Daniel J "D. J." Carrasco (born April 12, 1977) is a former American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He is currently the pitching coach of the

Syracuse Mets The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which open ...

Career

Baltimore Orioles

Carrasco was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 39th round (1,074th overall) of the

1995 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Background Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad ...

, but did not sign. He was later drafted in the 26th round (795th overall) of the

1997 Major League Baseball draft The 1997 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1997. A total of 1607 players were drafted over the course of 92 rounds. First round selections ...

by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

, but did not pitch a minor league game for them as he was released in 1998.

Cleveland Indians/Pittsburgh Pirates

After his release from the Orioles, Carrasco signed with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

organization. He spent the 1998 season playing for the Single-A

Watertown Indians Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

of the New York–Penn League, and finished the season 1–1 with a 5.40 ERA in 13 games (one start). Carrasco later joined the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

organization, and pitched in their farm system from 1999 through 2002.

Kansas City Royals

Carrasco was drafted by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

from the Pirates in the 2002 Rule 5 draft. He made the Royals' Opening Day roster in 2003, and spent the entire season in the majors for the Royals, going 6–5 with a 4.82 ERA in 50 games (two starts). Carrasco split 2004 and 2005 between the Royals and their minor league affiliates. He saw more time in the starting rotation in 2005, posting a 6–8 record with a 4.79 ERA in 21 games (20 starts). On December 7, 2005, the Royals released Carrasco to allow him to pursue an opportunity to play in Japan.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

Carrasco signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

prior to the 2006 season. He made only three starts with the team, posting an ERA of 14.81 with an 0–3 record.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 30, 2006, Carrasco signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He spent the season with their Triple-A affiliate, the Tucson Sidewinders, finishing the season 5–14 with a 6.68 ERA in 34 games (22 starts).

Chicago White Sox

On January 11, 2008, Carrasco signed a minor league contract that included an invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. On July 9, 2008, Carrasco was recalled by the White Sox to replace injured closer Bobby Jenks. Carrasco posted a 2.38 ERA in seven appearances with Triple-A Charlotte before being recalled. On August 3, 2008, during a game against the

, Carrasco threw two pitches inside to

Miguel Olivo Miguel Eduardo Olivo Peña (born July 15, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher for several teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2002 to 2014. He also played in the Mexican League from 2014 to 2017 ...

, the second one hitting Olivo. Olivo came after Carrasco and started a bench-clearing brawl. On December 12, 2009, Carrasco was non-tendered by the White Sox, making him a free agent.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On January 13, 2010, Carrasco signed a major league contract with the

with an invite to spring training.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 31, 2010, Carrasco, Bobby Crosby and Ryan Church were traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Chris Snyder and

Pedro Ciriaco Pedro Joel Ciriaco Leguisamon (born September 27, 1985) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, ...

New York Mets

On December 9, 2010, the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

signed Carrasco to a two-year, $2.5 million contract. On June 11, 2011, he returned to the club as Dale Thayer was sent down. On June 16, 2011, in a game against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

, Carrasco balked in the final run of the ball game in the 10th inning, giving the Braves a 9–8 victory. It was just the second balk off in the Mets history. On May 15, 2012, Carrasco was ejected by umpire Gary Darling following a hit batsmen. After surrendering a home run to

Rickie Weeks Rickie Darnell Weeks Jr. (born September 13, 1982) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays. H ...

of the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

, Carrasco drilled

Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and firs ...

with the next pitch and was thrown out. He was designated for assignment the following day. On May 25, 2012, he was released by the team.

Atlanta Braves

Carrasco signed with the

on June 20, 2012. He made his first appearance for the Triple A

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

on June 20. On July 4, he was released by Atlanta.

Scouting report

Carrasco featured an 89–93 mile per hour four-seam fastball, a sinking two-seam fastball at 88–92 mph, a curveball and a changeup. Unlike most pitchers, Carrasco, who typically threw with an overhand arm-slot, would occasionally drop down to a submarine arm-slot trying to catch the batter off guard.

Personal life

Carrasco attended Hayward High School in

Hayward, California Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carrasco, D. J. 1977 births Living people Altoona Curve players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Arizona Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players Gwinnett Braves players Hickory Crawdads players Kansas City Royals players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Mets players Omaha Royals players People from Safford, Arizona Pima Aztecs baseball players Pittsburgh Pirates players St. Lucie Mets players Watertown Indians players Williamsport Crosscutters players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tucson Sidewinders players