| Shawn Estes | |
|---|---|
 Estes with the Padres in 2008 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1973-02-18)February 18, 1973 (age 52) San Bernardino, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 16, 1995, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 24, 2008, for the San Diego Padres | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 101–93 |
| Earned run average | 4.71 |
| Strikeouts | 1,210 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Aaron Shawn Estes (born February 18, 1973) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher who played 14 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for theSan Francisco Giants,New York Mets,Cincinnati Reds,Chicago Cubs,Colorado Rockies,Arizona Diamondbacks, andSan Diego Padres.
Aaron Shawn Estes was born on February 18, 1973, inSan Bernardino, California. Estes attendedDouglas High School inMinden, Nevada. As a senior in 1991, he was namedGatorade's Nevada State Baseball Player of the Year and finished with a 0.79earned run average and 141strikeouts in61+2⁄3 innings pitched. At the plate, hehit .488 with eight home runs. He would go on to be enshrined in theNevada Interscholastic Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2016.[1]
Estes initially committed to playcollege baseball atStanford University but instead signed with theSeattle Mariners after being selected in the first round of the1991 MLB draft.[1]
Estes began his professional career with theBellingham Mariners in "A" ball in 1991. He then played with theAppleton Foxes,Arizona League Mariners andWisconsin Timber Rattlers from 1992 to 1995. The Mariners traded Estes to theSan Francisco Giants on May 21, 1995, forSalomón Torres.
The Giants moved Estes through their farm system rapidly during the 1995 season, sending him to theBurlington Bees,San Jose Giants andShreveport Captains.
Estes made his Major League debut with the Giants on September 16, 1995, working 5.1 innings as a starter against thePittsburgh Pirates. He allowed five earned runs and collected the loss. He was 0–3 in three starts for the Giants that September.
Estes returned to the minors to start the 1996 season with thePhoenix Firebirds, but was recalled to the Majors to start a game against the rivalLos Angeles Dodgers on July 13. Estes worked seven shutout innings to record his first career victory.
Estes had his best season as a professional in1997, when he went 19–5 with a 3.18ERA for the Giants. He was selected to the NL All-Star team during this season. He also had four career home runs and 28RBIs, including agrand slam in2000.
On May 24, 2000, Estes became the first pitcher in Giants' franchise history to hit a grand slam sinceMonte Kennedy in 1949.[2]
The Giants traded Estes to theNew York Mets on December 16, 2001, forDesi Relaford andTsuyoshi Shinjo. The Mets signed him to a $6.2 million contract, avoiding arbitration.[3] On June 15, 2002, Estes found himself at the center of a controversy when he started against theNew York Yankees againstRoger Clemens. In 2000, Clemens had beaned Mets catcherMike Piazza, followed by the incident in Game 2 of the2000 World Series in which Clemens threw a broken bat at Piazza. With the fans standing in anticipation of the showdown, Estes' first pitch was a fastball that was about a foot behind Clemens. Estes would hit a two-run homer off Clemens in the fifth inning of the eventual 8-0 Mets win, setting off a loud roar from the sellout crowd of 54,347 and derisive chants of "Ro-ger! Ro-ger!"
Estes would ultimately start 23 games for the Mets, with a record of 4-9 and a 4.55 ERA, before he was traded again on August 15 to theCincinnati Reds forBrady Clark,Raul González,Elvin Andújar andPedro Feliciano.[4]
He pitched in six games for the Reds, finishing 1–3 with a 7.71 ERA.
Estes signed a 1-year deal with the Cubs in 2003. He was pulled from the starting rotation in early September due to his struggles on the mound and the birth of his son. However, on September 24 with the Cubs holding a one-game lead over theHouston Astros, Estes pitched a complete-game shutout en route to an 8–0 win. Three days later, the Cubs clinched the division. He ultimately finished the season with an 8–11 record and 5.73 ERA in 28 starts.[5][6][7]
Estes signed a minor league deal with theColorado Rockies in 2004.[8] He was the Rockies' Opening Day starter, bestingRandy Johnson in a 6–2 victory, pitching 7 innings while allowing just 2 runs on 2 hits.[9]
Estes enjoyed his first winning season since the year 2000, finishing the season with a 15–8 record in 34 starts, despite his 5.84 ERA being the highest among qualified starters.[10]
Estes again signed a one-year deal with theArizona Diamondbacks in 2005. He was placed on the DL in July with a stress fracture in his left ankle.[11] His season was cut short and he finished the season with a record of (7-8, 4.80 in 21 starts).
Estes signed a one-year deal with theSan Diego Padres for the 2006 season[12] but made only one start before he was lost for the season due toTommy John surgery.[13]
Estes began his2007 comeback with minor league appearances in Single-A, though he was soon promoted to Triple-APortland. After his first start in Portland, Estes reaggravated his injured pitching elbow. He was placed on thedisabled list retroactive to August 6.
On May 8,2008, Estes finally returned to the Majors after missing most of the previous two seasons with injuries.[13] He started eight games for the Padres in 2008, finishing 2–3 with a 4.74 ERA. The Padres chose not to re-sign him after the season.
On January 9,2009, Estes signed a one-year minor league deal with theLos Angeles Dodgers with an invitation to spring training.[14] He was expected to compete for the fifth starter position but pitched poorly in spring training games and was released on March 22.[15] However, after thinking about his options, he decided to stay with the Dodgers and report to minor league camp to attempt to transition into a situational reliever[16] The Dodgers assigned Estes to the AAAAlbuquerque Isotopes to open the season, where he was 3–4 with a 3.08 ERA in 13 starts before announcing his retirement because he did not want to pitch in Triple-A.
On February 6, 2010, Estes signed a minor league contract with theWashington Nationals. On March 11, 2010, the Nationals released him.[17] After his release from the Nationals, he retired from baseball.
On July 31, 2010, Estes was honored with a plaque on the Giants Wall of Fame along with former teammateRich Aurilia.[18] Estes and Aurilia serve as co-hosts of Giants pregame and postgame shows onNBC Sports Bay Area. He is also an occasional fill-in analyst on Giants road game broadcasts, working alongsideDuane Kuiper andDave Flemming. Estes previously did television color commentary for theReno Aces of thePacific Coast League.
Estes is married to Nathalie Evashevski Estes. They have four children, Jackson, Cody, Avery, and Asher and live in Arizona.[19]
· Baseball Almanac
