Aviators’ Jared Koenig on doorstep of majors after unique journey

Jared Koenig had never traveled outside of the United States. Yet as he looked to continue his baseball career, he considered all options.

Even those across the Pacific Ocean and more than 6,000 miles from his hometown of Aptos, California.

When the opportunity came in 2019 to play in New Zealand with the Auckland Tuatara of the Australian Baseball League, Koenig did not hesitate to make the venture to better his chances of getting signed by an MLB club.

Major league scouts took notice. And Koenig’s leap overseas has landed him with the Aviators, where he is on the cusp of achieving his dream of reaching the major leagues.

Upon his arrival Down Under, he made the most of his opportunity.

“He was hands down the best pitcher in the league and throwing against good talent,” Tuatara manager Stephen Mintz said last week. “It wasn’t very hard for the scouts to look at him and see him stick out.”

After Koenig’s second start with Auckland, he caught the eye of Oakland Athletics international scout Dan Betreen. Two weeks later he informed Koenig the Athletics were going to sign him. Koenig left New Zealand Jan. 2, 2020 to travel back to get ready for spring training.

“It’s something that I’ve been longing for,” Koenig said of his time in Australia. “It wasn’t the ultimate goal yet, but it was a step in the right direction and something that I needed to continue my career.”

Two years later, in his first season of Triple-A baseball, Koenig has emerged as one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League and a rising prospect in the A’s system. He leads the PCL in strikeouts (61), is second in ERA (2.21), and is holding opposing hitters to a .203 average.

Long odds for No. 1,038

Koenig, the 1,038th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft of the Chicago White Sox, was not signed by the club and went back to college. He played two more seasons of college baseball — first at Old Dominion, then Cal State-Monterey Bay — but was not selected in the next two drafts.

He joined the independent baseball ranks in 2017, playing with four different clubs that season. With more freedom at the independent level, Koenig took advantage of the opportunity to better his pitching and develop the right mindset when he took the mound.

“My mentality changed to just try to enjoy and have as much fun as I could,” Koenig said. “That’s when everything started to click more and I was able to enjoy it.

”The confidence kept going up and it’s helped me to keep pursuing it and going strong.”

In the ABL, Koenig faced former big leaguers and minor leaguers. He realized that it would be similar competition in the higher levels of the minor leagues.

Koenig gained confidence his pitching could translate to that level as he recorded a 1.93 ERA in six starts with Auckland.

Like the rest of Minor League Baseball, he took off 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When play resumed play in 2021, Koenig joined the Athletics’ Double-A team, the Midland (Texas) RockHounds.

His first appearances did not go how he anticipated. But once he established a routine, he showed why the Athletics’ signed him out of the ABL.

“He can spot up with any pitch, use any pitch in any count, and he’s not afraid to throw inside.” said Aviators shortstop Nick Allen, a teammate of Koenig in Midland. “He mixes his speeds on all of his pitches and he’s consistent every outing. It’s very impressive.”

Big impression at Triple-A

Aviators manager Fran Riordan had not seen Koenig pitch prior to this season. He remembers pitching coach Steve Connelly, who held the same position at Midland last season, saying nothing but good things about Koenig

Through the first two months of the season, Riordan has seen Koenig live up to the praise.

“If you want to look at what a starting pitcher should do to be effective,“Riordan said, “all you need to do is watch Jared Koenig pitch.

Koenig believes he is ready if he gets the call to the big leagues. Riordan said Koenig’s perseverance has just as much to do with his on-field play as to why Koenig can reach the next level.

“As long as you have that desire, will, and determination, the door never closes on your career,” Riordan said. “Especially when you combine it with the talent that Jared has, which is is major league talent.”

As for Australia and New Zealand, Koenig said he thoroughly enjoyed his stint there and wants to go back there. Just not as a player, but as a tourist.

“All the past experiences have really helped me just understand that there’s so much more out there than just this,” Koenig said. “I’m fortunate to be able to play this game and have an opportunity to be successful in it.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.