Mazzaro spent most of the season with the Midland RockHounds of the Texas League, going 12-3 with a 1.90 ERA in 22 starts. In 137 1/3 innings, he struck out 104 and walked only 36 while holding opponents to a .229 average. On May 1 against Corpus Christi, he struck out a season-high 11 over 6 2/3 innings.

The 22-year-old right-hander already was named Texas League Pitcher of the Year, a Texas League midseason and postseason All Star and a Baseball America Double-A All-Star.

The awards actually started n July, when the New Jersey native was named Texas League Pitcher of the Week. That followed another performance against Corpus Christi in which he fanned 10 over eight shutout innings. July turned out to be Mazzaro's best month as he went 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA in six starts. Over 38 1/3 innings, he struck out 33 and walked 11.

If July was his favorite month, the Hooks were his favorite opponent. Mazzaro was 5-0 with a 0.88 ERA in six starts against Corpus Christi, fanning 37 and walking nine over 41 1/3 frames.

Oakland's third-round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, he allowed just one earned run over his final four starts with the RockHounds to earn a promotion to Triple-A Sacramento. In six Pacific Coast League appearances, including five starts, Mazzaro went 3-3 with a 6.15 ERA.

He made two starts during Sacramento's march to a fourth PCL championship in six years, winning the decisive fourth game of the first-round series against Salt Lake. In that contest, he limited the Bees to two runs on five hits over seven innings, walking four and striking out six.

In the PCL Championship Series, Mazzaro got the nod in Game 3 against Oklahoma and was reached for four runs -- three earned -- on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Mazzaro led the A's organization in wins, ranked second in ERA and third in strikeouts, just one year after going 6-10 with a 5.33 ERA in 28 starts at Class A Advanced Stockton.

"I learned a lot last year in Stockton," he said. "What I learned there really helped me grow as a pitcher."

Mazzaro made his professional debut in 2006 at Class A Kane County, where he was 9-9 with a 5.05 ERA.