Shawn Anthony Camp (born November 18, 1975) is an American

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 ...

coach and former

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 ...

, who is the current head coach of the

George Mason Patriots The George Mason Patriots are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing George Mason University (GMU), located in Fairfax, Virginia. The Patriots compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of t ...

. 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 ...

for George Mason from 1995 to 1997. He 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) from 2004 to 2014 with his longest tenure as a player with 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 ...

. He also played for 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 ...

Tampa Bay Devil 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) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, and

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 ...

Early career

Camp began his baseball career as a

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 ...

Robinson Secondary School James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School is a six-year public school in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Known as Robinson Secondary School, it is located in Fairfax County, a suburb southwest of Washington, D.C. Opened in ...

in Fairfax, Virginia. He graduated from high school in 1994 and continued as a backstop in college while attending

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

, where he played for coach Bill Brown. Struggling to hit collegiate pitching, Camp converted to a pitcher at George Mason with the help of then Patriots assistant baseball coach

Dayton Moore Dayton Moore (born February 17, 1967) is an American baseball executive who is currently serving as Senior Advisor of Baseball Operations for the Texas Rangers Moore's baseball career began as an assistant coach at George Mason University. H ...

. In 1996, 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 ...

with the

Chatham A's 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 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 ...

Professional career

San Diego Padres

Camp was drafted in the sixteenth round of the 1997 amateur entry draft by the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

; the 500th overall selection of that year's draft. The newly converted reliever steadily climbed the ranks of the Padres'

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 ...

system, collecting 25 saves in his first two years of professional baseball.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On July 10,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, Camp was dealt to 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 exchange for

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Emil Brown Emil Quincy Brown (born December 29, 1974) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1997 to 2009 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, a ...

. He continued to advance in the minors, receiving an invitation to the Pirates spring training camp in

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

. Failing to make the major league team, however, Camp was granted

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

by Pittsburgh at the end of the season.

Kansas City Royals

In 2004, Camp joined the

organization. Signed by his former college coach and current Royals general manager

, Camp finally made his first major league roster. Camp made his major league debut on Opening Day, April 5. Facing 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 ...

, Camp allowed two runs in two innings of work. He remained a semi-regular contributor to the Royals

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

that season and in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, working primarily in middle and long relief, while shuttling between Kansas City and Triple-A

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

Tampa Bay Rays

Camp was granted free agency after the 2005 season, and signed with the

on January 17, 2006. From

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

to 2007 Camp was a mainstay in the Devil Rays' beleaguered bullpen, amassing 75 appearances in 2006, second most in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

. Control problems hampered Camp's success in Tampa Bay and his final year in Kansas City, however, and the righty struggled to poor

ERAs Eras is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Albert Boton and Albert Hollenstein and was released by the International Typeface Corporation (ITC) in 1976. Eras is licensed by the Linotype type foundry. A distinct and curious feature of E ...

of 6.43, 4.68 and 7.20 respectively from 2005 to 2007. Camp had particular trouble with preventing inherited runners from scoring, allowing over forty percent (22 of 54) of runners on base to reach home in his final season with the Devil Rays.

Toronto Blue Jays

Camp signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays prior to the season. Prepared with a new pitch, a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

, Camp excelled at Triple-A Syracuse and was recalled by Toronto soon after breaking camp. Limiting right-handed hitters to a paltry .204

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 ...

, Camp helped the Blue Jays staff to team ERA of 3.49, best in all of Major League Baseball that season. In

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, Camp led the Blue Jays relievers with a career best 79 innings pitched, while tallying a career high 58 strikeouts.

Seattle Mariners

On February 6, 2012, Camp signed a one-year contract with 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) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. However, a month later, the Mariners released Camp prior to the start of the season as they were eyeing youth.

Chicago Cubs

On March 26, 2012, the

signed Camp to a minor league deal. During the 2012 season, Camp pitched 77 innings in a league-leading 80 appearances for the Cubs. He accrued a record of 3–6, with two saves and a 3.59 ERA. On November 19, 2012, Camp and the Cubs agreed to a one-year, $1.35 million contract that includes $200,000 in possible incentives. Camp pitched in 14 games in April, going 1-1 with eight runs allowed in 11 innings. In five games in May, he gave up six runs in 5 innings. On May 22, Camp was placed on the disabled list after spraining his toe, and he was replaced by Rafael Dolis. After a rehab assignment in Single-A Kane County, he returned to the Cubs on June 15. In six games in June, he gave up four runs in 6 innings. He was designated for assignment on July 3, 2013. He was released on July 9. In 26 games with the Cubs in 2013, Camp went 1-1 with a 7.04 ERA and four holds, striking out 13 in 23 innings.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Camp signed a minor league deal with 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 ...

on July 17, 2013. He was assigned to Triple-A

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, where he pitched in 17 games to end the season. With the Aces in 2013, he had a 2.42 ERA, striking out 19 in 22 innings. After the year, he was a minor league free agent.

Philadelphia Phillies

On November 11, 2013, Camp signed a minor league deal with the

. He was outrighted 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 ...

on May 8, 2014. Camp elected free agency the next day. He re-signed on a minor league deal on May 15, 2014, and was released by Lehigh Valley on June 27. On March 9, 2015, Camp announced his retirement.

Pitching style

Camp was primarily a sinkerballer, throwing his 87–90 mph sinker about half the time. His other pitches included a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

(78–80) and a

(81–83). He tended to start with sinkers early in the at-bat and worked in more sliders later.

Coaching career

On June 26, 2019, Camp was named the pitching coach at his alma mater, George Mason. On July 8, 2022, Bill Brown stepped down as the head coach of the Patriots, and Camp was named the interim head coach.

References

External links

Shawn Camp
at Baseball Almanac {{DEFAULTSORT:Camp, Shawn 1975 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Kansas City Royals players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Toronto Blue Jays players Chicago Cubs players Philadelphia Phillies players Baseball players from Virginia George Mason Patriots baseball players Chatham Anglers players Major League Baseball pitchers Sportspeople from Fairfax, Virginia Idaho Falls Braves players Clinton LumberKings players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Mobile BayBears players Altoona Curve players Portland Beavers players Nashville Sounds players Omaha Royals players Durham Bulls players Syracuse Chiefs players Kane County Cougars players Reno Aces players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Robinson Secondary School alumni George Mason Patriots baseball coaches