Jake Elmore

Jacob David Elmore

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 185 lb.
• School Wallace State Community College, Arizona State University
• High School Pleasant Grove (AL) High School
• Debut August 11, 2012
• Final Game September 29, 2019

• Born June 15, 1987 in Dothan, AL USA

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Biographical Information

Jake Elmore made his major league debut in 2012.

Amateur Career

Elmore was All-State in baseball twice in high school and also once in football. He batted .407 as a junior college freshman and played in the Junior College World Series. He improved to .450 as a sophomore with 45 RBI in 50 games. The Florida Marlins took him in the 48th round of the 2007 amateur draft but he did not sign. Transferring to Arizona State, he was only 5 for 45, albeit with 10 walks, in 2008. The Arizona Diamondbacks still chose him in the 34th round of the 2008 amateur draft. The scout was Rodney Davis.

Minor League Career

Elmore had a fine pro debut for a guy who had been riding the pine in college that spring. He hit .296/.390/.464 with 38 runs in 53 games for the Missoula Osprey. He was named the Pioneer League's All-Star second baseman. In 2009, he batted .258/.365/.351 with 61 walks for the South Bend Silver Hawks. He led Midwest League second sackers with a .980 fielding percentage. With the 2010 Mobile Bay Bears, he produced at a .278/.374/.345 clip with 58 walks and 25 steals in 38 tries. He also won a game as a pitcher. Back with Mobile in '11, he remained steady at .270/.362/.349. He led SL second basemen in fielding (.981), putouts (214), assists (315) and double plays (75). Baseball America did not rate him as the best defensive second baseman in the league, though, giving Sergio Miranda that honor instead.

Moving up to AAA with the 2012 Reno Aces, Elmore had an explosive first half, hitting .381/.466/.516 with 82 runs and 51 walks after 80 games. In the 2012 AAA All-Star Game, he started at second base and hit second for the Pacific Coast League team. He singled off Tyler Cloyd in the first and came around on a Wil Myers hit. He was plunked by Matt Harvey in the 3rd and flew out against Rudy Owens in the 5th. Jimmy Paredes replaced him at 2B and the PCL went on to win, 3-0. He was hitting .344/.442/.465 with 30 doubles and 9 triples in 108 games when he got the call to the Show in early August. He finished the season 4th in the 2012 PCL in average (between Matt McBride and Mike Cervenak), second in OBP (trailing Adam Eaton), 3rd in runs with 95 (trailing Eaton and Josh Fields) and tied for 7th in triples (with Logan Schafer). He was named the All-Star second baseman. Baseball America rated him as having the best strike-zone judgement in the league.

Major Leagues

Elmore made his big league debut with the Diamondbacks on August 11, 2012 and stayed with the team for the remainder of the season. He hit .191/.247/.250 with more errors (2) than runs (1) in 30 games, playing shortstop and second base. He was placed on waivers after the season and was claimed by the Houston Astros. He began the 2013 season in the minor leagues with the AAA Oklahoma City RedHawks but was called up for three games in mid-May during which he went 4 for 11 in three starts ar second base. He returned to Oklahoma City for another month and was hitting .299/.382/.433 in 70 games when he was called up again in late June. This time, he found a job as the Astros' utility player, getting playing time in the mainly in the middle of the infield, but also in left field. The Astros also groomed him as their emergency catcher, having him catch a few sessions in the bullpen, and this training came in handy when he had to replace C Carlos Corporan in the 4th inning of a game on August 19th. The Astros were already trailing the Texas Rangers 13-1 when Corporan suffered a mild concussion after being hit by a foul ball, and the team's other catcher was already in the game as the DH. Elmore caught the 4th through the 7th innings, then stepped on the mound in the bottom of the 8th, with Castro catching. He retired the Rangers in order, needing only 11 pitches to induce a fly ball and a pair of grounders. He was only the 14th player in history to both pitch and catch in the same game, and also went 1 for 2 at the plate with a run scored. It was his first career appearance in the majors at both positions, and he had by now played everywhere on the diamond for the Astros, except for centerfield.

Post-Playing Career

Elmore became hitting coach of the Clearwater Threshers in 2022. After the season he served in the same role with the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League.

Sources

• 2012 Diamondbacks Media Guide
• ASU bio
• 2009-2012 Baseball Almanacs

Related Sites

• Jake Elmore on mlb.com