Amadeo Zazueta

Amadeo L. Zazueta Alarid

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 180 lb.

• Born January 31, 1986 in Culiacán, Sinaloa México

BR register page

Biographical Information

Amadeo Zazueta has had a long pro career.

Signed originally by Houston Astros scout Andrés Reiner , he debuted in 2004 for Venoco 1. In 2005, he hit .307/.367/.525 for the VSL Astros with 19 doubles and 36 RBI in 58 games. He tied for 10th in the Venezuelan Summer League in runs (31), was second in doubles (3 behind Redne Fuenmayor), tied Gerardo Avila and Jourik Blanco for 3rd in homers (7), was 6th in RBI, ranked 7th in average and was second in slugging as the Astros won the title.

Zazueta made his winter league debut with the 2005-2006 Algodoneros de Guasave. In the summer of '06, he struggled as a backup 2B/3B for the Greeneville Astros (.170/.214/.264) to end his team in the Houston chain. After not playing in the US in 2007, he spent 2008 wi8th the independent Lincoln Saltdogs (2 for 8) and Harlingen WhiteWings (.291/.328/.427 in 56 G). With his hometown Tomateros de Culiacán that winter, he hit .255/.304/.353, backing up Casey McGehee at 3B and Maxwell León at 2B.

He spent part of 2009 with the Coastal Bend Aviators but due to a billing dispute between the United League Baseball and Howe SportsData, no final statistics were published. He also played for the Lancaster Barnstormers (.171/.198/.207 in 25 G). That winter, he was 2 for 20 for the Tomateros, though he did homer. He was back in the affiliated ranks in 2010 when the Atlanta Braves signed him, appearing for the 2010 Myrtle Beach Pelicans (.163/.189/.272 in 23 G) and Mississippi Braves (0 for 4). He split the winter between the Tomateros (5 for 14, 2B, HR) and Águilas de Mexicali (.255/.309/.363 in 37 G).

Zazueta spent most of 2011 with the Atlantic League Road Warriors and hit well (.301/.338/.426), earning him a late-season look with the San Diego Padres' San Antonio Missions (.283/.278/.396 in 15 G). In winter ball, he hit .278/.322/.320 for the Mayos de Navojoa, starting at short and fielding .938 there. In '12, he played for the Padres' Tucson Padres (.183/.195/.235 in 46 G in his AAA debut) and the Toronto Blue Jays' Dunedin Blue Jays (9 for 21, 2 2B, 3B, HR); in between, he was back in the indies with the Sugar Land Skeeters (.214/.236/.359). He hit .300/.358/.400 for Navojoa that winter in 21 games. For all his travels, he was still only 26 years old.

In 2013, he posted a .213/.228/.284 batting line in 48 games for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats as a backup middle infielder. In 2014, he was with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs mostly (.284/.299/.360 in 101 G) but also saw time with the Camden Riversharks (.274/.297/.274 in 18 G). In the winter, he hit .319/.347/.406 for the Charros de Jalisco, his 21st different team.

Amadeo actually spent all of 2015 with familiar teams, hitting .260/.304/.301 for Sugar Land and fielding .949 as their main shortstop then hitting .335/.363/.443 in winter ball for Jalisco. He was second in the Mexican Pacific League in batting average, .012 behind Jesús Valdez. His five triples tied Edson Garcia for 2nd, 3 behind Welington Dotel. In 2016, he made his Mexican League debut after years in the winter league, hitting .309/.353/.388 for the Acereros de Monclova and fielding .966 at short. He slipped to .291/.315/.373 that winter for the Charros while fielding .976.

Zazueta was even better his second go-around for Monclova - .341/.372/.481, 26 2B. He missed the top ten in average by .001. With Jalisco in 2017-2018, his batting line finished at .282/.313/.375, finishing 7th with 38 runs scored. He opened 2018 with the Bravos de León and hit .356/.389/.483 in the LMB's spring season (the league went to a split format that year), scoring 46 times in 55 games. He was 3rd in hits (behind Isaac Rodriguez and Yuniesky Betancourt) and 6th in runs.

That earned him a spot on Mexico's squad for the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games. He struggled at the plate like many of his teammates (.185/.185/.222) though he fielded .972 as their starting shortstop and went 2-for-2 in steal attempts. He was 3rd in the Games in fielding at SS (behind Yordan Manduley and Ozzie Martínez) and only Martínez had more swipes. Interestingly, Mexico's left fielder, Christian Zazueta, shared a surname and had similar offensive numbers. In the fall LMB season ,he hit .289/.295/.330 for the Toros de Tijuana.

With Jalisco in 2018-2019, the veteran put up a .284/.326/.402 line and tied David Harris for 8th in runs scored (34). He also tied Brian Hernandez and Valdez for 8th with 13 doubles. Jalisco won its first LMP title and advanced to the 2019 Caribbean Series. In the Series, Zazueta fared well - .375/.412/.438. He tied Victor Mendoza for 5th in the Series in average, tied for 5th in hits (6), was 10th in OBP, ranked 8th in slugging and was 7th in OPS (between Cuban legend Alfredo Despaigne and Jack Lopez) He was not named the All-Star shortstop due to the stellar play of Panama's Javy Guerra.

Zazueta began 2019 with the Sultanes de Monterrey, his 26th pro team, and was hitting .359/.434/.538 after 38 games. He finished the year at .326/.379/.468 in 103 games.