Jason Grabowski
Quick Facts
Biography
Jason William Grabowski (born May 24, 1976 in New Haven, Connecticut) is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played for the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Grabowski graduated from The Morgan School in Clinton, Connecticut in 1994. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 17th round of the 1994 MLB Draft but did not sign and went to play college ball at the University of Connecticut. He was then drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 2nd round of the 1997 MLB Draft. The Seattle Mariners selected him off waivers from the Rangers on December 18, 2000 and he was subsequently drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the Rule V Draft on December 13, 2001.
Grabowski made his Major League debut for the Athletics on September 22, 2002 against the Rangers with one strikeout and one walk in his 2 plate appearances. His first hit was a double to right field off of Chan Ho Park of the Rangers on September 27. He played in a total of 12 games for the Athletics between 2002 and 2003 and had 3 hits in 16 at-bats.
On March 29, 2004 he was sold to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He spent the entire season with the Dodgers, as their primary left handed pinch hitter. He hit his first Major League home run off Kerry Wood of the Chicago Cubs on May 11, 2004. In 113 games with the Dodgers that season he hit .220 with 7 homers and 20 RBI. Grabowski split 2005 between the Dodgers and the AAA Las Vegas 51s. With the Dodgers he was in 65 games with a .161 batting average, 4 homers and 12 RBI. In Las Vegas he was in 52 games and hit .292 with 6 homers and 33 RBI.
In the 2005 offseason, his contract was sold to the Orix Buffaloes of Japan's Pacific League. He hit .146 in 39 games for the Buffaloes.
He was a 2007 non-roster invitee to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays spring training, but did not make the team and was reassigned to the minors. He was released on April 23, 2007 without appearing in any games in the Devil Rays system.