Jace Jung

From BR Bullpen

Jace Andrew Jung

BR page

Biographical Information[edit]

Infielder Jace Jung is the younger brother of Josh Jung. Like his brother, he attended Texas Tech University, where he played second base, and was a top draft pick, being chosen 12th overall in the 1st round of the 2022 amateur draft by the Detroit Tigers. In his last two seasons in college, he hit .337 and .335 respectively, with 21 and 14 homers. Josh and Jace were the just the second and third first-rounders in school history (Josh was the #8 pick in the 2019 amateur draft), after Donald Harris in 1989.

He began his pro career with 30 with the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League in 2022, hitting .232 with 1 homer and 13 RBIs. He then broke out in 2023, starting off at West Michigan and ending up in AA with the Erie SeaWolves of the Eastern League. In 128 games, his slash line was .265/.376/.502 with 28 homers and 82 RBIs. He swept up a lot of postseason honors, including winning a Gold Glove for his defensive play at second base, being named a High-A All-Star by Baseball America, a Midwest League All-Star and a Tigers organizational All-Star. He then played in the Arizona Fall League and was named to play in the Rising Stars Game, that circuit's All-Star game. He was able to catch his brother Josh playing for the Texas Rangers in the 2023 World Series, including in the title-clinching game on November 1st, since it was played in Arizona, a short drive away from where the Rising Stars Game had been played that same day. He moved to third base for the Fall League, as the Tigers figured this would likely be his position in the majors.

He went to spring training with the Tigers as a non-roster invitee in 2024 and was one of the big stories in camp, as he continued to put his great hitting and fielding skills on display. On March 16th, he homered twice in a "Spring Breakout" game against the top prospects of the Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .257 in 91 games for the Toledo Mud Hens of the International League, with 14 homers and 60 RBIs before getting the call to Detroit. In his debut on August 16th, he went 0 for 2 with a pair of walks in a 3-0 loss to the New York Yankees; another top prospect and former first rounder, Trey Sweeney, also made his debut in that game. He got his first two big league hits the next day.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Jason Beck: "It might not be Jung's time just yet ... but it's coming", mlb.com, March 1, 2024. [1]
  • Jason Beck: "'He's all-in': Tigers' Jung clubs 2 HRs at Spring Breakout", mlb.com, March 16, 2024. [2]
  • Jesse Borek: "Jace Jung plays in Fall League, high-tails it to World Series for Josh", mlb.com, November 2, 2023. [3]

Related Sites[edit]

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