Aaron Shawn Estes (born February 18, 1973) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. High school Estes attended Douglas High School in Minden, Nevada. As a senior in 1991, he was named Gatorade's Nevada State Baseball Player of the Year and finished with a 0.79 earned run average and 141 strikeouts in 61.2 innings pitched. At the plate, he hit .488 with eight home runs. He would go on to be enshrined in the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2016. Estes initially committed to play college baseball at Stanford University but instead signed with the Seattle Mariners after being selected in the first round of the 1991 MLB Draft. Minor leagues Estes began his professional career with the Bellingham Mariners in "A" ball in 1991. He then played with the Appleton Foxes, Arizona League Mariners and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from 1992-1995. The Mariners traded Estes to the San Francisco Giants on May 21, 1995 for Salomón Torres. The Giants moved Estes through their farm system rapidly during the 1995 season, sending him to the Burlington Bees, San Jose Giants and Shreveport Captains. Major league career San Francisco Giants Estes made his Major League debut with the Giants on September 16, 1995, working 5.1 innings as a starter against the Pittsburgh 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 the Phoenix Firebirds, but was recalled to the Majors to start a game against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers on July 13. Estes worked seven shutout innings to record his first career victory. Estes had his best season as a professional in , when he went 19-5 with a 3.18 ERA for the Giants. He was selected to the NL All-Star team during this season. He also had four career home runs and 28 RBIs, including a grand slam in . On May 24, 2000, Estes became the first pitcher in Giants' franchise history to hit a grand slam since Monte Kennedy in 1949. New York Mets The Giants traded Estes to the New York Mets on December 16, 2001 for Desi Relaford and Tsuyoshi Shinjo. The Mets signed him to a $6.2 million contract, avoiding arbitration. On June 15, 2002, Estes found himself at the center of a controversy when he started against the