| J. J. Schwarz | |||||||||||||||
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| Catcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born:March 28, 1996 Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Jeffrey James Schwarz (born March 28, 1996) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played college baseball for the Florida Gators.
Schwarz attended Palm Beach Gardens Community High School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. [1] As a senior, he hit .337 with seven home runs and 35 runs batted in (RBI). He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 17th round of the 2014 MLB draft. [2] He did not sign with the Brewers and attended the University of Florida where he played college baseball for the Florida Gators. [3]
Schwarz started all 70 games his freshman year at Florida in 2015. In 256 at-bats he hit .332 and led the team in RBI (73), home runs (18), doubles (16), sacrifice flies (6), and slugging percentage (.629). Against Stetson University, he hit a school-record four home runs. [4] He helped lead Florida to the College World Series, where they were eliminated by Virginia. [5] [6] He was named the Freshman Player of the Year by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the Freshman Hitter of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). [7] [8]
In 2016, as a sophomore, Schwarz batted .290 with seven home runs and 60 RBI. [9] In 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League. [10] [11] As a junior in 2017, he batted .259 with 12 home runs and 54 RBI. [12] He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 38th round of the 2017 MLB draft, but did not sign and returned to Florida. [13] In 2018, his senior year, he was named to the All-SEC First Team. [14]
Schwarz was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the eighth round, with the 223rd overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. [15] He signed with Oakland on July 6 [16] and made his professional debut with the rookie–level Arizona League Athletics before being promoted to the Low–A Vermont Lake Monsters. In 25 games between the two teams, Schwarz hit .266 with ten RBI. [17] He began 2019 with the High–A Stockton Ports, and also spent time with the Single–A Beloit Snappers. Playing only 44 games between both clubs due to injury, he batted .148/.239/.225 in 142 at bats with three home runs and 14 RBI. [18]
Schwarz did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [19] In 2021, playing for Midland he batted .240/.336/.362 with six home runs and 36 RBI across 72 games. [18] Playing in 2022 for Midland and the Triple–A Las Vegas Aviators, Schwarz batted .294/.383/.453 with nine home runs and 43 RBI across 80 combined contests. [18]
Schwarz split the 2023 campaign with Midland and Las Vegas, accumulating a .220/.319/.351 with eight home runs and 39 RBI across 76 combined appearances. He was released by the Athletics organization on March 25, 2024. [20]
On July 16, 2024, Schwarz signed with the Gastonia Baseball Club of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. [21] In 21 games for Gastonia, he slashed .197/.279/.329 with two home runs and 13 RBI. On August 20, Schwarz retired from professional baseball. [22]
Schwarz's father, Jeff Schwarz, played in Major League Baseball, and his sister, Taylor Schwarz, played softball at Florida. [23]
Below are the rosters of the minor league affiliates of the Cincinnati Reds, and short biographies on some of the top prospects in the organization:
Preston Michael Tucker is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves and in the KBO League for the Kia Tigers. He stands 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) tall, and weighs 210 pounds (95 kg).
Demetrius Jerome Stewart is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Baltimore Orioles. Stewart played college baseball for the Florida State Seminoles.
David Thompson is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent. He played college baseball at the University of Miami. He was drafted by the New York Mets in the 4th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.
Richard Allen Martin is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Gastonia Baseball Club of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles. He attended the University of Florida and played college baseball for the Florida Gators before the Oakland Athletics selected him in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft.
Pavin Joe Smith is an American professional baseball first baseman and right fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Virginia Cavaliers. The Diamondbacks selected Smith in the 2017 MLB draft and he made his MLB debut in 2020.
Cavan Thomas Biggio is an American professional baseball utility player for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. He is the son of former MLB player and Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.
Michael Elliott Reed is an American professional baseball pitcher and former outfielder who is a free agent.
Garrett Reese Hampson is an American professional baseball utility player for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 3rd round of the 2016 MLB draft and made his MLB debut for the team in 2018. He has also played in MLB for the Miami Marlins.
Gregory Arthur Deichmann Jr. is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He played college baseball at Louisiana State University. He was selected by the Athletics in the second round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs.
Jonathan Joseph India is an American professional baseball infielder for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Jeremy Austin Eierman is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Oakland Athletics organization. He played college baseball for the Missouri State Bears.
Scott Andrew Hurst is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 3rd round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft and made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with them in 2021.
Jeffrey Joseph Bleday is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Miami Marlins selected Bleday with the fourth overall pick of the 2019 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the Marlins and was traded to Oakland before the 2023 season.
Patrick Bailey is an American professional baseball catcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at North Carolina State University and was selected 13th overall by the Giants in the first round of the 2020 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in May 2023.
Judson Edward Fabian is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Baltimore Orioles organization.
Patrick Alan Mazeika is an American professional baseball catcher for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League. He played college baseball at Stetson University, and was drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 2015 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2021.
Jakob Gelof is an American baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He played college baseball for the Virginia Cavaliers and is the University of Virginia’s all-time career home run leader, and holds its single-season home run and RBI records. The Dodgers selected him with the 60th pick of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.
Nolan Ryan Schanuel is an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Florida Atlantic Owls.
Cameron Vaughn Smith is an American professional baseball third baseman in the Chicago Cubs organization.
