Zac Grotz
Zachary Dylan Grotz is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners. Listed at and, he throws and bats right-handed.
Career
Grotz attended Burlingame High School in Burlingame, California. He attended Cal State Monterey Bay in 2012, playing college baseball for the Otters. Grotz transferred to the College of San Mateo for the 2013 season. He then transferred to the University of Tennessee and played for the Volunteers in 2014. Grotz transferred to Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University for the 2015 season.Houston Astros
Grotz was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 28th round, with the 829th overall selection, of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. He split the 2015 season between the Rookie league Greeneville Astros and the Low-A Tri-City ValleyCats, registering a combined 5–3 record with a 3.27 earned run average. Grotz was released by the Astros organization on April 2, 2016.Washington Wild Things
On April 12, 2016, Grotz signed with the Washington Wild Things of the independent Frontier League. In 29 appearances with Washington, Grotz recorded a 4–2 record and 1.36 ERA with 51 strikeouts in innings of work.Los Angeles Dodgers
On August 18, 2016, Grotz's contract was sold to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He pitched in five games for the rookie-level Ogden Raptors, posting a 4–0 record and 0.50 ERA, but was released on September 18.Bridgeport Bluefish
On February 14, 2017, Grotz signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 67 appearances for Bridgeport in 2017, Grotz logged a 4–3 record and 3.77 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched. He became a free agent after the season.York Revolution
On March 1, 2018, Grotz returned to the Atlantic League, signing with the York Revolution. In 7 games with York, Grotz registered a 2–1 record and 2.53 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 32 innings of work.New York Mets
On June 15, 2018, Grotz's contract was purchased by the New York Mets organization. He finished the season with the Single-A Columbia Fireflies, pitching to a 3–7 record and 4.61 ERA in 13 appearances. On November 2, he elected free agency.Seattle Mariners
On February 21, 2019, Grotz signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners organization. He opened the 2019 season with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers. On July 31, the Mariners selected Grotz's contract and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut on August 2 against the Houston Astros, allowing one run over two innings pitched. During the 2019 season, Grotz appeared in 14 games with the Mariners, all in relief, pitching to a 0–1 record with 4.15 ERA and 18 strikeouts in innings pitched. He also made two appearances in Triple-A with the Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League.During the shortened 2020 season, Grotz appeared in five games with the Mariners, with no decisions and a 14.73 ERA and four strikeouts in innings pitched. On September 1, 2020, Grotz was outrighted off of the Mariners' 40-man roster. He did not play in a minor league game due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and became a free agent on November 2.