Meet a Prospect: James Pazos

One of the latest September call ups to come out of the Yankees farm system was left-handed relief pitcher James Pazos. We started really hearing about Pazos last August when the Yankees let Matt Thornton go to the Washington Nationals on a waiver claim when Brian Cashman touted Pazos, among others, as potential replacements for Thornton. We all know how that worked out, the Yankees instead threw a combination of Josh Outman and Rich Hill out there instead of Pazos, Tyler Webb or Jacob Lindgren, but Pazos is finally going to get his time to shine this month. Pazos was added to the 40 man roster before the Rule 5 Draft and is ready to open some eyes as a September call up this season, no better time to Meet a Prospect: James Pazos.

James Manuel Pazos was born on May 5, 1991 in Gilbert Arizona where he attended and played high school baseball for Gilbert High School. Pazos had an impressive arm in high school and was even drafted in the 40^th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball First year Players Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays before declining to sign. Instead Pazos headed to Chandler-Hilbert Community College to continue his amateur baseball playing career and after just one year he transferred to the University of San Diego.

It was when Pazos was a member of the Toreros that he caught the eye of a scout inside the New York Yankees organization and was drafted in the 13^th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Pazos was immediately assigned to the Staten Island Yankees in 2012 and began the 2013 season there as well before earning a promotion to the Low-A Charleston Riverdogs. Pazos was a Yankees representative in the Arizona Fall League after the 2013 season and rode the momentum all the way through High-A Tampa with the Tampa Yankees to Double-A where he finished his 2014 season with the Trenton Thunder.

Pazos began the 2015 season with the Thunder before earning a promotion to the highest level of the minor league system, Triple-A. Pazos has pitched well as a member of the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders and has earned a 40 man roster spot before having to be protected this winter by the Rule 5 Draft. Pazos is now ready to make an impact and make the Yankees feel good about their decision to protect the lefty, and I think that he will. Welcome to the family James, it’s finally your time to shine.