Jason Marquis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Chicago Cubs — No. -- | |
| Starting Pitcher | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| June 6, 2000 for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through October 2, 2006) |
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| Record | 56-52 |
| ERA | 4.55 |
| Strikeouts | 552 |
| Teams | |
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Jason Scott Marquis (born August 21, 1978, in Manhasset, New York), is an American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. Marquis pronounces his name with the French pronunciation of "Mar-KEE".
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[edit] Early life
Marquis, who is Jewish,[1] grew up, other than two years in Brooklyn, New York, in Staten Island, New York's Arden Heights neighborhood, where he played Little League Baseball on a team that made it to the Little League World Series in 1991. He is one of 25 Little League World Series players to have reached the major leagues.
Marquis pitched the Tottenville High School Pirates to two consecutive New York City Public Schools Athletic League titles in 1995 and 1996, at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium.[1]
The right-hander was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the 1996 free agent draft after having graduated from high school. He was the 35th selection overall.
[edit] Minor league career
Marquis tied for most wins (14) in the South Atlantic League in 1997.
[edit] Major league career
[edit] Atlanta Braves
Marquis made it to the majors with the Braves in September 2000 at the age of 21, appearing strictly in relief, finishing 7 games in his 15 appearances and winning one.
He became a starting pitcher in 2001, and was used exclusively as a starter in 2002, making 22 appearances.
In 2003, Marquis returned to the bullpen, making only two starts in 21 appearances. He was upset being sent to the bullpen, and requested that he be sent to the minors where he could be a starting pitcher, and observed by scouts from other organizations. On December 13, 2003, Marquis was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals along with relief pitcher Ray King and rookie prospect Adam Wainwright for outfielder J. D. Drew and catcher Eli Marrero.
[edit] St. Louis Cardinals
Marquis became a full-time starter in 2004 with the Cardinals, and posted a career-best 15-9 record, with a 3.71 earned run average and a career-high 138 strikeouts, for the National League champions. He stole a base against the Chicago Cubs off teammate and former mentor Greg Maddux, who also stole a base in the same game. It marked the first time since 1950 that opposing pitchers stole a base in the same game.
Manager Tony La Russa tabbed Marquis to start Game 4 of the 2004 World Series. He turned in the best performance of any Cardinal starter in the series, pitching 6 innings and giving up 3 runs. Unfortunately, he was bested by Boston pitcher Derek Lowe, who threw shutout ball for 7 innings to win the series for the Red Sox.
Marquis had an up and down season in 2005. Although he started the season strong, he slid into a personal 7-game losing streak that took a toll on his confidence. His losing streak ended on August 27, 2005, when Marquis pitched a two-hit shutout at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC against the Washington Nationals, for his first career complete game shutout. Overall Marquis posted a 13-14 record, with an 4.13 earned run average in 207 innings pitched. He appeared in 33 games, starting 32.
Uncharacteristically for a pitcher, Marquis is a very good hitter. He constantly hits off the tee in batting cages. In 2005 he had 27 hits, posting a .310 batting average with one home run and 10 RBI in just 87 at-bats. He was the first pitcher to bat over .300 since Mike Hampton batted .344 in 2002 (minimum of 50 at-bats). For his excellent work at the plate, Marquis won the Silver Slugger Award. His hitting ability along with his great athleticism makes him a valuable player for any National League team in that he is sometimes called on to pinch-hit or pinch-run by the manager.
For his career Marquis is 42-36 with a 4.15 ERA in 716 innings pitched. He has three complete games, one shutout, and one save in 161 games (104 starts).
On January 17, 2006, Marquis and the Cardinals agreed to a one-year contract, avoiding salary arbitration, for $5.15 million dollars. Unfortunately, Marquis followed this contract, the biggest he'd ever earned as a professional, by having the worst season of his career and one of the worst in Cardinal history. Pitching in the starting rotation all year, Marquis finished with a 6.02 ERA, the second-worst in baseball amongst players who qualified for the ERA title (Joel Piñeiro, of the Seattle Mariners, finished last with a 6.36). Marquis was on the Cardinal roster for their first-round playoff matchup against the San Diego Padres, but he did not make an appearance in the Series and was not included on the roster for the NLCS against the Mets, or on the roster for the 2006 World Series against Detroit, which the Cardinals won.
[edit] Chicago Cubs
On December 8, 2006, both ESPN.com [2] and MLB.com [3] reported that Marquis signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs worth from $20 to $28 million.
[edit] Miscellaneous
Marquis attended Hebrew school and had a bar mitzvah. “My mother was stricter with our Jewish upbringing, given that her parents were Holocaust survivors."
[edit] Career Highlights
- 1-time World Series Champion (2006 St. Louis Cardinals)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Jason Marquis at ESPN.com
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- Cardinals avoid arbitration with Marquis
