Joey Loperfido

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Mario Joseph Loperfido

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Biographical Information[edit]

Outfielder Joey Loperfido was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 7th round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Duke University after hitting .374 in 53 games and being named MVP of the 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament .

He began his pro career in 2021 with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers of the Low-A East (the once and future Carolina League), but hit only .116 in 19 games. He did much better in 2022 when he split the season between Fayetteville and the Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League, posting a slash line of .316/.408/.492 in 108 games. He slugged 25 doubles and 12 homers, scored 70 runs and drove in 69 and was named a Carolina League postseason All-Star and an Astros organizational All-Star. He had another very good year in 2023 as he made it all the way with AAA after starting at Asheville, earning a promotion to the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Texas League after just 8 games, and ending up with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys of the Pacific Coast League. In 124 games, he hit .278/.370/.510 with 27 doubles and 25 homers, scored 79 runs and drove in 78. He was once again an organizational All-Star, and this time it was the AA Texas League that named him to its postseason All-Star team.

In spite of his success in the minors, he was a long shot to make the major league Astros at the start of 2024, given how the team was coming off an appearance in the 2023 ALCS, so he returned to Sugar Land. After 25 games, he was hitting .287 with 13 homers and 27 RBIs, whereas the major league team was struggling badly. He was called up on April 30th to replace injured back-up infielder Grae Kessinger and started in left field that day against the Cleveland Guardians, batting seventh. He went 1 for 5 with a run scored and two RBIs as Houston lost the game, 10-9, in 10 innings. He did not immediately light the league on fire with his bat, as he hit .236 in 38 games for Houston, but he did regularly feature on the "plays of the week" segments seen around MLB for his glove work. On July 29th, he was one of three prospects traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, along with P Jake Bloss and minor league IF Will Wagner, in return for P Yusei Kikuchi. On August 23rd, he was at the center of one the Jays' most spectacular wins of the year, a 5-4 decision over the Los Angeles Angels that showcased his many talents. He first made a spectacular catch against the left field wall in the 5th inning, depriving Nolan Schanuel of a double; he then hit a hustle double in the 7th when he realized that CF Kevin Pillar was backing up to field his hit, and consequently turned on the jets. He then left the best for last, as he led off the bottom of the 9th with a game-tying homer to the opposite field off Roansy Contreras, before the next batter, Addison Barger, ended the game with a walk-off blast also off Contreras for a 5-4 win.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Keegan Matheson: "Back-to-back blasts to end it! Barger, Loperfido send 'em home happy", mlb.com, August 23, 2024. [1]

Related Sites[edit]

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