Boston Red Sox A third-round pick in the 1998 draft, Maroth spent his first two years of professional baseball playing for the Single-A
Sarasota Red Sox in the
Boston Red Sox organization. He led Sarasota's starting pitchers with 11
wins in 1999.
Detroit Tigers Before the 2000 season, Maroth was traded to the Tigers organization for relief pitcher
Bryce Florie and worked his way up from the Single-A
Lakeland Tigers to the Triple-A
Toledo Mud Hens by 2001. Maroth had a 4.65
earned run average (ERA) with Toledo. At the time of his promotion to the Tigers, he was also tied for second place in wins for the entire
International League. Maroth was made a starter for the Tigers on June 8, 2002. In 2003, Maroth
lost 21 games for the Tigers—the first pitcher to lose 20 or more games in a season since
Brian Kingman lost 20 for the
Oakland Athletics in 1980. He remains the most recent pitcher to lose 20 or more games in a season as of 2025. Maroth rebounded to a decent 2004 campaign, going 11–13 with a 4.31 ERA and 108
strikeouts. 2004 also saw Maroth pitch a one-hit
complete game shutout against a surging
New York Yankees team that July – he lost his no-hit bid in the fourth-inning due to future teammate Gary Sheffield. In light of the Tigers' continually struggling offense, Maroth's 2005 performance was similarly solid; he managed to rack up 14 wins in 28 starts, the second best record on the team and just one loss behind their young ace,
Jeremy Bonderman. In 2006, Maroth assumed the No. 3 role in the starter rotation, behind the veteran
Kenny Rogers and Bonderman, and ahead of rookie
Justin Verlander and
Nate Robertson. After a start against the Kansas City Royals on May 25, Maroth was placed on the
disabled list in early June with bone chips in his left elbow. Late in the 2006 season, Maroth made four
relief appearances, posting a 9.53 ERA over 5 innings of work, giving up three
home runs. Maroth was left off the postseason roster. He returned to the starting rotation in the 2007 season. He missed only one start due to illness. With Kenny Rogers on the DL, the rotation consisted of Maroth, Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander,
Chad Durbin, and Nate Robertson.
St. Louis Cardinals Maroth was traded to the
St. Louis Cardinals for a
player to be named later.
Minor league pitcher
Chris Lambert, a former first-round pick for the Cardinals in 2004, was sent to the Tigers on August 31, 2007, to complete the deal. In his first career
National League start on June 25 against the
New York Mets, Maroth surrendered just one
run and two
hits in 7 innings, but did not figure in the decision. However, Maroth was unable to succeed in any role with St. Louis during the rest of the year, going 0–4 with an ERA above 10. He was given his release from the team on October 25, 2007.
Later career On February 8, 2008, the
Kansas City Royals signed Maroth to a minor league contract and invited him to
spring training. Maroth was released on May 2, 2008. Maroth underwent shoulder surgery in May 2008, expecting to be able to pitch by spring training 2009. On December 30, 2008, Maroth signed a minor league deal with the
Toronto Blue Jays. Maroth pitched two innings of
spring training game on March 3, 2009, the first time he had thrown in a Major League game since 2007. Maroth commented "My arm felt great... Probably felt too great. It’s been a while since I've been able to get out there. Got that adrenaline." After not making the team out of camp, Maroth was released. On January 8, 2010, Maroth signed a minor league contract with the
Minnesota Twins with an invite to spring training. Maroth did not make the team out of spring training and was sent down to the
Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. In late May, Maroth had surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow causing him to be out four to five weeks. Maroth retired on January 25, 2011. ==Coaching career==