| J. T. Ginn | |
| Team: | Athletics |
| Number: | 70 |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | 20 May 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Flowood, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | August 21 |
| Debutyear: | 2024 |
| Debutteam: | Oakland Athletics |
| Statyear: | 2024 season |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 1–1 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 4.24 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 29 |
| Teams: |
|
John Thomas Ginn (born May 20, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his major league debut in 2024.
Ginn graduated from Brandon High School in Brandon, Mississippi. In 2017, as a junior, he batted .482 with 16 home runs.[1] That summer, he pitched in the 2017 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field.[2] As a senior, he batted .419 with nine home runs and 27 RBI along with pitching to a 5–1 record and 0.36 ERA[3] and was named the Mississippi Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.[4] He signed to play college baseball at Mississippi State.[5]
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Ginn with the 30th overall selection of the 2018 MLB draft.[6] On July 5, 2018, he announced that he was going to honor his commitment to Mississippi State and that he would not be signing with the Dodgers.[7] [8] In 2019, his freshman year at Mississippi State, he went 8–4 with a 3.36 ERA over 16 starts, striking out 103 over eighty innings.[9] He was named the 2019 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year.[10] He underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020.[11]
Ginn was selected 52nd overall by the New York Mets in the 2020 MLB draft.[12] He signed with the Mets on June 30, 2020, for a $2.9MM bonus.[13] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic alongside still recovering from surgery.[14] Ginn returned to play in June 2021, making his professional debut with the St. Lucie Mets of the Low-A Southeast.[15] He was promoted to the Brooklyn Cyclones of the High-A East in July.[16] Over 18 starts between the two teams, Ginn went 5–5 with a 3.03 ERA and 81 strikeouts over 92 innings.[17]
On March 12, 2022, the Mets traded Ginn and Adam Oller to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Chris Bassitt.[18] He opened the season with the Midland RockHounds of the Double–A Texas League.[19] In 12 starts split between Midland and the rookie–level Arizona Complex League Athletics, Ginn compiled a 1–4 record and 5.10 ERA with 46 strikeouts across innings pitched.[20] He returned to the two affiliates in 2023, making 8 starts and struggling to a 7.43 ERA with 17 strikeouts over innings of work.[21]
Ginn began the 2024 season with Midland, logging a 4–1 record and 4.15 ERA over 6 starts. In May, he was promoted to the Triple–A Las Vegas Aviators, for whom he logged a 4–3 record and 5.72 ERA with 69 strikeouts across 15 games (14 starts). On August 20, 2024, Ginn was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[22]