Jay Witasick


Gerald Alphonse "Jay" Witasick, Jr. is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched all or part of twelve seasons in Major League Baseball from 1996-2007, primarily as a relief pitcher.

High school and college

Witasick attended C. Milton Wright High School and Brevard Community College
and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Professional career

He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2nd round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his MLB debut on July 7, 1996 as a member of the Oakland Athletics against the California Angels. In his first three seasons with Oakland, he made a combined 27 appearances.
In 1999, he pitched for the Kansas City Royals and was mainly used as a starter. In 32 appearances, 28 starts, he was 9-12 with a 5.57 ERA in innings. He struck out 102 and walked 83 batters. The following season, he began the season with the Royals before being traded to the San Diego Padres. Overall between the two teams, Witasick was 6-10 with a 5.82 ERA in 150 innings. In 2001, he was converted into a reliever full time, he was traded midseason by the Padres to the New York Yankees. In a career high 63 appearances between both teams, he was 8-2 with 106 strikeouts in 79 innings. He was traded in the offseason of 2002 to the San Francisco Giants. In 44 appearances for the Giants, he was 0-1 with a 2.37 ERA. In innings, he struck out 54. In 2003, he signed a two year deal to return to the San Diego Padres.
He missed most of the 2003 season with a strained tendon in his elbow, appearing in only 46 games. He was 3-7 with a 4.53 ERA. In his second season, he rebounded with a 3.21 ERA in 44 games. He was a free agent after the season and signed a one year deal with the Colorado Rockies. In 32 games with the Rockies, he was 0-4 with a 2.52 ERA before being traded to the Oakland A's in a deal that sent Eric Byrnes to the Rockies. After the deal, he was 1-1 in innings.
He spent the majority of the 2006 season on the disabled list with a left ankle injury. On June 2, 2007, Witasick was designated for assignment by the A's and released on June 7. On June 12, he was signed to a one-year deal by the Devil Rays. On October 25, 2007, the Devil Rays released him, ending his professional playing career.

Coaching career

Jay joined the Harford Community College baseball team as an assistant coach for the 2009 season.