Not An Average Joe
- Updated: March 23, 2022
The Kelowna Falcons have been very fortunate to see several talented players come through the system over the past 20 seasons. Some have gone on to play at the professional level, some playing out their career in the minors while others have become valuable members of their communities.
It’s been 11 years since the Falcons recruited a high school senior from San Diego, California to come north and play at Elks Stadium for the summer of 2011.
Connor Joe made a lasting impression that season and was selected to the West Coast League All-Star Game by a fan’s choice vote. He hit .273 that summer with 21 hits and six RBIs. He was solid defensively as well playing the majority of his time at second base.
Following his summer in Kelowna, Joe attended the University of San Diego in his hometown. He was ultimately drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014 in the first round, 39th overall. That next summer he made his professional debut with the West Virginia Power and batted .245.
In 2017 he was traded to the Atlanta Braves playing just 20 games with the Double-A Mississippi Braves before getting traded again to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He split the 2018 season between the Double-A Tulsa Drillers and the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, slashing .299 with career-highs in home runs (17) and RBI (55).
Joe was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2018 Rule 5 draft then on March 21, 2019, they traded him to the San Francisco Giants where he made his Major League debut on March 28th against his hometown San Diego Padres.
After a second stint with the Dodgers, Joe opted out of the 2020 season when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and became a free agent on November 2, 2020. Then 18-days later he signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies organization and played first base and left field, finishing the season hitting .285 with eight home runs and 35 RBI in 63 games.
On March 18, 2021, Joe announced he had undergone surgery for testicular cancer and was in his recovery process. He was declared cancer free on July 20, 2021.
Last season he made a triumphant return to the Rockies collecting 51 hits, eight homers and 35 RBIs while hitting at a .285 clip in 63 games. That season has him hoping for high expectations in 2022.
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