Scott Kazmir was a power pitcher who was initially drafted by the New York Mets. However, he never played for the team as he was traded to Tampa Bay while he was still in the minors. This trade would later receive a lot of criticism from Mets fans, particularly when Kazmir started going to All-Star Games with the Rays.
Kazmir made his debut for Tampa Bay in August of 2004, and while there was much to like about the southpaw, there were also some concerns. He had a good strikeout rate, but he also walked a lot of batters. Nonetheless, Kazmir rose to become Tampa Bay's Opening Day starter in 2006 and earned his first All-Star that year with a record of 10-8, 3.24 ERA, and 163 SO. He had an even better season in 2007, leading the American League in strikeouts with 239. Kazmir was an All-Star again in 2008 (12-8, 3.49 ERA, 116 SO), but he struggled with injuries and his performance declined. He was traded to the Angels during the 2009 season, where he finished strong. However, he had a disappointing 2010 season with an ERA close to six over 150 innings.
In 2011, Kazmir only played one game in the majors and was demoted to the minors, where his career seemed to be over. The Angels released him, and he played in several leagues in 2012 before Cleveland gave him another shot in 2013. Kazmir made the team and was respectable with a 10-9 record and a 4.04 ERA. He then signed with Oakland, where he went to his third All-Star Game, which was a significant achievement considering where he was just a few years before. Kazmir finished with a career-high of 15 wins and had a good start to the 2015 season but was traded to Houston during the season. He then played for the Los Angeles Dodgers for a year, but muscle issues forced him to leave a game in late September, which turned out to be his last game in the majors for the next five years.
Despite his ups and downs, Kazmir had a respectable career with three All-Star selections. He also played in other leagues and won a silver medal for the United States in the 2021 Olympics. Kazmir eventually got another chance in the majors with the San Francisco Giants but retired after that.