J. J. Schwarz

Florida Gators – No. 22

Catcher

Born: March 28, 1996 (age 21)
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

Jeffrey James Schwarz (born March 28, 1996) is an American college baseball catcher for the Florida Gators.

Schwarz attended Palm Beach Gardens Community High School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. As a senior, he hit .337 with seven home runs and 35 runs batted in (RBI). He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 17th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft. He did not sign with the Brewers and attended the University of Florida where he played college baseball for the Florida Gators.

Schwarz started all 70 games his freshman year at Florida in 2015. In 256 at-bats he hit .332 and led the team in RBI (73), home runs (18), doubles (16), sacrifice flies (6) and slugging percentage (.629). Against Stetson University, he hit a school record four home runs. He helped lead Florida to the College World Series, where they were eliminated by Virginia. He was named the Freshman Player of the Year by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the Freshman Hitter of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

Schwarz father, Jeff Schwarz, played in Major League Baseball and his sister, Taylor Schwarz, played softball at Florida.