Daniel Zamora

WTM’S PLAYER PROFILE

2015
A-:  1-0-2, 2.66 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 20.1 IP, 1.8 BB/9, 11.1 K/9

Zamora had a good debut pitching in relief for Morgantown.  He had outstanding walk and K rates.  He had slightly more hits allowed than innings pitched (21 hits in 20.1 IP), but that was due to a very high BABIP of .364.  He had a reverse platoon split, but the sample size was very small.

2016
A:  3-2-1, 3.46 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 39.0 IP, 3.5 BB/9, 10.4 K/9

Zamora moved up to West Virginia and pitched well there, maintaining his high K rate.  He held opponents to a 219/290/336 line and again had a reverse platoon split.  His season ended on July 2, though, when he left a game after throwing two pitches and didn’t play again.  The Pirates didn’t disclose the nature of the injury.

2017
A+:  2-4-9, 1.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 53.1 IP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.3 K/9
AA:  0-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 6.0 BB/9, 6.0 K/9

Zamora was healthy in camp and spent most of the season at Bradenton.  He pitched well, with very good walk and K rates.  He had one bad stretch of four outings starting at the end of July that inflated his numbers a bit.  He didn’t have much of a platoon split.  The Pirates moved Zamora up to Altoona at the end of the season and he got into two games with the Curve.  After the season, the Pirates traded Zamora to the Mets for Josh Smoker.

2018
AA:  1-1-2, 3.48 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 51.2 IP, 2.8 BB/9, 12.0 K/9
MLB:  1-0-0, 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9.0 IP, 3.0 BB/9, 16.0 K/9

The Mets assigned Zamora to AA and he pitched well there, with a high K rate.  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.

2019
AAA:  2-1-4, 4.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 30.0 IP, 2.1 BB/9, 10.8 K/9
MLB:  0-1-0, 5.19 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 8.2 IP, 5.2 BB/9, 8.3 K/9

Zamora 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 less effective in the majors.

2020
DNP

The Mets brought Zamora to their alternate site and called him briefly, but he didn’t get into any games.

2021
AAA (NYM):  0-2-0, 20.25 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 6.2 IP, 13.5 BB/9, 9.5 K/9
AAA (Sea):  3-0-1, 4.14 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 37.0 IP, 3.9 BB/9, 11.4 K/9
MLB (Sea):  2-0-0, 6.23 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 4.1 IP, 2.1 BB/9, 6.2 K/9

Zamora missed the month of April, then had a very rough time in four AAA outings in May.  The Mets designated him for assignment and Seattle claimed him.  After throwing one game in AAA, Zamora moved up to Seattle and appeared in four games before returning to AAA for the rest of the season.  He pitched only decently in AAA.  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.

2022
AAA:  4-2-3, 3.86 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 63.0 IP, 3.9 BB/9, 10.1 K/9

The Dodgers kept Zamora in AAA all season.  He pitched reasonably well, with opponents batting 242/332/333 against him.  He was much more effective against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .536 OPS, while right-handed hitters put up a .734 figure.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Pirates.

The Pirates have been chronically short of left-handed pitching, so Zamora should provide some AAA depth in that area.  When he first reached the majors, it looked like he might manage a career as a LOOGY, but the three-batter minimum has since intervened.