Jason Szuminski '01
Track Alum's Major League Baseball Progress Via Blog
Jason Szuminski's rookie card.
October 21, 2004
The Cubs finished their season on a high note, winning the Central Division Championship! Jason pitched a total of 55.7 innings in 46 games with 36 strikeouts. He was also credited with three wins to finish the season with an outstanding ERA of 4.53. Cubs fans also smashed the previous attendance record for the franchise at Principal Park in Des Moines.
July 20, 2004
Jason continues to do well for the Cubs having pitched a total of 28.3 innings with 18 strikeouts.
July 7, 2004
Baseball fans and those following the Jason Szuminski story should take note that since his trade back to the Cubs and his subsequent move to its AAA affiliate in Iowa, Jason has been on fire. As of July 3, after 25 innings in 21 games, he had an ERA of 1.44 which included three wins, eight saves, and 15 strikeouts to help put Iowa in first place in the Central Division with the closest team (Colorado Springs) 4.5 games back.
May 11, 2004
The San Diego Padres broke some MIT hearts this week when they returned pitcher Jason Szuminski to the Chicago Cubs, per the Rule 5 draft rule. Padres manager Bruce Bochy told reporters that the Padres had been trying to work out a trade with the Cubs since Spring Training but were unable to do so. "We couldn't get something worked out so (the Cubs) want him back, which is their right," Bochy said. Szuminski has played just 32 games above Class A out of 112 career games at the minor league level before making the jump to the Majors this year. The Cubs assigned Szuminski to their AAA affiliate, the Iowa Cubs in Des Moines. The news made its way around the MIT community quickly, and Jason sent a message (below) to a Yahoo Groups site of alumni and classmates who have been following Jason closely.
"With Cirillo, Hitchcock, and Beck all returning soon, I knew it was very unlikely I'd remain in San Diego. I had hoped to get picked up by another club, or for the Padres to make a trade, but the Cubs really wanted me back. It's disappointing to be leaving. Hopefully it will be better for me in the long run. Staying here and not pitching much was only making me worse. This way I can get back into a groove and pitch well next time I get called up. Thanks to all for cheering me along the way. It's been a pretty fun ride. But this is just a speed bump. I know what it tastes like now and will be back soon enough. You can count on it." —Jason Szuminski
April 4, 2004
Major League news! The San Diego Padres announced yesterday that Jason Szuminski '01 had officially made the team, becoming the first MIT alum to go from MIT to the Majors (see the Padres Web site). Two other MIT graduates, Claude "Skip" Lockwood SM '83 and Art Merewether '25, also played in the Majors, but both attended MIT after their professional careers were over. According to Padre sources, the team added Szuminski to the 25-man roster Saturday. In an interview on the Padre's Web site, Szuminski said that this accomplishment is "not the end of the road. I feel like I've come a long way but I'm not going to ease up." Szuminski posted a 3.38 ERA in 12 appearances in the Cactus League this spring.
March 30, 2004
Jason continues to pitch well, hurling another inning of shutout ball last night against the Texas Rangers in an 8-3 San Diego win. On Saturday, Jason set the Cubs down in order to close out a 7-1 win. Jason's only rough outing came last Thursday against Milwaukee, where he gave up four hits in two innings, along with two earned runs. Thus far, Jason has thrown 12 1/3 innings now, with an impressive ERA of 2.19.
March 23, 2004
Jason had another good outing this past weekend, pitching an inning of scoreless ball and striking out the side in the eighth inning in a tight 3-0 win over the Brewers. Jason's ERA is now a microscopic 1.04 through eight spring training appearances. The Padres start their season in early April, so continue to visit this site for regular updates on Jason's quest to make the Majors.
March 16, 2004
Jason has two weeks of spring training under his belt, and so far the results have been very promising. To date, he has 6 appearances, totaling 6 1/3 innings, with an ERA of 1.35.
March 11, 2004
Tuesday's outing was a barn-burner 16-10 loss to Oakland which saw Jason on the mound for one and a third innings in which he only allowed one hit. During Sunday's 6-3 loss to Anaheim, Jason pitched for one inning in which he had two walks, one strike out, and he hit one batter.
March 9, 2004
Jason pitched in two games recently for a total of two innings. During his first game, on March 6, he pitched a perfect inning, striking out one batter and retiring the other two. Steve Hanem, the Publications Coordinator for the Padres, said that Jason is "a long shot with all the right-handers on the team" but went on to say that there are three weeks left and "you never know."
March 2, 2004
Jason is one of 28 pitchers trying to make the team. The odds are stacked against rookies, particularly with pitchers, who often take years to develop. That said, the Padres aggressively pursued Jason via a trade and are going through a rebuilding phase, so he should get a long look during camp. The Padres' rotation right now has a number of openings, as only veterans David Wells, Sterling Hitchcock, Rod Beck, and All-Star closer Trevor Hoffman are assured spots. Still, the Padres have signed a number of pitchers with major league experience and have good young arms in Adam Eaton and former Red Sox prospect Dennis Tankersley. Beth Garvin HM, the Alumni Association's CEO, was in Arizona last week for a conference, and stopped by to wish Jason good luck on behalf of MIT. Jason reported that his arm felt good and that he was having a great time. Luckily, Beth was prepared with a fresh MIT T-shirt and cap for him, since the novelty of his MIT gear has made them a coveted trading item and his supply was low. The novelty of being an MIT graduate continues to spark interest, as Jason was profiled briefly in last week's issue of Sports Illustrated. The magazine digitally added a mortarboard atop Jason's hat.
February 20, 2004
Pitchers and catchers report to training camp.
