing: Baseball Savant (2nd), FanGraphs (T2nd), Baseball Prospectus (3rd)... threw out career-best 12 of 69 (17.4%) base stealers…900.2 innings caught were 7th-most in MLB/4th in A.L. to OAK’s Sean Murphy (1004.0), HOU’s Martin Maldonado (948.2), and SEA’s Cal Raleigh (917.0)...First Ranger to catch 900.0+ innings since A.J. Pierzynski in 2013 (1005.0)...Has hit 25 of 26 career home runs as a catcher, already the seventh-most HR as a catcher in Rangers history and T8th-most in the American League over the last 2 seasons (2021-22)…16 HR as a catcher in 2022 were T2nd-most in A.L. (24-SEA’s Cal Raleigh)...just the fifth catcher in club history (min. 75% of G at C) to hit 15+ HR in a season, joining Iván Rodríguez (8x, last 2002), Robinson Chirinos (2x, last 2018), Rod Barajas (2x, last 2005), and A.J. Pierzynski (2013)...joined Rodríguez as the only other catcher in Texas history to have multiple 10+ HR seasons prior to age-28 season (also 10 HR in 2021)…hit his first career grand slam off Shohei Ohtani as part of five-RBI game (career high) on 4/14/22 vs. LAA…marked the first slam by a TEX catcher since Bobby Wilson on 5/14/16 vs. TOR and the 1st ever grand slam off Ohtani at MLB level.
2021
In his first full MLB season, Heim split catching duties with Jose Trevino in his first year in the Texas organization…despite ranking 2nd among Rangers with 73 starts behind the plate, Heim still ranked 7th among all MLB catchers in FanGraphs’ defensive WAR measurement and excelled in pitch framing (see separate text below)…batted .196/.239/.358/.598 (52-265) with 10 HR and 32 RBI…switch-hitter slashed .174/.225/.321/.547 (33-190) vs. RHP and .253/.275/.453/.728 (19-75) vs. LHP… missed seven games during a stint on COVID-19 Related Injured List (8/24-31), and would hit .143 (7-49) in 14 G after his return to finish the year.
2020
Began the year at A’s Alternate Site but was recalled on 8/24 and spent duration of season with Oakland, batting .211 with no XBH and 5 RBI in 13 G/12 GS…was on OAK postseason roster for both the Wild Card round and ALDS, but did not see any action…the switch-hitter batted .172 (5-29) with .422 OPS vs. RHP; and .333 (3-9) with .667 OPS vs. LHP…hit .333 (7-21) with runners on base and .417 (5-12) with RISP…did not commit an error in 111 total chances in his 12 starts at catcher, throwing out 1 of 3 attempted base stealers…was 0-for-1 as PH…batted .320/.370/.400/.770 (8-25) over 12 G in original Spring Training before the shutdown in March.
2019
Began the year at Double-A Midland but was promoted to Las Vegas in June where he made his Triple-A debut…combined with both clubs to hit a career-high .310 with a career-high-tying nine home runs and 53 RBI in 85 games…also had career highs in on-base percentage (.385), slugging percentage (.477) and OPS (.863)…batted .328 (76-for-232) with eight of his nine home runs against right-handed pitchers compared to .236 (13-for-55) against left-handers…hit .402 with runners in scoring position…six of his nine home runs came with the bases empty…was 0-for-8 with one RBI with the bases loaded…hit .326 in 70 games at night, .222 in 15 games during the day…batted .303 with a .387 on-base percentage when leading off an inning…appeared exclusively at catcher on defense where he made 65 starts…tossed out 26-of-50 (52.0%) attempted base stealers…also went 11-for-51 (.216) with four RBI in 14 games at designated hitter…hit in every spot in the order except first and second and saw his most action with 25 games batting fifth and 20 hitting ninth…played for Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League following the season and hit .301 with 11 RBI in 20 games.
MINORS: Was Midland's Opening Day starter at catcher and went 1-for-9 over his first three games…then had his first of seven three-hit games April 8 at Amarillo and batted .324 with 14 RBI over his next 20 contests through May 9 to lift his overall batting average to .301…went 6-for-31 (.194) over a nine-game stretch from May 10 to 19 but hit .357 with three home runs and nine RBI over his next seven games through May 28…tossed out 10-of-13 (76.9%) attempted base stealers over a 26-game span from May 19 to July 4…was batting .285 with four home runs and 31 RBI in 45 games with the RockHounds when he was promoted to Las Vegas June 9…went 19-for-38 (.500) with three home runs and 11 RBI over his first 13 games with the Aviators… drove in a season-high four runs June 21 against Sacramento…had a season-best 10-game hitting streak from June 23 to July 6 (15-for-35, .429)…batted .400 with three home runs and 16 RBI in 20 games in June…was hitting .397 in 26 games with Las Vegas when he was placed on the injured list July 20 with a strained left thigh…was reinstated Aug. 5 and went 7-for-28 (.250) in four games before he was transferred to Midland Aug. 21…hit .250 (4-for-16) with a home run, three RBI and three walks over his final five games with the RockHounds and was sent back to Las Vegas Sept. 3 for the postseason…batted .316 (6-for-19) with four runs, two doubles, a home run, four RBI and two walks while appearing in all five games of the Pacific Coast League Semifinals against Sacramento (three at designated hitter, two at catcher).
2018
Spent most of the season at Single-A Stockton where he batted .292 with seven home runs and 49 RBI in 80 games…was promoted to Double-A Midland July 10 and hit .182 with a home run and 11 RBI in 39 games with the RockHounds…combined for a .258 batting average, eight home runs and 60 RBI in a career-high 119 games in his sixth professional season, his first in the A's organization…added a career-high 39 walks for a career-high .319 on-base percentage…also had career highs in runs (57), hits (116), doubles (25), extra base hits (34), at bats (449) and strikeouts (82) and matched his best in triples (1) and stolen bases (3)…tied for ninth in the A's farm system in RBI (60)…was named to the California League Midseason All-Star Team…batted .261 (88-for337) against right-handed pitching compared to .250 (28-for-112) against left-handers…hit .301 with runners in scoring position, including .363 while playing for Stockton…appeared exclusively at catcher on defense where he played in 93 games…committed five errors for a .995 fielding percentage…tossed out 36-of-108 (33.3%) attempted base stealers…also batted .252 in 26 games as the designated hitter and was 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter…hit in every spot in the order except leadoff and saw his most extensive action with 54 games in the clean-up spot. MINORS: Got off to a slow start as he hit .188 over his first 14 games…then had a 19-game hitting streak from April 20 to May 12, which tied for third longest in the CL…went 34-for-83 (.410) with 18 RBI during the streak to boost his average to .328…had two double games on May 5 against Inland Empire and May 8 at Visalia…drove in a season-high four runs in the latter contest and had a RBI in five straight games from May 8 to 12 (11 RBI total)…stole all three of his bases over an 11-game span from May 11 to 22…hit .135 over a 14-game stretch from May 13 to 27 to drop his overall average to .273…then hit safely in each of his next nine games from May 28 to June 7…went 16-for-36 (.444) with eight runs, six doubles, three home runs and nine RBI during the streak to get his average back over .300 (.301)…drilled a season-high three doubles June 2 at Visalia…hit two home runs June 5 at San Jose…started for the North in the Cal League All-Star Game on June 19 at Lancaster and went 2-for-3 with a RBI…batted .349 with four of his eight home runs in 22 games in June…equaled his season high with four RBI July 6 at Inland Empire…was tied for sixth in the CL in RBI (49) and tied for eighth in hits (91) and doubles (21) when he was promoted to Midland July 10…was 2-for-3 in his Double-A debut on July 11 against Corpus Christi but then went 3-for-30 (.100) over his next 10 games … a two-hit game on Aug. 1 against Frisco lifted his RockHounds average to .231 but he went 10-for-72 (.139) over his final 20 games…drew a season-high three walks Aug. 11 at Arkansas.
2017
Spent most of the season at Single-A Bowling Green where he hit .268 with nine home runs and 53 RBI in 77 games…was promoted to Single-A Charlotte of the Florida State League on Aug. 2 and hit .218 with eight RBI in 16 games with the Stone Crabs…combined with both clubs for a .260 average, nine home runs and 61 RBI in 93 games…the home runs and RBI were career-highs…batted .306 against left-handed pitching compared to .239 against right-handers…hit .310 with seven of his nine home runs with runners on base…hit eight of his nine home runs and collected 38 of his 61 RBI in the sixth inning or later…batted .385 in the ninth inning…appeared exclusively at catcher on defense where he tossed out 30-of-67 (44.8%) attempted base stealers in 76 games…also hit .246 in 17 games as the designated hitter and was 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter…hit in each of the bottom six spots in the order and saw his most playing time with 40 games batting fifth…went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles in his second game of the season April 8 at Fort Worth…it was his first of seven three-hit games and his first of three two-double contests… had a grand slam and a season-high four RBI May 11 against Cedar Rapids…then had two home runs and another four-RBI game two days later against the Kernels…hit safely in each of his final eight games with Bowling Green from July 22 to Aug. 1…went 16-for-33 (.485) with four doubles, a triple, home run and 11 RBI during the streak…drove in a run in each of the final six games of the streak and had five straight multiple-hit games from July 27 to 31 (13-for-19, .684)…hit .359 in 21 games in July…was moved up to Charlotte on Aug. 2…hit .308 with all eight of his RBI over the final eight games beginning Aug. 18…matched his season-high with four RBI Aug. 31 against Bradenton.
2016
Was a non-roster invite to Orioles spring training…named to the Carolina League midseason All-Star Team…established career highs in games (102), hits (73), doubles (15), home runs (8) and RBI (33)…acquired by the Rays at the Aug 1 trade deadline…had the go-ahead, 8th-inning RBI on a fielder's choice in his first game with Charlotte.
