Scott Kazmir

About Scott Kazmir

Scott Edward Kazmir (born January 24, 1984 in Houston, Texas) is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. He was highly recruited after striking out 172 batters in 75 innings as a senior at Cypress Falls High School and had verbally committed to the University of Texas, but was drafted in the first round (15th overall) of the 2002 MLB Draft by the New York Mets. Along with teammate Clint Everts (who was selected 5th overall by the Montreal Expos) he became half of the first pair of high school pitchers from the same team drafted in the first round. His most popular nickname is perhaps "Sco-Kaz," with his lesser known ones being "Kid K", "K-Train", "Kazmanian Devil" and "Scotty K." The K being emphasized in his nicknames as a double meaning between the initial in his last name and his high strikeout rate.

At Cypress Falls High School, Kazmir threw four straight no-hitters as a junior.

In 2004, he was considered the top pitching prospect for the New York Mets. While playing for their Double-A team, the Binghamton Mets, he was infamously traded along with minor league pitcher Joselo Diaz to the Devil Rays on July 30, 2004 for Victor Zambrano and Bartolomé Fortunato. This trade was, and still is, widely criticized by the New York media and fan base given Kazmir's subsequent success. There is also speculation that the move may have led to the demotion of then-General Manager Jim Duquette within the organization.