Jason Scott Marquis (pronounced /mɑrˈkiː/ ) (born August 21, 1978, in Manhasset, New York) is an American Major League Baseball All Star starting pitcher and who becomes a free agent. He previously pitched for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Colorado Rockies.
As a 12-year-old, Marquis pitched his Little League team to third place in the Little League World Series with a no-hitter. He is one of only a few ballplayers to have played in both a Little League World Series and a Major League World Series. Later, he pitched his high school team to consecutive New York City championships. Marquis was drafted in the first round out of high school by the world champion Atlanta Braves, and reached the majors as a 21-year-old in 2000.
As a major leaguer, Marquis has won 11 or more games for six straight years through 2009, and also started 28 or more games in each of the years 2004–09. His 65 wins from 2004–08 season ranked 7th among N.L. pitchers. Through 2009, in games that were late and close Marquis held batters to a .232 batting average. He has also excelled with the bat, winning the Silver Slugger Award in 2005.
Early life
Marquis was born in Manhasset, New York, and grew up in Staten Island, New York's Arden Heights neighborhood, where he attended Paulo Intermediate School 75. His mother works for the New York City Board of Education, and has a teaching degree, while his father owns a check cashing business in Brooklyn. Marquis, who is Jewish, grew up in a Conservative Jewish home, attended Hebrew school, and observes the major Jewish holidays. “My mother was stricter with our Jewish upbringing," said Marquis, given that her parents were Holocaust survivors." Marquis was featured in the 2008 Hank Greenberg 75th Anniversary edition of Jewish Major Leaguers Baseball Cards, published in affiliation with Fleer Trading Cards and the American Jewish Historical Society, commemorating the Jewish Major Leaguers from 1871 through 2008. He joined, among other Jewish major leaguers, Brad Ausmus, Kevin Youkilis, Ian Kinsler, Ryan Braun, Gabe Kapler, Scott Feldman, Jason Hirsh, John Grabow, Craig Breslow, and Scott Schoeneweis. He was a New York Yankees fan while growing up, and Don Mattingly was his favorite player.
Little League World Series
Marquis starred in Little League Baseball on the South Shore Little League team that finished second in the US, and third in the world, in the Little League World Series in 1991. He led his team to a victory in the first round over Chad Pennington and his Ohio team, as Marquis celebrated his 13th birthday by throwing a three-hitter, striking out 11, not allowing a walk, and adding three hits and three RBIs.
His team lost to California in the US final on ESPN, as Marquis was relegated to shortstop because Little Leaguers weren't allowed to pitch two days in a row. Marquis then led his team to victory over Canada in the third-place game, throwing a no-hitter. "Playing in front of that many people at that time in my life made me realize this is what I wanted to do with my life," said Marquis, "and I was going to work my hardest to get it." As of October 2008, he was one of 31 Little League World Series players to have reached the major leagues.
His bar mitzvah had a baseball theme, as his parents surprised him with a replica scoreboard, 15 or 20 feet wide by 15 feet tall, of the game line from his Little League World Series no-hitter against Canada.
High school
"When I was a freshman I was 5' 2", and everyone thought I was too small to play," Marquis said. "But it was always my dream to play major league baseball, and I've always worked very hard at it." As a 6' 1" junior and senior, however, Marquis threw a 93 miles per hour fastball, a curveball that was nearly unhittable at the high school level, and a changeup. He pitched the Tottenville High School Pirates to two consecutive New York City Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) titles. The first was a Pirates (22-1) championship in 1995 over the George Washington Trojans (32-3), 3-2 at Shea Stadium, capping a season in which he posted an 11-0 record while striking out 86 batters in 61 innings.
The second championship was in 1996 when the Pirates were 33-1; again over the George Washington Trojans (41-2). He pitched his team to a 5-1, 7-inning complete game victory in which he struck out 15 batters and did not allow any earned runs, while he himself hit a two-run triple, at Yankee Stadium. That capped a season in which he was 14-1 with a 0.40 ERA, and struck out 150 in 79 innings, while as a batter he tied a school season record with 11 home runs, drove in 45 runs, and batted .468.
He received the Iron Horse Award as the top baseball player in the PSAL, The New York Daily News Player of the Year Award , and was named 1st team High School All-American. Anthony McCarron of the The New York Daily News touted him as "perhaps the city's best high school player since ... Manny Ramirez," and Baseball America ranked him the 39th-highest prospect in the nation. He also played basketball at Tottenville, and on the academic side was a member of the National Honor Society. One of his classmates at Tottenville was Chicago Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye.
Draft
The right-hander originally signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Miami, which offered him a scholarship. The day of the 1996 draft, he was pitching in a high school playoff game, so his mother stayed home to wait for the phone call, and then showed up at his game in the second inning. She relayed the message that he had been drafted by the world champion Atlanta Braves in the first round, the 35th selection overall. Marquis was excited, and his team won the game and went on to win the city championship. He then opted out of his letter of intent, and signed with the Braves on July 18, 1996, for a reported $600,000 ($814,897 in current dollar terms) signing bonus.
Minor league career
In 1996 Marquis began his pro career with the Danville Braves (Rookie Advanced) in the Appalachian League, going 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA in 7 games. He had 24 strikeouts and gave up 7 walks in 23 innings.
The next year he tied for the South Atlantic League lead with a team-record 14 victories for the Macon Braves, as he went 14-10 with a 4.38 ERA, tied for second in the league with 28 starts, and was named the Braves' No. 5 prospect by Baseball America . "He's like a man on a mission to get to the big leagues," said Mark Ross, the Macon pitching coach. "He's doing great."
In 1998 he began the season as youngest pitcher in the Carolina League, but won only 2 of 22 starts for Class A Danville 97s, as he went 2-12 and struck out 135 in 114.2 innings, while walking only 41.
In 1999 Marquis began the season at Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League, where he opened the season by firing 20.0 consecutive scoreless innings. Marquis was named Baseball America Carolina League Player of the Week for the period April 15–21, as he pitched 10.0 innings, striking out 11. He allowed only one earned run in 6 starts (3-0, 0.28 ERA) before being promoted on May 10 to the AA Greenville Braves, and was named the Braves' No. 6 prospect by Baseball America . With Greenville he went 3-4, 4.58 in 12 starts. He spent much of the summer on the DL with a sore elbow, a tender right shoulder, and a pulled oblique stomach muscle.
In 2000 Baseball America named him the Braves' No. 5 prospect, and he split time between AA Greenville (going 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA), the AAA Richmond Braves, and Atlanta (15 games in relief; a 5.01 ERA. Marquis spent much of 2003 back in the minors, where his overall record at Richmond was 8-4, with a 3.35 ERA in 15 games (all starts).
Stats
Major league career
Atlanta Braves (2000–03): Breaking in
Marquis was called up to the majors by the Braves in June 2000, at the age of 21 the 10th-youngest player in the NL, after the Braves demoted struggling closer John Rocker for threatening a reporter. He made his debut on June 6, 2000, in relief of Tom Glavine against the Pittsburgh Pirates. "Getting that first call and running out to the mound," said Marquis, "I promise you I didn't feel my legs at all." He was later sent back down to AAA Richmond, but was recalled again in September. During the 2000 season he appeared strictly in relief, finishing 7 games in his 15 appearances, and winning 1.
He became a starting pitcher in 2001, joining a celebrated staff with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Kevin Millwood. The 9/11 attack that interrupted the season also led to the death of one of his Little League World Series teammates, Michael Cammarata, a firefighter. "It's tough knowing that people died who were part of your life at one point," Marquis said.
In his first year as a starter, Marquis held batters to a .145 batting average with runners in scoring position, and 2 out. The club's front office made it clear that he was off-limits in trade talks, saying: "He's going to be a big-time No. 1 pitcher. You don't give up an arm like that." He maintained a spot on the rotation again in 2002 as the fifth starter, behind Maddux, Glavine, Millwood, and Damian Moss.
In 2003, the Braves revamped their starting rotation with the acquisitions of Mike Hampton, Russ Ortiz, Shane Reynolds, and the promotion of Horacio Ramírez from AA. Marquis
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