Caleb Joseph can’t get away from historic Baltimore Orioles season
By Kevin Henry
Caleb Joseph has appeared behind the plate over the course of seven Major League Baseball seasons for three teams, including a five-year stint with the Baltimore Orioles. He was behind the plate for Derek Jeter’s emotional last at-bat as New York Yankees fans roared and has caught pitchers of all styles and pitch types. However, there is one question that he is always asked about his career, and it happened again during a chat with MLBTradeRumors just before the end of the year.
During a recent online chat, former MLB catcher Caleb Joseph was asked about the season where he made history with the Baltimore Orioles
In 2016, Joseph saw action in 49 games for the Baltimore Orioles, logging 141 plate appearances. Coming off a season where he had hit 11 home runs and 49 RBI in 100 games, Joseph battled a notable injury in 2016 and didn’t have the opportunities to contribute as much at the plate (or behind it) as he did the previous season.
However, in those 141 plate appearances, Joseph did not register an RBI … and set history in the process. It marked the first time since the 1904 season when a batter had logged that many plate appearances without driving in a run.
You can read all about the history and statistics surrounding the “accomplishment” here.
That strange season was brought up again during an online chat earlier this week, and Joseph didn’t shy away from the answer.
"Q: Enjoyed your time in Baltimore, but how crazy was 2016 when you couldn’t even luck into an RBI?Caleb Joseph: I figured this was gonna be a question! This game will take you to the peaks of the mountains, and the depths of the valleys. It wasn’t for a lack of effort, preparation, or desire. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. But my defense that year was excellent. Thats what I’m most proud of."
Joseph last saw action in three games for the Toronto Blue Jays in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, but delivered a passionate speech after his team clinched a spot in the postseason. When asked about the speech in the chat, Joseph joked that he had had “too many Mountain Dews before that game!!!”
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Joseph spent the 2021 season bouncing between the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners organization but never made an MLB appearance. He mentioned in the chat that, once the current MLB lockout ends, he is hoping to land with a team in time for the 2022 campaign.