Justin Souza

Justin Richard Souza

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• School Sacramento City College, American River College
• High School Galt Union High School
• Born October 22, 1985 in Stockton, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Relief pitcher Justin Souza played in the minor leagues from 2006 to 2014. He played at the Triple-A level in parts of six seasons.

He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 9th round of the 2006 amateur draft, three picks after pitcher Will Harris, and was signed by scout Stacey Pettis. He was 2-2 with a 4.99 ERA for the Everett AquaSox that summer but struck out over a batter per inning. He had a 5-5, 4.73 record with two saves for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 2007 while walking only 8 in 91 1/3 IP. He tied Ramon Geronimo and Dan Leatherman for 7th in the Midwest League in games pitched and led Mariners farmhands in that department.

Though he posted ERAs of 4.99 and 4.73 in his first two seasons in the low- and mid-minors, he reached Triple-A by his third. He had a 2.08 ERA in 4 1/3 innings pitched at that level. Triple-A success would evade him from that point on. He split 2008 between the Timber Rattlers (3-3, 4 Sv, 3.69 in 30 G), High Desert Mavericks (2-1, 4.31 in 12 G) and the Tacoma Rainiers (see above).

After beginning 2009 in the Mariners system (6-6, 3.35 with the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for infielder Jack Hannahan. He remained in their system until 2012 and reached Triple-A each year from 2010 to 2012. He was 0-2 with a 10.35 ERA for the Midland Rockhounds following the deal. His ERAs at AAA weren't pretty. In 2010, his mark with the Sacramento RiverCats was 8.00 in 9 innings; he was 2-2 with 6 saves and a 3.38 ERA for Midland. In 2011, it was 4.85 in 42 2/3 innings for the RiverCats (3-1). He was also 1-0 with a save and a 1.33 ERA for Midland. In 2012, his Sacramento ERA was 6.87 in 57 2/3 innings; he was 3-1 but allowed a .352 opponent average. He was 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA in 8 games for the Stockton Ports as well.

Let go by Oakland after 2012, he was signed by the Detroit Tigers for 2013. Once again, he reached Triple-A and posted a 10.29 ERA in 14 innings for the Toledo Mud Hens, going 0-1. With the AA Erie SeaWolves, he was 5-2 with 19 saves and a 2.63 ERA. He was third in the Eastern League in saves behind Jeff Walters (a distant 38) and Aaron Barrett. He was also third in the Tigers chain after Jose Valdez and Melvin Mercedes. The Tigers let him walk following the 2013 campaign and he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made 12 appearances for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes that year, posting a 7.27 ERA.

Overall, Souza went 34-28 with a 4.74 ERA in 314 games (28 starts). He had 33 saves.