Anthony Ray Swarzak (born September 10, 1985) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners 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 ...

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

, and

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) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. He also played in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the Doosan Bears.

Amateur career

Swarzak attended Nova High School in Davie, Florida. As a sophomore, Swarzak pitched to an 11–1 win–loss record with a 1.16

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 ...

and 120

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s and was named to the All-County team and second team All-State. In 2003, he finished 14–1 with 142 strikeouts. In his senior season, in which he went 14–2, with 147 strikeouts, Swarzak was named to the 2004 All-County and Class 5A All-State teams. He had committed to attend

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

(LSU) to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the LSU Tigers, but instead chose to sign with the Twins on June 22, 2004, for a $575,000 bonus.

Professional career

Minnesota Twins

The

selected Swarzak in the second round, with the 61st overall selection, in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. Swarzak was #15 on the ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' Top Gulf Coast League Prospects list in 2004. He was

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

Pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

of the Week (from May 16–22, 2005), the Twins' Pitcher of the Month (May 2005), Midwest League

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

, and #8 on the ''Baseball America'' Top

Prospects list in 2005. In 2006, he was

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

Pitcher of the Week (from August 7–14, 2006) and a FSL Post-Season All-Star. Swarzak was one of the top rated prospects in the Twins' farm system before a fifty-game suspension for violation of Minor League drug policy on April 20, 2007, sidetracked his career. He tested positive for

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

. After having started the season with the Double A

New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League (1938–2020), Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado ...

, upon his reinstatement from the restricted list on June 11, he was reassigned to the Class A Advanced Fort Myers Miracle. After three games with Fort Myers, he returned to New Britain. He began the 2008 season with the Rock Cats, and went 3–8 with a 5.67

. After a promotion to Triple-A, his record actually improved to 5–0 with a 1.80 ERA in seven starts. He was added to the Twins' 40 man roster, and spent his first spring with the Twins in 2009. Following

Spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

, he was reassigned to Rochester. Swarzak suffered from a lack of run support in Rochester to start the season. Despite an ERA of 1.59 in his first three starts, his record stood at 0–3. His record improved to 3–4 with a 2.25 ERA when he got the call to the majors on May 20. He filled in the starting rotation for the injured left-handed starter Glen Perkins. Swarzak made his major league debut for the Twins on May 23, 2009, in a home game against the

. He pitched seven shutout innings, giving up five hits and two walks while striking out three. The Twins won the game 6–2, earning Swarzak his first major league win. After a line drive broke his foot, Swarzak's 2010 season was statistically awful as he spent the whole year in the minors. His ERA finished at 6.21 in AAA Rochester. Swarzak rebounded in 2011, contributing both in long relief and in spot starts for the Twins. He pitched a total of 102 innings, going 4–7 in 27 games. In 2012, Swarzak started five games for the Twins while making 39 appearances out of the bullpen, pitching to a collective 96 innings of work. Swarzak began 2013 on the disabled list with fractured left ribs he suffered while "wrestling around a little bit." He was activated on April 7 and used primarily as a long reliever for the rest of the season. In 48 games, he went 3–2 with a 2.91 ERA, striking out 69 in 96 innings. On November 25, 2014, the Twins announced that Swarzak had been outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Cleveland Indians

On January 15, 2015, Swarzak signed a minor league contract with the

that included an invitation to Spring Training. On April 5, 2015, Swarzak was selected to the 40-man roster. On May 9, 2015, Swarzak was designated for assignment by the Indians after Bruce Chen was added to the roster. On June 16, 2015, Swarzak was released by the Indians.

Doosan Bears

On June 16, 2015, Swarzak signed with the Doosan Bears of the

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League () and KBO Futures League ( (F ...

. Swarzak filled the foreign player roster spot formerly held by Yunesky Maya. He worked mainly as a starting pitcher in Korea and added a slider to his arsenal of pitches.

New York Yankees

Swarzak signed a minor league contract with the

on February 5, 2016. He began the 2016 season with the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

, and was promoted to the major leagues on June 7. At the end of the season, Swarzak elected free agency over an assignment to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Chicago White Sox

On January 23, 2017, Swarzak signed a minor league contract with the

. Swarzak ended up having one of the best seasons of his career in Chicago. In 41 games with the White Sox, he posted a 2.23 ERA and a 1.034 WHIP.

Milwaukee Brewers

On July 25, 2017, Swarzak was traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Milwaukee Brewers 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 catch ...

Ryan Cordell.

New York Mets

Swarzak signed a two-year contract with the

on December 15, 2017, worth over $14 million. On April 3, the Mets placed Swarzak on the disabled list with an

oblique strain The abdominal external oblique muscle (also external oblique muscle or exterior oblique) is the largest and outermost of the three flat abdominal muscles of the lateral anterior abdomen. Structure The external oblique is situated on the lateral ...

and recalled Hansel Robles. Swarzak was activated from the disabled list on June 5 after appearing in three rehab games with the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s.

Seattle Mariners

On December 3, 2018, the Mets traded Swarzak, Jay Bruce, Jarred Kelenic, Gerson Bautista, and Justin Dunn to the

for Edwin Díaz, Robinson Canó, and $20 million. Swarzak missed spring training in 2019, as he was placed on the injured list in March 2019. Swarzak returned to the active roster on April 2, 2019.

Atlanta Braves

On May 20, 2019, Swarzak was traded to the

in exchange for Arodys Vizcaíno and Jesse Biddle. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.

Philadelphia Phillies

On February 4, 2020, Swarzak signed a Minor League contract with the

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

. He was released on July 20, 2020.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On March 4, 2021, Swarzak signed a minor league contract with the

organization that included an invitation to Spring Training. On April 7, 2021, Swarzak was selected to the 40-man roster to take the roster spot of fellow reliever Chris Devenski, who had been placed on the restricted list. Swarzak struggled to a 9.64 ERA in 6 games for the Diamondbacks before being designated for assignment on April 18. On April 23, Swarzak was released.

Kansas City Royals

On May 14, 2021, Swarzak signed a minor league contract with the

organization and was assigned to the Triple-A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

. On June 18, Swarzak was selected to the active roster and made his Royals debut the following day against 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

, pitching for his tenth major league team. Swarzak struggled to a 9.39 ERA in 7 appearances before being designated for assignment on July 17. On July 21, Swarzak cleared waivers and elected free agency.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swarzak, Anthony 1985 births Living people Baseball players from Fort Lauderdale, Florida American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Major League Baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins players Cleveland Indians players Doosan Bears players New York Yankees players Chicago White Sox players Milwaukee Brewers players New York Mets players Seattle Mariners players Atlanta Braves players Arizona Diamondbacks players Kansas City Royals players Gulf Coast Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players Beloit Snappers players New Britain Rock Cats players Rochester Red Wings players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Las Vegas 51s players Brooklyn Cyclones players 21st-century American sportsmen Omaha Storm Chasers players