Joe Carroll

Joe D. Carroll

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.
• School University of Tulsa
• High School Will Rogers High School

• Born January 15, 1955 in Drumright, OK USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Joe Carroll played in the minor leagues from 1977 to 1980. His main claim to fame is to have been traded with a future Hall of Famer.

Like many players who went to college in the 1970s, Carroll was drafted numerous times. In his case, he was first drafted in the 10th round of the 1973 amateur draft, coming out of high school, by the Detroit Tigers. He failed to agree with them and went on to college at the University of Tulsa, from where he was drafted twice, the first time in the 13th round of the 1976 amateur draft by the California Angels and the second by the San Diego Padres in the 14th round of the 1977 amateur draft.

After signing with the Padres, he began his professional career in 1977 with the Walla Walla Padres of the Northwest League before being promoted to the Reno Silver Sox of the California League, where he struggled badly. He went 3-9, 7.23 in 16 games between the two teams. In 1978, he did a lot better, starting off 6-3, 3.65 in 11 starts for Reno before moving up to the Amarillo Gold Sox of the Texas League. There, the previous year's pattern repeated itself as he got hit hard, going 5-9, 6.00 in 14 starts. His third season, 1979, was more of the same: a solid start for Amarillo (6-9, 4.33 in 20 games) before hitting bumps at the next level, this time the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League, where he was 1-2, 5.52 in 6 games.

On February 14, 1980, he was involved in a prominent trade, joining future Cooperstown member Gaylord Perry and Hawaii teammate Tucker Ashford in heading to the Texas Rangers in return for 1B Willie Montanez. The Padres thought Perry was washed up - they were wrong - and that Montanez was a star - they were also wrong - and Carroll's presence in the deal was simply incidental. In any case, he played one more season, with the Charleston Charlies of the International League in 1980, going 2-8, 5.44 in 40 games, mainly as a long reliever. In 86 innings, he walked 59 batters and struck out 43, a clear sign that he did not have the stuff to make any further.