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 nickname is Kid K.
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.
Kazmir made his major-league debut on August 23,
2004, pitching five shutout innings against the
Seattle Mariners.
As was the case two years before with Jeremy
Bonderman of the Detroit Tigers, Kazmir was traded
to a losing team with a need to quickly develop
young pitching. He started 2004 with the Single-A
St. Lucie Mets, and after his trade to the Devil
Rays, he received only a few starts at Double-A
Montgomery. However, he was essentially expected to
anchor a young Rays pitching staff from the time he
arrived in Tampa Bay. He had a 2-3 record and an ERA
of 5.67 in 8 appearances (7 starts) in 2004, but he
was clearly making strides in his development; he
struck out 11.07 batters per nine innings.
