Position: LHP
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 195 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/L
Born: 04/15/1993
College: SUNY Stony Brook
Drafted: 40th round, 1207th Overall, 2015 (Pirates)
How Acquired: Minor League Free Agent
Bonus: N/A
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: Yes
Minor League Free Agency: 2023
Options Left: 0
Overview
A 40th-round draft pick by the Pirates back in 2015, Zamora reached the majors after being traded to the Mets. Now he’s back with the Pirates. When they picked him, he was a draft-eligible sophomore who redshirted due to a torn labrum that cost him the entire 2014 collegiate season. In 2015, he made 13 starts and two relief appearances, pitching a total of 81 innings. He had a 3.00 ERA and a 35:80 BB/SO ratio. His fastball sits in the upper-80s. He also has a slider that, in his major league stints, he’s thrown over 70% of the time. As a pro, he’s been almost exclusively a reliever. The Pirates signed Zamora to a minor league deal for 2023.
2015-17
Zamora pitched well through three years with the Pirates, moving up one level at a time. He missed the last two months of 2016, in low A, with an injury, then went to high A the next year and posted a 1.86 ERA and 10.4 K/9. After the 2017, the Pirates traded Zamora to the Mets.
2018-20
The Mets assigned Zamora to AA and he pitched well there, with a 3.48 ERA and 12.0 K/9. In mid-August they called him up to the majors. He stayed with them the rest of the year, pitching mostly in one-out situations; he got into 16 games but threw only nine innings. Over half the plate appearances against Zamora were left-handed hitters. He was effective for the Mets as well, striking out nearly half the batters he faced. In 2019, he was up and down between AAA and the Mets a number of times. He again was utilized as a LOOGY, getting credited with just 8.2 IP in 17 games, and again facing more left-handed than right-handed hitters. He pitched well in AAA but was much less effective in the majors. In the pandemic season, the Mets brought Zamora to their alternate site and called him briefly, but he didn’t get into any games.
2021-22
In 2021, Zamora missed the month of April, then had a very rough time in four AAA outings in May. Seattle claimed him off waivers. Other than four games with the Mariners, he spent the rest of the season in AAA. He pitched only decently there. Gopher balls were a problem in the majors and minors; between the two, Zamora allowed one every five innings. After the season he became a free agent and signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers. He spent 2022 in AAA with them, pitching reasonably well, where he had a huge platoon split.
2023
Zamora became a free agent after the 2022 season and signed with the Pirates. He spent the season with Indianapolis, until he missed the final two months with an injury. He wasn’t very effective, walking 24 in 29 innings, leaving him with a 1.83 WHIP.
Zamora will be a free agent again after the season.
Stats
Transactions
June 6, 2012: Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 27th round, 835th overall pick.
June 10, 2015: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 40th round, 1207th overall pick; signed on June 29.
January 31, 2018: Traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates with cash to the New York Mets for Josh Smoker.
August 17, 2018: Contract purchased by the New York Mets.
May 22, 2021: Claimed off waivers from the New York Mets by the Seattle Mariners.
June 25, 2021: Outrighted to AAA by the Seattle Mariners.
November 11, 2021: Became a free agent.
March 10, 2022: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
November 11, 2022: Became a free agent.
December 11, 2022: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates.