Jacob Allen "J. B." Bukauskas (born October 11, 1996) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 ...

in the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

organization. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the North Carolina Tar Heels of the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

Amateur career

Bukauskas attended Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Virginia. As a freshman, he helped Stone Bridge win both the regular season and district titles. On July 7, 2012, Bukauskas committed to the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

, which he considered his "dream school." As a sophomore, he was named first-team All-Met. Bukauskas

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during the summer after his sophomore year in order to graduate and attend North Carolina a year early. He was named the 2014 All-Met Baseball Player of the Year after compiling a 7–0 record, striking out 88 batters, and not allowing an earned run during the season. Bukauskas finished his high school career with a 21–3 record, 264 strikeouts, and a 0.88 ERA. Despite being expected by some to be drafted within the first two rounds of the

2014 MLB draft The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...

, Bukauskas asked every

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

team not to draft him. He was selected in the 20th round by the

but did not sign with the club, reaffirming his commitment to North Carolina. In his freshman year, Bukauskas led the Tar Heels with 14 games started and was part of the weekend rotation. In 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Chatham Anglers The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League. As a junior, after going 9–0 with a 2.02 ERA during the regular season, he was named ACC Pitcher of the Year and first-team all-American by Baseball America and

Collegiate Baseball ''Collegiate Baseball Newspaper'' (also known as ''Collegiate Baseball Magazine'' and ''Collegiate Baseball'') is an American publication based in Arizona that considers itself the "voice of amateur baseball" which has been published for over 40 ...

Professional career

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros selected Bukauskas with the 15th overall selection in the

2017 MLB draft The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...

. He signed with the Astros on July 7, 2017. He was assigned to the

Gulf Coast League Astros The Florida Complex League Astros are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Astros. The team plays ...

, and after one scoreless outing for them, was promoted to the

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats (often shortened to Cats) are a professional independent baseball team based in Troy, New York. The Tri-City name refers to the three nearby cities of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy which make up New York State's Capital D ...

where he finished the season, posting a 4.50 ERA in six innings pitched. In 2018, Bukauskas returned to pitch in the GCL and with the ValleyCats along with pitching for the

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, o ...

Buies Creek Astros The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and play their home games at Segra Stadium. From 2017 to ...

, and the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by ...

, compiling a combined 4–2 record with a 2.14 ERA in 14 starts between the five teams; he missed time during the year due to injury. He returned to Corpus Christi to begin the 2019 season.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Bukauskas was traded on July 31, 2019, to the

(along with

Corbin Martin Corbin Montgomery Martin (born December 28, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Houston Astros. Career Amateur Martin attended Cypress Ranch ...

, Seth Beer, Joshua Rojas, and cash considerations) in exchange for

Zack Greinke Donald Zackary Greinke ( ; born October 21, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He made his MLB debut with the Kansas City Royals in 2004 and has also played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los An ...

. He was assigned to the

Jackson Generals The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...

and finished the season there. Over 22 games (16 starts) between the two clubs, he went 2–5 with a 5.44 ERA. On November 20, 2020, Bukauskas was added to the 40-man roster. On April 18, 2021, Bukauskas was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut on April 20 against the Cincinnati Reds, getting

Nick Senzel Nicholas Peter Senzel ( ; born June 29, 1995) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior to playing professionally, Senzel attended the University of Tennessee, where he played c ...

to fly out as the only batter he faced. On March 19, 2022, it was announced that Bukauskas had suffered a torn

teres major muscle The teres major muscle is a muscle of the upper limb. It attaches to the scapula and the humerus and is one of the seven scapulohumeral muscles. It is a thick but somewhat flattened muscle. The teres major muscle (from Latin ''teres'', meanin ...

and would be out for months. He was activated on July 21 and optioned to the Triple-A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...

. On January 11, 2023, Bukauskas was designated for assignment following the signing of

Zach Davies Zachary Ryan Davies (born February 7, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondba ...

Seattle Mariners

On January 17, 2023, Bukauskas was claimed off waivers by the

. On January 31, Bukauskas was designated for assignment by the Mariners following the waiver claim of Tayler Saucedo. On February 2, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

Pitching style

Bukauskas regularly throws a mid-90s fastball and been able to hit 100 mph with it since his last year of high school. He also has a slider that sits in the mid-80s and a changeup in his repertoire.

Personal life

Bukauskas's parents are Ken and Lynn Bukauskas. He was majoring in communications while at North Carolina. He is of Lithuanian origin.

References

External links

University of North Carolina Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bukauskas, Jb 1996 births Living people All-American college baseball players American people of Lithuanian descent Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Virginia Buies Creek Astros players Chatham Anglers players Corpus Christi Hooks players Gulf Coast Astros players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players Major League Baseball pitchers North Carolina Tar Heels baseball players People from Ashburn, Virginia Reno Aces players Quad Cities River Bandits players Scottsdale Scorpions players Tri-City ValleyCats players