Patrick Alan Mazeika (born October 14, 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 ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

who is a free agent. 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 pl ...

Stetson University Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...

, and was drafted by 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 ...

in the eighth round of the

2015 MLB draft Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

. He made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2021.

Amateur career

Mazeika played varsity baseball as an eighth grader at

Wilbraham & Monson Academy Wilbraham & Monson Academy (WMA) is a college-preparatory school located in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1804, it is a four-year boarding and day high school for students in Grades 9-12 and postgraduate. A middle school, with Grades 6–8 ...

before transferring to

Salisbury School Salisbury School is an all-boys, private college-preparatory boarding school founded in 1901 and located in Salisbury, Connecticut. Its school newspaper is ''The Cupola''. Its mascot is the Crimson Knight. The school's motto is ''Esse quam vider ...

for high school. At Salisbury, he played baseball,

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. As a senior, he registered a

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of .605. After high school, he played

. As a freshman, he was named the ASUN Freshman of the Year. Prior to the start of that year's conference tournament, his .392 batting average led the conference as well as all freshmen in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

. In 2013, playing first base as a freshman, he batted .382(2nd in the

Atlantic Sun Conference The ASUN Conference, formerly the Atlantic Sun Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference operating mostly in the Southeastern United States. The league participates at the NCAA Division I level, and began sponsoring football at the Divisi ...

)/.489(1st)/.495 for Stetson, with 32 walks (10th) and 14 hit by pitch (3rd). He was named ''Baseball America'' Freshman All-America, 1st team (2013), ''Collegiate Baseball'' Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American (2013),

NCBWA The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) is an association of baseball writers, broadcasters, and publicists in the United States. It was founded in 1962. The NCBWA compiles a preseason ranking of the top 35 teams in the nati ...

Freshman All-America, 1st team (2013), Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year (2013), Atlantic Sun All-Conference, 1st team (2013), and Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman (2013). In 2013, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the lea ...

of 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 ...

(CCBL), In 2014 with Stetson, playing catcher, he batted .354(9th in the conference)/.479(3rd)/.471 with 18 doubles (5th), 34 walks (5th), and 17 hit by pitch (1st). He was named Atlantic Sun Conference, 2nd team (2014). He returned to the CCBL in 2014 to play for 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 ...

. In 2015 with Stetson, he batted .307/.439(7th)/.485 with 53 RBIs (8th), 33 walks (6th), and 17 hit by pitch (2nd).

Professional career

New York Mets

Mazeika was drafted by the

in the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks ...

as the 239th pick in the eighth round. He started playing in the Mets organization in 2015 with the

Kingsport Mets The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home ...

, batting .354(3rd in the

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...

)/.452(3rd)/.540(7th) with 44 runs (6th), 27 doubles (1st), 48 RBIs (2nd), and 17 hit by pitch (1st). He was named an Appalachian League Post-Season All-Star and an MiLB Organization All Star. He was promoted to the

Columbia Fireflies The Columbia Fireflies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Columbia, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. Their home stadium is Segra Park. The team was previously known as the ...

in 2016, played catcher, and batted .305/.414/.402. Mazeika then split time during the 2017 season with the

St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...

in the FSL and, later, the

Binghamton Rumble Ponies The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mira ...

, batting a combined .290/.389/.416. He was named an FSL mid-season All Star and post-season All Star. He played the next two seasons in Binghamton, and was named an Eastern League mid-season All Star in both 2018 and 2019, before a brief period in 2019 playing for the

Scottsdale Scorpions The Scottsdale Scorpions are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games in Scottsdale, Arizona, at Scottsdale Stadium, which is also the spring training facility of the San Francisco Gia ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

for 25 games. Mazeika was called up to the majors for the first time on August 25, 2020. He was then demoted to the alternate training site on August 26. Mazeika was called up for a second time on August 28, but was demoted a second time on August 29. On May 5, 2021, Mazeika was recalled to the majors after

Brandon Nimmo Brandon Tate Nimmo (born March 27, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Mets in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft, and made his MLB debut with them ...

was placed on the injured list. Mazeika made his MLB debut that day as a pinch hitter for

Miguel Castro Miguel Ángel Castro (born December 24, 1994) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Oriol ...

, grounding out to

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

first baseman

Paul Goldschmidt Paul Edward Goldschmidt (born September 10, 1987) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Lightly recruited out of The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, Goldsch ...

in his only at-bat. On May 7, 2021, in only his second at bat in the big leagues, Mazeika was the hero in the bottom of the 10th inning during a game against 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 f ...

. With the bases loaded, he hit into a

fielder's choice In baseball, fielder's choice (abbreviated FC) refers to a variety of plays involving an offensive player reaching a base due to the defense's attempt to put out another baserunner, or the defensive team's indifference to his advance. Fielder's cho ...

, bringing

Pete Alonso Peter Morgan Alonso (born December 7, 1994), nicknamed "Polar Bear" and "Big Meat Pete"," is an American professional baseball first baseman for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut during the 2019 season and br ...

home from third base. It was his first walk-off RBI, as well as his first RBI in the MLB. The Mets won the game 5–4, their biggest come-from-behind win of the season. Then on May 11, during an interleague game against 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 ...

, Mazeika, in his fourth Major League plate appearance, was the hero again. He had another walk-off fielder's choice ground ball in the bottom of the 9th inning that drove

Jonathan Villar Jonathan Rafael Villar Roque (born May 2, 1991) is a Dominican professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins, Toronto Bl ...

in to score, allowing the Mets to prevail 3–2. He is the first player since RBI became official in 1920 with multiple walk-off RBI within his first four career games. Although chronologically his first hit came on May 16, 2021, when he hit a solo home run against 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 ...

, he is actually credited with a double on April 11, 2021 during a

suspended game A suspended game in baseball occurs when a game has to be stopped before it can be completed, and the game is meant to be finished at a later time or date. Suspended games are used in Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, and may also be u ...

against the Marlins that was resumed on August 31, 2021. On August 18, 2022, Mazeika was designated for assignment by the Mets.

San Francisco Giants

On August 20, 2022, Mazeika was claimed off waivers by the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

. He was designated for assignment on September 12. Mazeika cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...

on September 15. In 13 games in Sacramento, he hit .235/.291/.392 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. Mazeika elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On December 13, 2022, Mazeika signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. He played in 52 games for the Triple–A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Bal ...

, hitting .214. He was released on September 1, 2023.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazeika, Patrick 1993 births Living people Baseball players from Springfield, Massachusetts Binghamton Rumble Ponies players Chatham Anglers players Columbia Fireflies players Cotuit Kettleers players Kingsport Mets players Major League Baseball catchers New York Mets players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Sacramento River Cats players Scottsdale Scorpions players St. Lucie Mets players Stetson Hatters baseball players Syracuse Mets players