Joseph Peter La Sorsa (born April 29, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays selected La Sorsa in the 19th round of the 2019 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut with them in 2023.
| Joe La Sorsa | |
|---|---|
 La Sorsa with team Italy in the 2023 WBC | |
| Washington Nationals – No. 53 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: April 29, 1998 Mount Kisco, New York, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 29, 2023, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |
| MLB statistics (through September 21, 2024) | |
| Win–loss record | 1–0 |
| Earned run average | 4.93 |
| Strikeouts | 40 |
| Teams | |
| |
Amateur career
editLa Sorsa attended Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, New York, and played for the school's baseball team.[1] In his senior year, he led Iona Prep's baseball team to the Catholic High School Athletic Association championship.[1] He enrolled at St. John's University and played college baseball for the St. John's Red Storm.[2] In 2018, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was 3-2 with a 5.79 ERA and pitched two innings of a combined no-hitter.[3][4][5]
Professional career
editTampa Bay Rays
editThe Tampa Bay Rays selected La Sorsa in the 19th round of the 2019 MLB draft.[2] He made his professional debut that year with the Hudson Valley Renegades.[6] He did not pitch professionally in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] La Sorsa played for the Italian national baseball team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[8]
La Sorsa was assigned to the Triple-A Durham Bulls in 2023, making nine appearances with a 3.86 earned run average.[9] On May 28, 2023, the Rays selected his contract and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time.[10] He made his major league debut the next day, pitching two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and a walk. On June 3, after he had pitched in one additional major league game, La Sorsa was designated for assignment following the activation of Shawn Armstrong from the injured list.[11]
Washington Nationals
editOn June 8, 2023, the Nationals claimed La Sorsa off waivers.[12] He made four appearances for the Triple–A Rochester Red Wings before the Nationals promoted him to the major leagues.[13] In 23 relief outings for the Nationals, La Sorsa recorded a 4.76 ERA with 25 strikeouts across 28+1⁄3 innings pitched. For Rochester, in 12 games he posted a 4.26 ERA with 14 strikeouts.[3] He was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple-A Rochester on December 1.[14]
La Sorsa began the 2024 campaign with Rochester, compiling a 2.25 ERA with 41 strikeouts across 42 relief appearances. On August 17, 2024, the Nationals selected La Sorsa's contract. adding him to their active roster.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b "Baseball all-stars: LaSorsa guides Iona Prep to title". Lohud.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ^ a b "Lewisboro's Joe LaSorsa Drafted by Tampa Bay Rays | Katonah/Lewisboro, NY News TAPinto". Tapinto.net. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ^ a b "Joe La Sorsa Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "#32 Joe La Sorsa - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ "6/24: Cape Cod Baseball League Sunday Wrap-up". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Pietrafesa, Dan (July 3, 2019). "Iona Prep Graduate LaSorsa Thrilled to Be Pitching Close to Home | Catholic New York". Cny.org. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ^ "No minor league season leaves players in limbo". The-leader.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ^ "Italy's LaSorsa turns sour jam into sweet celly". MLB.com.
- ^ "Rays' Joe LaSorsa: Promotion official". cbssports.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "Injuries & Moves: LaSorsa called up; Kelley optioned". MLB.com.
- ^ "Rays' Joe La Sorsa: Joins Designated for assignment". cbssports.com. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ "Nationals' Joe La Sorsa: Claimed off waivers by Nats". cbssports.com. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Zuckerman, Mark (June 23, 2023). "After winding path, La Sorsa hopes to stick in D.C." MASN. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ "Nationals' Joe La Sorsa: Sent outright to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ "Nationals RHP Derek Law to injured list with elbow strain". ESPN.com. August 17, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)