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New Jersey Jackals Sign Former Major Leaguer LHP Jayson Aquino

December 30, 2019 - Frontier League (FL)
New Jersey Jackals News Release


Little Falls, NJ - The 2019 Can-Am League Champion New Jersey Jackals announce the signing of left-handed pitcher Jayson Aquino. A 27-year old native from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Aquino brings nine years of professional baseball experience to the Jackals including two brief stints with the Baltimore Orioles in 2016 and 2017. Known for his durability and control (averaging 2.6 walks per nine innings), he also pitched in the Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations.

"Jayson has thrown almost 1000 innings and brings a lot of experience to us. We think he has a lot left in the tank and can be one of our top starters," Jackals manager Brooks Carey said. "He's young and motivated to get back to the Major Leagues. He pitches both sides of the plate with a good breaking ball and changeup and a fastball that runs up to 96 [miles per hour]."

Signed as an international free agent on July 2, 2009, Aquino quickly became a perennial prospect Top 30 prospect (ranked by Baseball America, peaking at #9 in 2013) in the Rockies farm system. From 2010-2012 he dominated the Dominican Summer League by going a combined 18-5 with a stingy 1.29 ERA while hurling 216.1 innings with only 41 walks and 210 strikeouts. His most dominant season during this stretch was in 2010 when not only was Aquino named to the DSL All-Star Team; he threw a nine-inning perfect game against the DSL San Diego Padres on July 5.

He spent two additional seasons in the Rockies system making it as high as Double-A Tulsa in 2014. The following season he was designated for assignment and traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on February 4, 2015. The Blue Jays optioned Aquino to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats on March 8, 2015. On May 10, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who traded him to the Cleveland Indians on July 29, 2015.

Aquino was claimed off waivers from the Indians by the St. Louis Cardinals on December 9, 2015. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on April 7, 2016, where pitched for the Bowie Baysox (Double-A, Eastern League) and was named to the circuit's All-Star Team before he was promoted to the Major Leagues on July 4, 2016. Making his debut that day against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he pitched two-thirds of an inning and retired both batters he faced: Chase Utley and Corey Seager.

In 2017, Aquino earned his first Major League win against the Boston Red Sox on April 22 after hurling six innings and only yielding two runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts. On the season, he would make an additional start and two relief appearances for the Orioles and went 1-2 with a 7.43 ERA in 13.1 innings with six walks and 13 strikeouts. He also spent a portion of the season with the Norfolk Tides (Triple-A, International League) and went 3-10 with a 4.24 ERA and logged 114.2 innings with 41 walks and 89 strikeouts. After spending 2018 in the Orioles system with stops in Norfolk and Bowie -- going 4-6 overall with a 5.15 ERA over 57.2 innings with 26 walks and 40 strikeouts, he was released on June 19. He briefly pitched with the Kansas City T-Bones in the American Association and with Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League.

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