D.J. Carrasco

Daniel J. Carrasco

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 215 lb.
• School Chabot College, Pima Community College
• High School Hayward (CA) High School
• Debut April 2, 2003
• Final Game May 6, 2012
• Born April 12, 1977 in Safford, AZ USA

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Biographical Information

Pitcher D.J. Carrasco was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 26th round of the 1997 amateur draft and signed late that summer. Before he ever appeared in a pro game, he was let go by Baltimore and subsequently signed by the Cleveland Indians. He went 1-1 in 13 games with the Watertown Indians before being released after about two months. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1999 and spent four years in their organization. After going 4-4 with a 1.61 ERA and 29 saves with the Lynchburg Hillcats in 2002, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 2002 Rule V Draft.

Carrasco made K.C.'s Opening Day roster in 2003 and made his debut against the Chicago White Sox on April 2, retiring Brian Daubach, the only batter he faced. He did not give up a hit to the first 17 batters he faced and, on April 10th, he struck out 6 consecutive Detroit Tigers. He got his first big league save against the Indians on April 12th, his 26th birthday, and earned his first win against the Tigers six days later. Overall, he was 6-5 with a 4.82 ERA in 50 appearances as a rookie. Carrasco began 2004 with the Royals and earned the win against the White Sox on Opening Day. He soon struggled and was sent to the Omaha Royals on April 24th, after going 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA in 7 games. He went 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA in 32 games with Omaha before returning to Kansas City. Overall, he was 2-2 with a 4.84 ERA in 30 appearances in the majors. In 2005, D.J. was moved to the rotation after spending most of his career as a reliever. He went 6-8 with a 4.79 ERA in 21 games but struggled with shoulder problems through much of the season. He was released by the Royals at the end of the year and went to Japan, playing three games with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2006.

Carrasco next signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and spent the entirety of 2007 with the AAA Tucson Sidewinders, with whom he went 5-14 with a 6.68 ERA in 34 outings. In early 2008, he signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox with an invitation to big league spring training. He made it back for a game on April 28th, then was called up for good just before the All-Star break. He won his only decision in 31 appearances with an ERA of 3.96 and was back with the Sox for 49 games in 2009. That season, he was 5-1, 3.76, and made a start for the first time since 2005. He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for 2010. He was 2-2, 3.88 in 45 games before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 31st, joining Ryan Church, in return for Pedro Ciriaco and Chris Snyder. He finished the season with Arizona, going 1-0, 3.18 in 18 games. His 63 appearances between the two teams were the most of his career.

A free agent once again, Sandy Alderson inexplicably inked D.J. to a two-year deal with the New York Mets in 2011. Surprisingly, he had a poor season after starting the year with the AAA Buffalo Bisons. He pitched 42 games with a record of 1-3, but his ERA was a whopping 6.02 as he gave up 67 hits in 49 1/3 innings. He had a 7.36 ERA in four games for the 2012 squad to finish his MLB career; he had a 5.14 ERA in 14 minor league contests that season.

Since retiring, Carrasco has made a number of trips to New Zealand to coach baseball. While there, he even coached cricket players on proper throwing mechanics. Carrasco was the bullpen coach for the New Zealand national team in the 2017 WBC Qualifiers. Back in the states, Carrasco worked as a professional scout with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2017-2019.

He was scheduled to become pitching coach for the Syracuse Mets in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to Covid-19.

Related Sites

• D.J. Carrasco on mlb.com