Jacob Daniel Waguespack ( ; born November 5, 1993) 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

organization. He has previously 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

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

and in

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 ...

(NPB) for the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

High school and college

Waguespack attended Dutchtown High School in

Geismar, Louisiana Geismar is an unincorporated community in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States and is at the heart of Louisiana's chemical corridor. The community is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area. Geismar is south of Prairieville ...

. In his senior season, he pitched to an 8–2

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

, 0.37

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), and 87

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s in 53

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

s. He was selected by 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 ...

in the 37th round of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...

, but did not sign, and went to the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

, where he played three seasons for the

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893. Originally known as th ...

. Waguespack saw limited action in his first two seasons of college baseball, pitching as both a starter and

reliever In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather ...

. In his third and final season with the Rebels, he made 25 relief appearances and posted a 3.33 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched.

Professional career

Philadelphia Phillies

Undrafted after leaving Mississippi, Waguespack signed with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

organization and was assigned to the Rookie-level

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

. He finished the season with the Short Season-A

Williamsport Crosscutters The Williamsport Crosscutters are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. From 1994 to 2020, they were a ...

, and posted a combined 0–1 record, 2.00 ERA, and 32 strikeouts in 27 innings. Waguespack played the entire 2016 season with the Class-A

Lakewood BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locat ...

, and went 4–2 with a 3.52 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 43 relief appearances. He began the 2017 season as a reliever with the Advanced-A

Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Clearwater, Florida, and have played their home games at BayCare Ballpark since 2 ...

, and was later converted into a starting pitcher. Waguespack was promoted to the Double-A

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

in August, where he continued to pitch as a starter. In 105 total innings, he pitched to a 9–7 record, 3.42 ERA, and 108 strikeouts. Waguespack began the 2018 season with Reading, and was later promoted to the Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 31, he was traded to the

for

Aaron Loup Aaron Christopher Loup (born December 19, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padr ...

. Waguespack was assigned to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

for the remainder of the 2018 season, and finished the year with a combined 6–10 record, 4.80 ERA, and 112 strikeouts in 122 innings. The Blue Jays added him to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season.

Major Leagues

On May 26, 2019, Waguespack was called up by the Blue Jays. He made his major league debut the next day, pitching four innings of relief against the

. Waguespack allowed three runs (two earned) and set a Blue Jays franchise record for the most strikeouts for a reliever in their debut with seven. On July 3, he earned his first major league win, throwing five innings and allowing three runs as the Blue Jays beat the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

6–3. On August 22, in a start against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, Waguespack threw seven scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and retiring the final fourteen batters he faced. In doing so, he became just the sixth pitcher in franchise history to record a start of at least seven innings with no runs and one hit allowed in his first ten career games. Waguespack appeared in sixteen games for the Blue Jays in 2019, thirteen of which were starts and three of which were extended relief outings. He posted a 4.38 ERA and struck out 63 batters in 78 innings. With the 2020 Toronto Blue Jays, Waguespack appeared in 11 games, compiling a 0–0 record with 8.15 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 17.2 innings pitched. On March 6, 2021, Waguespack was designated for assignment following the waiver claim of

Joel Payamps Joel Elias Payamps (born April 7, 1994) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals, a ...

. On March 10, Waguespack cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Triple-A

. returning to Buffalo for the Bisons' 2021 Opening Day roster Following the 2021 season, Waguespack became a free agent.

Orix Buffaloes

On December 17, 2021, Waguespack signed with the

. He played a key role as the team's closer in 2022, most notably earning three saves in the

2022 Japan Series The 2022 Japan Series (known as the '' SMBC Nippon Series 2022'' for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's season. The 73rd edition of the Japan Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the win ...

, including one in Game 7, contributing to Orix's first

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...

championship since 1996, and their first since the merger with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in 2004. He was also the only active foreigner on the team's roster during their Japan Series run. On December 23, 2022, he resigned a one-year contract extension for the 2023 season. In 31 games for Orix, he posted a 4–7 record and 5.77 ERA with 67 strikeouts in innings pitched. On December 1, 2023, the Buffaloes announced that Waguespack would not be brought back in 2024, making him a free agent.

Tampa Bay Rays

On January 15, 2024, Waguespack signed a minor league contract with the

organization.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waguespack, Jacob 1993 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Texas Battle Creek Bombers players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Clearwater Threshers players Florida Complex League Phillies players Lakewood BlueClaws players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Major League Baseball pitchers Ole Miss Rebels baseball players Orix Buffaloes players Reading Fightin Phils players Sportspeople from Waco, Texas Toronto Blue Jays players Williamsport Crosscutters players