Mickey Jannis

Mickey Scott Jannis

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 195 lb.
• School California State University, Bakersfield
• High School Arroyo Grande High School
• Debut June 23, 2021

• Born December 16, 1987 in Carson City, NV USA

BR page

Biographical Information

When Mickey Jannis made his major league debut with the Baltimore Orioles on June 23, 2021, he was the first knuckleball pitcher to appear in the majors since Steven Wright in 2019. A few position players had used the pitch during mound appearances in the interim, such as Erik Kratz, but Jannis was the first man to actually attempt to make a living off the tricky offering. His debut did not go too well as he gave up 7 runs on 8 hits in 3 1/3 innings of relief, including three long balls, in a 13-0 loss to the Houston Astros. The homers were hit by Yordan Alvarez, Abraham Toro and Chas McCormick. It was his only big league appearance of the season.

At 5'9" and righthanded, he was never really considered a prospect and had to wait until the 44th round to be selected in the 2010 amateur draft, by the Tampa Bay Rays. It then took him another decade to make it to the Show. Throwing the knuckleball was the only way he was going to make it that far, and it had to be self-taught, with a lot of trial and error, as there was really no one around who could teach him.

Further Reading

• Emma Baccellieri: "Meet the MLB Pitchers Keeping the Dying Art of the Knuckleball Alive: Mickey Jannis is among the next generation of baseball players committed to mastering the increasingly endangered pitch.", Sport Illustrated, March 24, 2023. [1]
• Michael Clair: "You've never really seen a knuckleball ... until now: Float on, you crazy diamond.", mlb.com', March 9, 2021. [2]
• Savannah McCann: "At 33 years old, knuckler gets 1st shot in bigs", mlb.com, June 23, 2021. [3]

Related Sites

• Mickey Jannis on mlb.com