Zack Weiss

Zachary Daniel Weiss (זאק וייס; born June 16, 1992) is an Israeli-American professional baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has four pitches; he mostly throws his 93-95 mph fastball and a slider, and also throws a curveball and a changeup.[1][2]

Zack Weiss
Pitcher
Born: (1992-06-16) June 16, 1992
Irvine, California
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 12, 2018, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
Win–loss record0–0
Strikeouts0
Teams

Weiss was a 2015 Southern League All Star, and a 2015 MILB.com Cincinnati Organization All Star, after a season in which his 30 saves were second-most in the minor leagues. The Cincinnati Reds added Weiss to their active roster for Opening Day 2018, and he made his major league debut that year.[3]

In 2018, he became a dual Israeli citizen. He pitched for Team Israel at the 2019 European Baseball Championship. He also pitched for the team at the Africa/Europe 2020 Olympic Qualification tournament in Italy in September 2019, which Israel won to qualify to play baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Early and personal life

Weiss was born in Irvine, California, to Ernest and Nancy Weiss, and is Jewish.[2][4][5] He was bar mitzvahed at Congregation B’nai Israel in Tustin, California.[6] In October 2018 he became a dual Israeli citizen, partly to help Israel's baseball team make the 2020 Olympics.[7][8]

He has a younger sister, Ariana.[4]

Weiss played baseball for Northwood High School in Irvine, where as a senior he was second-team All-California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division II and second-team All-Sea View League.[4] Academically, he had a 4.0 GPA.[9]

He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 10th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. He did not sign, and instead attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to major in geography and environmental studies and play college baseball for the UCLA Bruins baseball team.[2] In 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.[10] In his junior year of college in 2013, he switched from being a starter to pitching as a reliever, had a 2.25 earned run average, and helped the Bruins win their first national baseball championship.[1][6] He was a 2013 Jewish Sports Review Division I College Baseball All-American, along with Alex Bregman and Brad Goldberg.[5]

Professional career

Cincinnati Reds

He was then drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth round of the 2013 MLB Draft.[11] Weiss signed with the Reds and made his professional debut with the Arizona League Reds, and also played for the Billings Mustangs that year. Weiss spent 2014 with the Dayton Dragons of the Class A Midwest League, for whom he was 2-4 with a 2.42 ERA, with 80 strikeouts in 63.1 innings.[12]

Weiss spent 2015 with the Daytona Tortugas of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the Class AA Southern League.[13] He had a Pensacola-record 25 saves (leading the league; in 27 opportunities; 11.8 K/9, 2.5 BB/9), and 30 saves (second in the minor leagues; in 32 opportunities) in total between the two teams.[14][15][1][16] In 63 2/3 innings, he had a 1.98 ERA and gave up 42 hits and 15 walks, while striking out 90 batters (averaging 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings).[1][17] He was a 2015 Southern League All Star, and a 2015 MILB.com Cincinnati Organization All Star.[15] After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League. He suffered an elbow injury in early 2016 while in major league spring training, did not pitch that year, and underwent surgery to transpose the ulnar nerve and to remove scar tissue in his pitching elbow in December 2016.[18][19][17][20][21]

In 2017, Weiss was 2-1 with one save and a 2.08 ERA, and 19 strikeouts in 13 innings, for Daytona, and 2-4 with nine saves (tied for 7th in the league) and a 2.89 ERA, and 37 strikeouts in 28 innings, for Pensacola.[12] Between the two teams, he averaged 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings.[22] The Reds added him to their 40-man roster after the 2017 season.[23] In 2018 in the minors, between the Arizona Reds, Pensacola Blue Wahoos, and the Louisville Bats he was 3-3 with one save and a 5.40 ERA, and 26 strikeouts in 24.1 innings.[24]

Reds manager Bryan Price said in spring training in 2018: "if he doesn't make the team I imagine we'll see him at some point during the year."[21] The Cincinnati Reds added Weiss to their active roster on their Opening Day, March 30, 2018,[3] and he made his major league debut on April 12, at Great American Ball Park against the St. Louis Cardinals.[25] Weiss was released by the Reds on September 1, 2018.[26]

Minnesota Twins

On November 1, 2018, Weiss signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins.[27] He was released by the organization on July 15, 2019.[28]

In 2019, pitching for the Class AA (the Pensacola Blue Wahoos) and Class AAA (the Rochester Red Wings) affiliates of the Minnesota Twins, he was a combined 1-3 with a 7.24 ERA in 16 relief appearances, with 30 strikeouts in 27.1 innings.[29]

Long Island Ducks

On July 19, 2019, Weiss signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Pitching for them in 2019 he was 4-1 with one save and a 4.68 ERA in 16 relief appearances, as he struck out 34 batters in 25 innings.[29] He became a free agent following the season.

Cleveland Indians

On February 18, 2020, Weiss signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians. Weiss was released by the Indians on May 29, 2020.[30]

Sugar Land Skeeters

On August 4, 2020, Weiss signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball/

Team Israel

He pitched for Team Israel at the 2019 European Baseball Championship, going 1-0 with one save and a 0.00 ERA as in four relief appearances he pitched 6.1 innings and gave up one hit (holding batters to a .050 batting average) and three walks while striking out five batters.[31] He also pitched for the team at the Africa/Europe 2020 Olympic Qualification tournament in Italy in September 2019, which Israel won to qualify to play baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[32] In the tournament he was 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA over 3.0 innings in which he gave up one hit, four walks, and had six strikeouts.[33]

See also

References
  1. Sheldon, Mark (January 20, 2016). "Reds' Zack Weiss could make big league club; 'It is pretty exciting to know there is an opportunity here,' right-handed reliever says". mlb.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  2. Freking, Grant (August 4, 2015). "Q&A with Double-A Pensacola reliever Zack Weiss". Redleg Nation. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  3. "Active Roster". Cincinnati Reds. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  4. "Zack Weiss - 2013 Baseball Roster - UCLA Bruins". UCLABruins.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  5. "Berman Named JSR First Team All-American," Official Site of Western Michigan Athletics, July 25, 2013.
  6. Justin Berg (September 29, 2017). "Mysterious injury temporarily derailed pitcher's dream," American Israelite.
  7. "10 U.S.-Jewish baseball players to get dual Israeli citizenship in bid to make 2020 Olympics," Haaretz.
  8. "US baseball players get Israeli citizenship in boost to Olympic team," The Times of Israel.
  9. Eric Sondheimer (June 27, 2009). "Neuheisel gets chance at Loyola," Los Angeles Times.
  10. "Zack Weiss". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  11. Katz, Michael (July 30, 2013). "Former Northwood star begins professional baseball career". ocregister. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  12. "Zack Weiss". Thebaseballcube.com. July 11, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  13. Duwayne Escobedo (August 25, 2015). "Zack Weiss Running on Adrenaline; Pensacola closer ties franchise record with 22 saves this season". Pensacola Blue Wahoos News. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  14. Bill Vilona (August 25, 2015). "Weiss sets team save record as Blue Wahoos get 1-0 win". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  15. "Zack Weiss Stats, Highlights, Bio". Milb.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  16. J.J. Cooper (December 6, 2016). "Rule 5 Draft Expanded Preview". Baseball America. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  17. "Update on Zack Weiss and other notes from the system". redsminorleagues.com. April 26, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  18. Doug Gray (June 26, 2017). "Reds Zack Weiss is back and pitching well," redsminorleagues.com.
  19. Doug Gray (January 9, 2017). "Reds RHP Zack Weiss undergoes surgery". redsminorleagues.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  20. "Reds AA pitching coach sees promise in youngsters". Cincinnati.com. August 21, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  21. "Reds manager Price on the return of Zack Weiss: 'Who knows? He could make our club'". Cincinnati.com. March 8, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  22. "Bar: A Cincinnati Reds prospect stock watch". Cincinnati.com. September 18, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  23. "Cincinnati Reds protect Shed Long, Jose Siri and four others from the Rule 5 Draft". Cincinnati.com. November 20, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  24. "Zack Weiss" - The Baseball Cube
  25. "Zack Weiss and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad debut" – The Athletic
  26. "Zack Weiss: Cut loose by Reds," CBS Sports.
  27. Eddy, Matt (November 22, 2018). "Minor League Transactions: Nov 6 - Nov 21". Baseball America. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  28. "Zack Weiss: Released by Twins," CBS Sports.
  29. "Zack Weiss College, Minor, Fall & Independent Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  30. Hoynes, Paul (May 30, 2020). "Mike Papi, high pick in 2014 draft, among minor leaguers released by Cleveland Indians". Cleveland.com.
  31. "EUROPEAN Championship A-Pool - ISRAEL". Baseballstats.eu. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  32. "Moving on up". Jewish Baseball News. September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  33. "Pitching," olympicbaseball.wbsc.org.
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