Lance Frederick Zawadzki (born May 26, 1985) is an American former professional
baseball shortstop. He played for the
San Diego Padres in
Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2010. Since 2018, he has been a
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
coach in the
Boston Red Sox organization.
Amateur career
Zawadzki graduated from
St. John's High School in
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, in 2003. He was drafted straight out of high school in the 48th round by the
Montreal Expos. Choosing to go to college instead of playing in the minor leagues, he committed to attend
Louisiana State University and after one year transferred to
San Diego State University before the spring of 2004.
On March 11, 2004, Zawadzki became the first person to get a hit at
Petco Park
Petco Park is a baseball stadium in Downtown San Diego, California. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres, and has also been used as a venue for concerts, soccer, golf, and rugby.
The ballpark is located between Se ...
when he doubled off the wall as a freshman for San Diego State against
Houston. It was the first game played at the stadium.
During the 2005 summer, Zawadzki played for the
Wareham Gatemen in the
Cape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...
in Massachusetts alongside teammates
Daniel Bard and
Justin Masterson.
Following the 2006 season, Zawadzki was taken in the 15th round by the
St. Louis Cardinals. He did not sign and transferred to
Lee University
Lee University is a private Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was originally the Church of God Bible Training School, a small Bible institute founded in 1918 with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. The school grew ...
, which played in the 2007
NAIA World Series.
Professional career
San Diego Padres
He was selected by the
San Diego Padres in 4th round (147th overall) of
2007 amateur entry draft. In 2007, he appeared in 10 games for the
Arizona League Padres and 25 for the
Eugene Emeralds, hitting a combined .305.
In 2008, he primarily played with the
Fort Wayne Wizards in the Single-A
Midwest League, hitting .273. In 2009, he split the season between the Advanced A
Lake Elsinore Storm and the AA
San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded. ...
and hit .285 combined in 128 games.
Zawadzki made his Major League debut with the Padres on May 2, 2010, against 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 ...
and recorded his first Major League hit (a single) in his first at-bat, becoming the first baseball player from
Lee University
Lee University is a private Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was originally the Church of God Bible Training School, a small Bible institute founded in 1918 with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. The school grew ...
to play in the Major Leagues. He appeared in only 20 games for the Padres, primarily at second base, and hit .200. In the minors that season, he was in 35 games for San Antonio and 61 for the AAA
Portland Beavers, hitting .225.
Other teams
On November 5, 2010, Zawadzki was claimed off waivers 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 ...
. He received an invitation to the Royals' major league camp for the 2011 spring training. However, he spent all of the 2011 season in the minor leagues with the
Omaha Storm Chasers, where he hit .233 in 91 games. He was released on October 10.
In November, 2011, Zawadzki signed a minor league contract with the
Los Angeles Dodgers and was assigned to the Triple-A
Albuquerque Isotopes to start the season. He battled injuries and only appeared in 5 games for the Isotopes and was hitless in 13 at-bats. The Dodgers released him on May 7.
On May 21, 2012, Zawadzki signed a minor league contract with the
Atlanta Braves and was assigned to the Triple-A
Gwinnett Braves.
Zawadzki signed a minor league contract with the
St. Louis Cardinals on August 10, 2012, and was assigned to the Triple-A
Memphis Redbirds.
On December 18, 2012, the
Toronto Blue Jays announced that Zawadzki had been signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Zawadzki was assigned to the Double-A
New Hampshire Fisher Cats from the Triple-A
Buffalo Bisons on July 30, 2013.
Zawadzki played with the
Lancaster Barnstormers starting in 2013 and he became a free agent after the 2015 season. He resigned on March 31, 2016. On August 23, 2017, Zawadzki was traded from the
Sugar Land Skeeters to the
Lancaster Barnstormers. He announced his retirement from professional baseball following the 2017 season.
Post-playing career
In 2018, Zawadzki was named a coach for the
Lowell Spinners, the
Class A Short Season minor league affiliate of the
Boston Red Sox. He served as hitting coach of the
Class A-Advanced Salem Red Sox in 2019, and in January 2020 was named hitting coach of the
Double-A Portland Sea Dogs.
References
External links
MiLB.com player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zawadzki, Lance
1985 births
Living people
San Diego Padres players
Arizona League Padres players
Eugene Emeralds players
San Antonio Missions players
Fort Wayne Wizards players
Lake Elsinore Storm players
Portland Beavers players
San Diego State Aztecs baseball players
Omaha Storm Chasers players
Albuquerque Isotopes players
Gwinnett Braves players
Memphis Redbirds players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Gulf Coast Blue Jays players
New Hampshire Fisher Cats players
Lancaster Barnstormers players
Peoria Saguaros players
Sugar Land Skeeters players
Mayos de Navojoa players
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Wareham Gatemen players