Sean Kazmar Jr.'s Unique Journey Lands In Rocket City 

For Sean Kazmar Jr., two decades in professional baseball comes down to one simple factor.

Love of the game.

That’s what fueled an 18-year-career as a player filled with endless bus rides, early morning flights, over 1,700 minor leagues, a few Major League games, and ending with the ultimate dream, a World Series ring.

“For me, it started at a very young age. I just really fell in love with the game. I enjoy being out on the field. The sights and the sounds just thrilled me, and they still thrill me,” Kazmar said. “At the end of the day, I just love the game and I want to try and pursues it as long as I can try and stay in it as long as I could.”

The second act of Kazmar’s career is now underway with the Rocket City Trash Pandas. Once his playing career wrapped up in 2021, Kazmar immediately began his coaching career. The Los Angeles Angels gave him an opportunity in 2022, beginning his coaching career as the hitting coach for the Angels’ Arizona Complex League team. This year, the Angels moved Kazmar to Double-A, where he currently serves as the Trash Pandas’ hitting coach. It’s been an interesting transition for the longtime player.

“Being out of the field and being able to slow the game down from in between the lines is definitely different than sitting back and watching from the dugout,” Kazmar said. “I’m learning something new every day. I know that I really want to be in this game for a long time. For now I’m focused on getting these hitters in the best position possible to succeed.”

Kazmar himself was quickly thrust into a good position to succeed to start his playing career. That dream began in 2004, when he was selected by the San Diego Padres in the fifth round of the draft out of the college of Southern Nevada. Four years into his Minor League career, Kazmar was with Double-A San Antonio when Padres shortstop Khalil Greene suffered an injury. Little did Kazmar know; he would be the one replacing Greene on the San Diego roster.

He played in 19 games for the Padres over the final weeks of the 2008 season, collecting eight hits, with his first being a double off C.C. Sabathia, in his first taste of Major League Baseball. However, his second stint in the big leagues wouldn’t come as quickly.

While coming up in the Padres’ system, Kazmar briefly played alongside Ryan Klesko in 2006 for High-A Lake Elsinore. Kazmar was an up-and-coming prospect, Klesko was on a rehab assignment as a veteran with an All-Star appearance and a World Series ring for the Atlanta Braves on his resume. The two have since been friends for nearly two decades, and they reunited at Toyota Field on May 24 when Klesko was in town for an appearance. Klesko has fond memories of his old teammate and friend.

“He’s one of those guys that always works hard. Everyone has always respected him. He’ll play anywhere you want to put him. He was a great teammate,” Klesko said of Kazmar. “He’s one of those guys that when I tell my 14-year-olds to try an imitate, it’s him. He’s one of those guys that put his time in, and he deserves everything he’s gotten so far.”

After bouncing around a couple teams in 2011 and 2012, Kazmar signed with the Braves in 2013 and was assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. There, he would become a Minor League legend, spending the next eight seasons with the Gwinnett Braves/Stripers as he entered his late 30s.

“I just wanted to play baseball at the end of the day. The ultimate goal is to play in the big leagues and I always felt like I had enough ability to be there,” he said. “Unfortunately, I think a lot of times you need to be in the right place at the right time. But to be able to play Triple-A baseball for as long as I did, it was all worth it for me.”

With Gwinnett, Kazmar was named the team’s Most Competitive Player for three straight seasons from 2014-16 and was named the club’s Co-MVP alongside Ozzie Albies in 2017. While Kazmar briefly thought the pandemic would end his career in 2020, the Braves gave him another shot in 2021 with a return to Gwinnett in mind.

Before the Minor League season could begin, Kazmar was finally in the right spot at the right time. Braves Manager Brian Snitker told Kazmar he would be activated to the Major League roster at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.

On April 17, 2021, Kazmar returned to the big leagues with a pinch-hit at-bat against Chicago, his first MLB appearance since September 28, 2008 with the Padres, a span of 4,589 days. The 12 years and 206 days between MLB appearances was the biggest gap since Ralph Winegarner, who spent 13 years between big league appearances between 1936-49. Throughout the 13 years in the minors, Kazmar learned a lot, with the biggest lesson going back to what fueled his fire.

“That short chance to get back to the Major Leagues made the last 13 years of being in Triple-A completely worth it,” he said. “Minor League Baseball is tough to love sometimes when you’re in it. Days are long, seasons are long, and You really must love it to play for that long.”

Feel Good Story of the Week: Sean Kazmar Jr. @JeromeOnSports // @NickGreen20 // @PeterMoylan pic.twitter.com/NBYkAeD2cs

— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) April 17, 2021

Ultimately, Kazmar’s stint with the Atlanta Braves lasted just three games. He returned to Gwinnett and spent the rest of the season with the Stripers. As the season wore on, his body didn’t do what it used to, and Kazmar sensed the end was near. He called it a career at the end of the Triple-A season, taking the field alone to start his final professional game on October 3, 2021. The Braves still had one final present for him.

In October, many of Kazmar’s former teammates rose to national stardom, leading the Braves to their second World Series title when they defeated the Houston Astros in the fall classic. As an active Major League player during the 2021 season, Kazmar would receive a World Series ring. It was the perfect way to put a bow on an 18-year professional playing career, and a dream come true for the kid who was born a Braves fan in Valdosta, Georgia.

“It obviously magnified the way I watched every game, knowing that whoever is on the roster gets a ring,” he said. “But when I was four years old, the first time I ever played was in a Braves uniform. It was neat for me. To see that ring with the Braves logo and my name on it, it was cool for not only me but my entire family as well. It was the perfect retirement gift for me to go out on.”

Now, Kazmar is sharing the knowledge of a remarkable career with the next generation of players here in the Rocket City as the Trash Pandas continue to climb up the North Division standings.