Jeff Motuzas

Jeff Motuzas
Washington Nationals – No. 82
Batting Practice Pitcher
Born: (1971-10-01) October 1, 1971 Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bats: Right Throws: Right

Jeffrey R. Motuzas (born October 1, 1971 in Nashua, New Hampshire) is a baseball bullpen catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks but now throws batting practice for the Washington Nationals after being out of the game for years.

Motuzas attended Nashua High School where he was a Rawlings First Team All American his senior year. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 13th round (343rd overall) of the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft. Motuzas played for the Yankees minor league system until he retired from playing in 1996 at AAA.

Motuzas has served as the bullpen catcher for the Diamondbacks since 1998 and retired in 2012. Also of note has been Motuzas participating in the Home Run Derby as a Derby pitcher for Luis Gonzalez, Barry Bonds, Todd Helton, Lance Berkman and Sammy Sosa, a role that is almost always filled by players other than actual pitchers.

Jeff also coached Travel Ball during the time he wasn't working for a MLB Team. He was a catching coach for AZ T-Rex Baseball. He always brought peanuts instead of seeds. Jeff was the best BP thrower in the organization even better than Rex Gonzalez the team owner. Tuzes would end up leaving because his favorite/best catcher (Sebastian Laguna) was too advanced for him.

References

• Scott Cacciola (25 March 2011). "Major League Baseball: The Arizona Diamondbacks' Human Garbage Can - WSJ". WSJ. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
• "The Telegraph". Retrieved 10 May 2015.
• "The Telegraph". Retrieved 10 May 2015.
• Jeff Sullivan. "Story About Diamondbacks Bullpen Catcher Says More About Awful Person Livan Hernandez". SBNation.com. Vox Media. Retrieved 10 May 2015.

External links

• Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)