John Pickens Curtiss Bio
John Pickens Curtiss is an American professional baseball pitcher who has spent time across Major League Baseball and international competition. He has previously played in MLB for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, and Colorado Rockies, and currently pitches for the Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican League after stints in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. A right-handed reliever, Curtiss has built a journeyman career marked by resilience, including a World Series appearance with the Rays in 2020.
Born on April 5, 1993, Curtiss grew up in Texas and developed into a professional arm after a college career with the Texas Longhorns. He is also a country music songwriter and guitarist who released his first album in 2025.
Early Life and Background
John Pickens Curtiss was born on April 5, 1993, and grew up in Southlake, Texas, where he attended Carroll Senior High School. His time in the Dallas-Fort Worth area helped shape his early athletic path, and he drew attention as a draft-eligible prospect following his prep career.
After high school, the Colorado Rockies selected Curtiss in the 30th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. He chose not to sign with the Rockies and instead enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, where he played college baseball for the Texas Longhorns. His college experience sharpened his craft on the mound and also introduced him to country music, a passion that would later grow into a parallel creative pursuit.
Path to Professional Baseball
Curtiss re-entered the draft in 2014, this time as a Minnesota Twins selection in the sixth round, with the 170th overall pick. He made his professional debut that summer with the Elizabethton Twins in the Appalachian League. In 2015 he split time between the Gulf Coast Twins and the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and in 2016 he advanced between Cedar Rapids and the Fort Myers Miracle. Following the 2016 season, he appeared in the Arizona Fall League, a traditional finishing school for top organizational arms.
He opened 2017 with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League before a promotion to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. On August 23, 2017, the Twins added him to the 40-man roster and brought him to the major leagues for the first time, beginning a long run of opportunity at the highest level.
John Pickens Curtiss Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Curtiss debuted with the Minnesota Twins in 2017 and made nine appearances during his rookie campaign. He struggled to an 8.31 ERA with 10 strikeouts across 8 2/3 innings, a learning curve that is common for pitchers arriving directly from the upper minors. In 2018 he returned to the Twins bullpen for eight outings, posting an 0-1 record and a 5.68 ERA with seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.
On January 14, 2019, following the Twins’ signing of relief pitcher Blake Parker, Curtiss was designated for assignment. The move signaled the end of his first chapter in Minnesota and set the stage for a series of transitions across the league.
Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies (2019)
A day after being designated, on January 15, 2019, Curtiss was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Daniel Ozoria. He opened that year with the Salt Lake Bees and made a single appearance for the Angels on April 15, 2019, before being designated for assignment on April 30. After clearing waivers, he rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency on May 3.
On June 12, 2019, Curtiss signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies and reported to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. In eight appearances he posted a 10.95 ERA across 12 1/3 innings, and the Phillies released him on July 7. The brief stop highlighted how thin the margin can be for a reliever searching for footing.
Tampa Bay Rays and the 2020 World Series (2020)
Curtiss signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays on February 3, 2020, and received his first big league call-up of the season on August 9, when Oliver Drake went on the injured list. He debuted that night with two perfect innings in a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees. Two days later, on August 11, he earned his first major league victory in an 8-2 win over the Boston Red Sox.
The highlight of his Rays tenure came in October, when Curtiss was the winning pitcher in Game 4 of the 2020 World Series, an 8-7 walk-off victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers that has been called an instant classic. Although the Rays ultimately fell to the Dodgers four games to two, the performance announced Curtiss as a reliever capable of delivering on the sport’s biggest stage.
Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers (2021)
On February 17, 2021, Curtiss was traded to the Miami Marlins in exchange for pitcher Evan Edwards. He became a steady presence in the Marlins bullpen, appearing in 35 games and posting a 3-1 record with a 2.48 ERA, 40 strikeouts, and 40 innings of work. The stint in Miami represented the most productive stretch of his career to that point.
On July 30, 2021, the Marlins dealt him to the Milwaukee Brewers for catcher Payton Henry. Curtiss struggled in six appearances for Milwaukee, producing a 12.46 ERA. On August 11 he was placed on the injured list with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, ending his season. He underwent Tommy John surgery on September 7, 2021, and was non-tendered by the Brewers on November 30, becoming a free agent.
New York Mets (2022–2023)
Curtiss signed a major league contract with the New York Mets on April 6, 2022, but the lingering effects of his elbow injury forced him to miss the entire 2022 season. The Mets exercised his $775,000 option for 2023, and he returned to action with 15 appearances that year, posting a 4.58 ERA and 16 strikeouts across 19 2/3 innings.
On August 14, 2023, Curtiss was placed on the 60-day injured list with a loose body in his right elbow, and on August 22 he underwent season-ending surgery to remove it. Following the campaign, the Mets removed him from the 40-man roster and outrighted him to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets. He elected free agency on November 6, 2023.
Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks (2024–2025)
On January 25, 2024, Curtiss signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies and reported to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, where he posted a 6.75 ERA in 17 games. The Rockies selected his contract on May 24, and he made one appearance for Colorado before being designated for assignment on May 27. He cleared waivers, rejected an outright assignment, and re-signed on a new minor league deal, was released on July 1, and was quickly re-signed two days later. On July 27 the Rockies purchased his contract again, and after two more outings he was designated for assignment on August 6, then outrighted to Albuquerque on August 9. He elected free agency on September 30, 2024.
Curtiss signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks on February 11, 2025, and pitched for the Triple-A Reno Aces before having his contract selected on June 28. In 30 appearances for Arizona he went 3-2 with a 3.93 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and one save over 36 2/3 innings. On November 6, 2025, the Diamondbacks removed him from the 40-man roster and outrighted him to Reno, and he elected free agency the same day.
Charros de Jalisco (2026)
On May 27, 2026, after a brief return to the Diamondbacks organization on a minor league contract, Curtiss signed with the Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican League. The move opened a new chapter in his professional career south of the border.
Driving Style and Strengths
Curtiss is best suited to high-leverage relief work, where his ability to limit damage over short stints is most valuable. His most consistent production came in a middle-relief role with the 2021 Marlins, when he delivered a 2.48 ERA across 40 innings.
Notable Events and Milestones
Curtiss’s signature moment remains his Game 4 win in the 2020 World Series with the Rays. Other milestones include his first major league victory against the Boston Red Sox on August 11, 2020, and his first MLB debut with the Twins on August 23, 2017.
John Pickens Curtiss Career Wins
Across his MLB career, John Pickens Curtiss has compiled a 9-4 win-loss record, a 4.03 earned run average, and 128 strikeouts through the 2025 season. His wins have been spread across several organizations, with his first coming in 2020 and his most productive stretch coming in relief for the 2021 Marlins.
Tampa Bay Rays Highlights
Curtiss earned his first major league win on August 11, 2020, in an 8-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The pinnacle of his Rays tenure came in the 2020 World Series, where he was the winning pitcher in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside of Tampa Bay, Curtiss posted a 3-1 record with a 2.48 ERA in 35 appearances for the 2021 Miami Marlins, the most consistent run of his career. He added three more wins for the 2025 Arizona Diamondbacks across 30 relief outings.
John Pickens Curtiss Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about John Pickens Curtiss’s parents and family is limited. He grew up in Southlake, Texas, and his baseball development is most closely tied to that North Texas community and to the University of Texas program.
Personal Life
Curtiss became interested in country music while attending the University of Texas, where he learned to play the guitar during injury recoveries. He has said that music kept him sane when he was super stressed out, and he often composes songs while traveling with his team. On September 2, 2018, he performed the national anthem before a Rochester Red Wings game against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, and he released his first album in 2025.
2025 Season Performance
John Pickens Curtiss opened 2025 in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization on a minor league contract, pitching for the Triple-A Reno Aces. The Diamondbacks selected his contract on June 28, and he went on to make 30 appearances in the major league bullpen, posting a 3-2 record with a 3.93 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and one save across 36 2/3 innings.
His most effective stretches came in middle relief, where he limited inherited runners and recorded his first save of the season in a Diamondbacks uniform. The team used him in a flexible role behind the back-end options, and he delivered several multi-inning outings that kept Arizona in close games during the summer months.
On November 6, 2025, the Diamondbacks removed Curtiss from the 40-man roster and outrighted him to Reno, and he elected free agency the same day. He later re-signed with the Diamondbacks organization on a minor league deal on December 16, 2025, before moving on to the Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican League in 2026.
