John Wasdin

John Wasdin
Oakland Athletics
Pitching Coach/Pitcher
Born: (1972-08-05) August 5, 1972
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 24, 1995, for the Oakland Athletics
Last MLB appearance
July 7, 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
Win–loss record 39–39
Earned run average 5.28
Strikeouts 527
Teams

As a player

As a coach

John Truman Wasdin (born August 5, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. He was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia and raised in Tallahassee, Florida.

Wasdin graduated from Godby High in his hometown of Tallahassee and attended Florida State University. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1990, but did not sign. He was eventually drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 1993, the 25th pick overall in that year's draft.

On April 7, 2003, Wasdin pitched a perfect game for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds against the Albuquerque Isotopes at Herschel Greer Stadium in Nashville. Fewer than 750 fans witnessed the perfect game, as it was the same night as the 2003 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship Game, plus unseasonably cold weather dissuaded some from coming to the ballpark.

On August 1, 2006, Wasdin was designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers, and was placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of granting him his release on August 3. Wasdin was signed to a minor league contract by the Pittsburgh Pirates during the winter meetings in 2006 and made the team during the last week of spring training in 2007.

On November 19, 2007, he signed a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals and in 2008 spent the entire season playing for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. He became a free agent at the end of the season. In January 2009, he signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan.

After his career in Japan, Wasdin was hired in 2010 as the University Christian High School baseball coach in Jacksonville, Florida.[1] He was the pitching coach for the Vermont Lake Monsters, the Athletics' New York–Penn League rookie affiliate. He became the pitching coach for the Burlington Bees(Class A Midwest League) in 2012.

During his time with the Boston Red Sox, Wasdin earned the nickname "Way back Wasdin" for giving up a lot of homeruns.[2]

There is one game, from 2007, in which his pitches were tracked by PITCHf/x. The data from that game show him throwing a four-seam fastball and sinker at 90–91 mph, a curveball at 79 mph, and a changeup at 81.[3]

As of 2016 Wasdin serves as the Pitching Coach for the Midland RockHounds.

See also

References

  1. http://jacksonville.com/sports/high-schools/2010-07-19/story/former-big-leaguer-john-wasdin-new-baseball-coach-university
  2. The Red Sox Fan Handbook. Rounder Books. 2005-03. p. 265. ISBN 9781579401108. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. "BrooksBaseball.net: PITCHf/x Tool". Brooks Baseball. Retrieved 6 March 2014.

External links

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