John Jaso
John Jaso | |
---|---|
![]() Jaso with the Pirates in 2017 | |
Catcher / Designated hitter / First baseman | |
Born: Chula Vista, California, U.S. | September 19, 1983|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 6, 2008, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |
Last MLB appearance | |
October 1, 2017, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .258 |
Home runs | 55 |
Runs batted in | 281 |
Teams | |
John Edward Jaso (/ˈdʒeɪsoʊ/; born September 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Jaso mostly served as a designated hitter and catcher throughout his career, but had to stop catching due to concussion issues.[1] He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Amateur career
[edit]Born in Chula Vista, California, Jaso graduated from McKinleyville High School in McKinleyville, California, in 2001.[2] Jaso then attended Southwestern College, a community college in Chula Vista.
Professional career
[edit]Tampa Bay Rays
[edit]Jaso was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 12th round (338th overall) of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/John_Jaso_on_September_2%2C_2015.jpg/220px-John_Jaso_on_September_2%2C_2015.jpg)
Jaso began his professional career playing for the Low Single-A Hudson Valley Renegades for two seasons from 2003 to 2004. He had a .221 batting average in 2003, but improved to .302 in 2004 and was also a postseason All-Star for that season. He took the next step in 2005, playing for the Single-A Southwest Michigan Devil Rays. He had a .307 batting average and had 14 home runs, his most of any season to date. Also, he was a midseason and postseason All-Star. In 2006, he took another step, playing for the High Single-A Visalia Oaks and his season included being named to the midseason All-Star team. In 2007, he played for the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits. His .316 batting average was second in the Southern League, on-base percentage of .408 was third among league leaders and a slugging percentage of .484 was good enough for sixth in the league. His best minor-league season included being named to the midseason and postseason All-Star team and was also Topps Southern League Player of the Month for August. Baseball America and Topps also named him as a Double-A All-Star after the season.
The Tampa Bay Rays purchased Jaso's contract on November 20, 2007, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft.[3] He made his major league debut on September 6, 2008.[4]
In spring training with Tampa Bay in 2011, he led the majors in stolen bases given up with 18, while only catching two runners.[5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/John_Jaso.jpg/200px-John_Jaso.jpg)
Seattle Mariners
[edit]On November 27, 2011, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Josh Lueke and a player to be named later.[6] On August 15, 2012, he caught teammate Félix Hernández's perfect game against his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays.
Oakland Athletics
[edit]On January 16, 2013, Jaso was traded to the Oakland Athletics in a three-team trade that sent Michael Morse to the Mariners and Ian Krol, A. J. Cole, and Blake Treinen to the Washington Nationals.[7][8] Jaso sought salary arbitration before the 2014 regular season began, and eventually agreed to a one-year contract worth $2.3 million.[9]
Second stint with the Rays
[edit]On January 10, 2015, Jaso was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays with Daniel Robertson and Boog Powell for Yunel Escobar and Ben Zobrist.[10]
Pittsburgh Pirates
[edit]On December 23, 2015, Jaso signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.[11] He hit for the cycle on September 28, 2016, against the Chicago Cubs, the first cycle in PNC Park history.[12][13][14]
On October 1, 2017, Jaso told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he was going to retire and travel.[15] After retiring from professional baseball, Jaso acquired the sailboat Roaming Rose.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "John Jaso's road back from concussions". TampaBay.com. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
- ^ Rux, Jack (June 16, 2013). "Swing Of Things: McKinleyville High grad John Jaso a hit with the Oakland A's". Eureka Times-Standard. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- ^ Encina, Eduardo A. (November 21, 2007). "RAYS TWEAK ROSTER TO HANG ONTO PROSPECTS". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ Topkin, Marc (September 1, 2008). "CALLUPS HELP INCREASE POSTSEASON OPTIONS". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ "Major League Baseball Stats: Sortable Statistics". mlb.com. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
- ^ "Mariners acquire catcher John Jaso". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 27, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ "Mariners trade for Michael Morse". Associated Press. January 16, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ "A's acquire John Jaso in three-team deal that sends Michael Morse to Mariners". Mercury News. January 16, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ "Jim Johnson agrees for $10M, 1 year". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 17, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ "Ben Zobrist, Yunel Escobar traded to Oakland Athletics from Tampa Bay Rays". ESPN.com. January 10, 2015.
- ^ "John Jaso Gave Up Baseball to Enjoy Life on a Boat". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 24, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ Berry, Adam. "Jaso hits for first cycle in PNC Park history". MLB.com. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ^ "History made at PNC Park as Jaso hits for the cycle". Herald-Star. Associated Press. September 29, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ Saunders, Alan (September 28, 2016). "Insider: John Jaso hits for cycle in Pirates' 8-4 win". The Beaver County Times. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ "John Jaso is probably retiring from baseball: "I have a sailboat, so I just want to sail away."".
- ^ Gardner, David (February 14, 2023). "No More Spring Trainings". The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- 1983 births
- Living people
- Baseball players from Chula Vista, California
- Durham Bulls players
- Hudson Valley Renegades players
- Leones del Caracas players
- American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
- Major League Baseball catchers
- Major League Baseball first basemen
- Major League Baseball left fielders
- Major League Baseball right fielders
- Montgomery Biscuits players
- Oakland Athletics players
- Pittsburgh Pirates players
- Seattle Mariners players
- Scottsdale Scorpions players
- Southwest Michigan Devil Rays players
- Southwestern Jaguars baseball players
- Tampa Bay Rays players
- Visalia Oaks players