B.J. LaMura

William Joseph LaMura

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 200 lb.

• School Clemson University
• High School Connetquot High School

• Born January 1, 1981 in Mineola, NY USA

BR register page

Biographical Information

B.J. LaMura has pitched as high as AAA.

LaMura was a four-sport athlete in high school, playing football (quarterback, safety), basketball (guard) and soccer (center forward) in addition to baseball. He made first-team All-State as a senior. Baseball America rated him the #3 high school prospect in New York State and #100 in the country, but he opted for college over the draft.

B.J. allowed 15 hits and 12 runs in 8 innings as a freshman at Clemson in 2000. In 2001, he improved his ERA to 7.25 in 16 games. In '02, LaMura went 6-2 with a 3.66 ERA, fanning 54 in 51 2/3 IP and allowing only 37 hits. The Chicago White Sox took him in the 5th round of the 2002 amateur draft.

The New Yorker debuted as a pro with the Bristol Sox, going 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA and striking out 20 in 18 innings. He spent 2003 with the Kannapolis Intimidators (6-10, 3.58) and Winston-Salem Warthogs (0-2, 9.00 in 4 G). He split 2004 between Winston-Salem (4-5, 5.58) and the Birmingham Barons (4-4, 2 Sv, 3.69). In '05, the right-hander moved to relief full-time and went 5-2 with a save and a 4.79 ERA in 55 games for Birmingham, striking out 79 in 71 1/3 IP.

LaMura began 2006 with Birmingham, going 5-0 with 3 saves and a 1.69 ERA in 34 games. He held opponents to a .180 batting average while whiffing 67 in 53 1/3 IP. In late July, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Sandy Alomar Jr. Los Angeles assigned him to the Jacksonville Suns, where he was 1-1 with a save and a 1.96 ERA in 14 games, striking out 25 in 23 innings and allowing a .192 average.

In 2007, LaMura pitched for Jacksonville (1-3, 2.93, .208 average allowed, 47 K but 33 BB in 43 IP) and the Las Vegas 51s (1-4, 7.92, 22 BB in 25 IP, .296 average allowed), having a rough AAA debut. He returned to the rotation and split 2008 between Jacksonville (2-2, 3.86 in 6 starts and one relief stint) and Las Vegas (2-2, Sv, 7.22 in 14 G [7 starts], .324 average allowed).

LaMura was with the Águilas del Zulia in 2008-2009, going 1-4 with a 5.50 ERA and .318 opponent average in the Venezuelan Winter League. He played for Italy in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Sources

• Clemson bio
• 2004-2009 Baseball Almanacs
• 2008 Dodgers Media Guide
• MILB.com