{{short description|American baseball player (born 1991)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography | name = James Pazos | image = James Pazos 2018.jpg | caption = Pazos with the Seattle Mariners | position = Pitcher | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|5|5}} | birth_place = Gilbert, Arizona, U.S. | bats = Right | throws = Left | debutleague = MLB | debutdate = September 5 | debutyear = 2015 | debutteam = New York Yankees | finalleague = MLB | finaldate = August 30 | finalyear = 2020 | finalteam = Colorado Rockies | statleague = MLB | stat1label = Win–loss record | stat1value = 9–6 | stat2label = Earned run average | stat2value = 3.95 | stat3label = Strikeouts | stat3value = 127 |teams = * New York Yankees ({{mlby|2015}}–{{mlby|2016}}) * Seattle Mariners ({{mlby|2017}}–{{mlby|2018}}) * Colorado Rockies ({{mlby|2019}}–{{mlby|2020}}) }} '''James Manuel Pazos''' (pronounced PAH-zohse;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/baseball-player-name-pronunciation-guide.shtml|title=Baseball Player Name Pronunciation Guide|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> born May 5, 1991) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and Colorado Rockies. He was drafted by the Yankees in the 13th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.
==Early life== Pazos was born in Gilbert, Arizona, to Julio and Teresa Pazos.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |date= |title=James Pazos – Baseball |url=https://usdtoreros.com/sports/baseball/roster/james-pazos/220 |access-date=December 30, 2018 |publisher=San Diego Toreros}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web |date= |title=James Pazos Stats, Fantasy & News |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/james-pazos-572021 |access-date=December 30, 2018 |work=MLB.com}}</ref> His mother competed in volleyball at South Carolina University, and his father competed in wrestling, football, and track at Arizona State University.<ref name=autogenerated1 />
==Amateur career== Pazos attended and played baseball for Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona, from which he graduated in 2009.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web |date=February 11, 2016 |title=Chandler-Gilbert Community College honors alumnus for Major League Baseball debut |url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/chandler/chandler-gilbert-community-college-honors-alumnus-for-major-league-baseball/article_bba3db6c-d0d7-11e5-bea5-a3360191ebad.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103024448/https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/chandler/chandler-gilbert-community-college-honors-alumnus-for-major-league-baseball/article_bba3db6c-d0d7-11e5-bea5-a3360191ebad.html |archive-date=2023-11-03 |access-date=December 30, 2018 |publisher=East Valley Tribune}}</ref> He was second-team All-Region as a sophomore, All-Region as a junior, and All State and Fiesta Region Pitcher of the Year as a senior.<ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref name=":0" /> He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 40th round of the 2009 MLB draft but did not sign with Tampa Bay.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2009 Baseball Draft by Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/draft/baseball-draft.php?yr=2009 |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=Baseball Almanac}}</ref>
Pazos enrolled at Chandler–Gilbert Community College to play college baseball. He pitched for the Coyotes in 2010, and had a 9–4 win–loss record and a 1.94 earned run average (ERA) in 95 innings.<ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref name=autogenerated1 /> After one year, he transferred to the University of San Diego to play for the Toreros for the next two seasons.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> As a sophomore, he was 3–5 with a 3.40 ERA and 41 strikeouts in {{frac|42|1|3}} innings.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> As a junior, he was 5–1 and had a 2.14 ERA in 63 innings, a WHIP of 0.94, and averaged a strikeout an inning.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 25, 2017 |title=Another Mariners Hard Throwing Lefty: James Pazos |url=https://sodomojo.com/2017/03/25/lefty-james-pazos-mariners/ |website=Sodo Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=June 18, 2012 |title=James Pazos |url=https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/148486/ |access-date=December 30, 2018 |website=The Baseball Cube}}</ref> He was named to the 2012 Rawlings All-West Coast Conference First Team.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 30, 2012 |title=12 Toreros Earn Rawlings All-WCC Accolades |url=https://usdtoreros.com/news/2012/5/30/12_Toreros_Earn_Rawlings_All_WCC_Accolades |access-date= |publisher=San Diego Toreros}}</ref>
==Professional career== ===New York Yankees=== The New York Yankees selected Pazos in the 13th round of the 2012 MLB draft, and he signed for a signing bonus of $100,000.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 5, 2012 |title=Sewald and Pazos Taken in Second Day of MLB Draft |url=https://usdtoreros.com/news/2012/6/5/Sewald_and_Pazos_Taken_in_Second_Day_of_MLB_Draft.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726233448/http://www.usdtoreros.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/060512aab.html |archive-date=July 26, 2017 |access-date=June 20, 2015 |publisher=San Diego Toreros}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/players/37322/james-pazos/ |title=James Pazos Stats & Scouting Report |publisher=Baseball America |date=May 5, 1991 |access-date=December 30, 2018}}</ref> He made his professional debut with the Staten Island Yankees of the Class A-Short Season New York-Penn League, going 2–1 with three saves and a 1.79 ERA in 28 relief appearances, with 39 strikeouts in {{Fraction|40|1|3}} innings, and was named a mid-season NYPL All Star.<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/player/james-pazos-572021 |title=James Pazos Stats, Highlights, Bio | MiLB.com Stats |publisher=Minor League Baseball |date= |access-date=December 30, 2018}}</ref>
He spent 2013 with Staten Island and the Charleston RiverDogs in the Class A South Atlantic League. He pitched to a combined 3–1 record with one save and 33 strikeouts and a 3.93 ERA in {{frac|34|1|3}} innings pitched out of the bullpen. After the season, he played for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, pitching {{Fraction|10|1|3}} innings.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 14, 2013 |title=Yankees name the four pitchers going to the Arizona Fall League |url=http://web.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130912&content_id=60340746&oid=36019 |access-date=December 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914200857/http://web.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130912&content_id=60340746&oid=36019 |archive-date=September 14, 2013 }}</ref>
Pazos played in 2014 with the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League and the Trenton Thunder of the Double-A Eastern League. He compiled a combined 0–3 record with 10 saves (4th-most among Yankee minor leaguers) and a 2.42 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 67 relief innings, averaging 10.1 strikeouts per 9 innings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trentonian.com/sports/20150529/healthy-pazos-back-on-yankees-radar|title=Healthy Pazos back on Yankees' radar|work=trentonian.com|date=May 29, 2015 |access-date=June 20, 2015}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
In 2015, between Trenton and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Triple-A International League, he was 3–1 with three saves, a 1.27 ERA, and 49 strikeouts in {{frac|42|2|3}} innings.<ref name=autogenerated3 /> The Yankees promoted Pazos to the major leagues on September 1, and he made his major league debut on September 5.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2015/08/yankees_september_call-ups_include_rob_refsnyder_a.html |title=Yankees' September call-ups include Rob Refsnyder, Andrew Bailey |publisher=NJ.com |date= September 2015|access-date=December 4, 2018}}</ref> With the Yankees in 2015, he pitched five scoreless innings.<ref name="autogenerated4">{{Cite web |title=James Pazos Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pazosja01.shtml |website=Baseball Reference}}</ref>
In 2016, Pazos split time between the Yankees and the minors. In the minors, pitching primarily for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he was 2–2 with one save, a 2.32 ERA, and 47 strikeouts in 31 innings.<ref name=autogenerated3 /> In {{frac|3|1|3}} innings for the Yankees, he gave up five earned runs while winning one game.<ref name="autogenerated3" />
===Seattle Mariners=== The Yankees traded Pazos to the Seattle Mariners for Zack Littell on November 18, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/mariners-acquire-a-pair-of-players-in-a-trade-with-the-rays-on-a-busy-day-of-roster-moves/ |title=Mariners make two trades for three players, add three minor leaguers to the 40-man roster and move on from three others |publisher=The Seattle Times |date=November 18, 2016 |access-date=December 4, 2018}}</ref> In 2017 with Seattle, Pazos was 4–5 with a 3.86 ERA and 65 strikeouts in {{Fraction|53|2|3}} innings.<ref name=autogenerated4 />
In 2018 with Seattle, he was 4–1 with a 2.88 ERA. In 50 innings in a career-high 60 games, he gave up 47 hits and 15 walks, and had 45 strikeouts.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=James Pazos Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=pazos-001jam |access-date=December 30, 2018 |publisher=Baseball Reference}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> He threw a sinker 91.8% of the time, second only to Zack Britton.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statcast Pitch Arsenals Leaderboard |url=https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/pitch-arsenals?year=2018&min=100&type=n_&hand=&sort=2&sortDir=desc |website=Baseball Savant |publisher=MLB.com}}</ref>
===Philadelphia Phillies=== On December 3, 2018, the Mariners traded Pazos, Jean Segura, and Juan Nicasio to the Philadelphia Phillies for Carlos Santana and J. P. Crawford.<ref>{{cite web|last=Axisa |first=Mike |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/phillies-acquire-jean-segura-from-mariners-as-seattle-continues-fire-sale/ |title=Phillies acquire Jean Segura from Mariners as Seattle continues fire sale |publisher=CBSSports.com |date=November 2, 2018 |access-date=December 4, 2018}}</ref> Pazos began the 2019 season with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the International League.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mcall.com/sports/ironpigs-phillies/mc-spt-ironpigs-railriders-20190409-bjleupzssbfbzlz5eqjexu5fwy-story.html|title=Flexible, experienced bullpen a strength early on for IronPigs|first=Tom|last=Housenick|website=mcall.com|date=April 9, 2019 }}</ref> Pazos was designated for assignment on April 24, 2019, after pitching to a 6.14 ERA in both spring training and Triple-A.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 24, 2019 |title=Phillies call up shortstop Sean Rodriguez, who's known for his competitive fire |url=https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/mlb/phillies-call-up-shortstop-sean-rodriguez-whos-known-for-his-competitive-fire/398739/ |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=NBC Sports Philadelphia |language=en-US}}</ref>
===Colorado Rockies=== On April 26, 2019, Pazos was traded to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for infielder Hunter Stovall.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rockies acquire lefty reliever Pazos from Phils |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/rockies-acquire-james-pazos-from-phillies |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref> Pitching for the Albuquerque Isotopes in 2019, Pazos was 1–3 with one save and a 8.80 ERA in 39 games (44 innings). He had a 1.74 ERA in 12 games ({{Fraction|10|1|3}} innings) for the Rockies.<ref name=":1" /> With the 2020 Colorado Rockies, Pazos appeared in 6 games, compiling a 16.88 ERA and 1 strikeout in {{Fraction|5|1|3}} innings pitched.<ref name=":0" /> Pazos was designated for assignment by the Rockies on September 28, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/09/rockies-designate-james-pazos-for-assignment.html|title=Rockies Designate James Pazos For Assignment|website=MLB Trade Rumors|date=September 28, 2020 }}</ref> He elected free agency on October 9.
===Los Angeles Dodgers=== On December 11, 2020, Pazos signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/12/dodgers-brandon-morrow-agree-to-minor-league-deal.html|title=Dodgers Agree To Minor League Deals With Morrow, Nelson, Stewart, Pazos|website=MLB Trade Rumors|date=December 11, 2020 }}</ref> He spent the entire 2021 season with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, where he was 1–6 in 48 games for a 3.72 ERA.<ref name=":1" /> He elected free agency on November 7, 2021.
===Staten Island FerryHawks=== After sitting out the 2022 season, Pazos signed with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball on April 22, 2023. Pazos made 17 appearances for the FerryHawks, but struggled to an 11.48 ERA with 13 strikeouts in {{fraction|13|1|3}} innings pitched. He was released by Staten Island on June 20.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="autogenerated4" />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} {{Baseballstats|mlb=572021|espn=33426|br=p/pazosja01|fangraphs=13323|brm=pazos-001jam|retro=P/Ppazoj001}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pazos, James}} Category:1991 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Gilbert, Arizona Category:Baseball players from Maricopa County, Arizona Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:New York Yankees players Category:Seattle Mariners players Category:Colorado Rockies players Category:Chandler–Gilbert Coyotes baseball players Category:San Diego Toreros baseball players Category:Staten Island Yankees players Category:Charleston RiverDogs players Category:Scottsdale Scorpions players Category:Tampa Yankees players Category:Trenton Thunder players Category:Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Category:Tacoma Rainiers players Category:Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Category:Albuquerque Isotopes players Category:21st-century American sportsmen Category:Oklahoma City Dodgers players Category:Staten Island FerryHawks players