| Pitcher | |
| Born: July 22, 1977 in Charlotte, North Carolina | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
|---|---|
| September 2, 2000 for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last appearance | |
| October 2, 2016 for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Career statistics
(through July 23, 2011) | |
| Win–loss record | 61–75 |
| Strikeouts | 900 |
| Earned run average | 4.48 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Ryan Andrew Vogelsong (born July 22, 1977 in North Carolina) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates. He has also played for the Nippon Professional Baseball's Hanshin Tigers (2007–2008) and Orix Buffaloes (2009).
Amateur career[]
He graduated from Octorara Area High school in Atglen, Pennsylvania, in 1995 where he played baseball, basketball and soccer. He played Legion baseball in Oxford PA. He played his little league baseball in the Southern Chester County Midget League for Highland. He also graduated from Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pennsylvania.
Professional career[]
Major League Baseball (1998-2006)[]
Vogelsong was drafted by the Giants in the 5th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his major league debut with the Giants on September 2, 2000.
Vogelsong was acquired by the Pirates on July 30, 2001, along with outfielder Armando Ríos, for pitcher Jason Schmidt and outfielder John Vander Wal. He appeared in two games for the Pirates before he required Tommy John surgery that kept him out of the majors until the end of the 2003 season.
2004 marked Vogelsong's first full year in the major leagues. He spent most of the season as a starting pitcher and struggled in that role, ending the season with a 6-13 record and 6.50 ERA. He rebounded in 2005 after being moved to the bullpen, posting a 4.43 ERA and 2-2 record while primarily being used as a middle reliever. At the end of the 2006 season, Vogelsong had a career 10-22 record and 5.86 ERA in 120 games and 315 innings over parts of 6 seasons.
Nippon Professional Baseball (2007-2009)[]
Vogelsong was acquired by the Hanshin Tigers of Japan[1] in 2007 and made his Nippon Professional Baseball debut as their starting pitcher on April 5, 2007, facing another former Major League Baseball pitcher, Kazuhisa Ishii. He won in his debut at the home stadium, Koshien Stadium, on April 12, 2007, hitting a home run in the bottom of the second inning.[2]
Return to Major League Baseball (2010-present)[]
During the 2009-2010 offseason, Vogelsong signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was released on July 15, 2010. Vogelsong signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on July 28, 2010.
In 2011, he signed a minor league contract to return to the San Francisco Giants with an invite to spring training. On April 17, 2011, Vogelsong had his contract purchased by the Giants to replace the injured Barry Zito.[3] In his first start of the 2011 season after replacing the injured Zito, Vogelsong allowed two earned runs on four hits and struck out eight en route to a 5-2 Giants victory and his first win in almost five years against the Pittsburgh Pirates. [4] Vogelsong has excelled in his replacement role, posting a record of 8-1 with a 2.10 ERA (second lowest ERA in the majors) by the All-Star break, securing his spot in the rotation.[5] Giants and 2011 National League All-Star manager Bruce Bochy named Vogelsong to the 2011 NL All-Star Team on July 3, 2011.[6] On July 18, 2011, his first start after the All-Star break gave him enough innings pitched to qualify for the National League leader in ERA with 2.10.[7].
He throws a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cut fastball, circle changeup, and curveball.
References[]
- ^ "Ryan Vogelsong to Pitch for Hanshin Tigers". bucsdugout.com. November 15, 2006.
- ^ "Japanese Baseball Box Score". japanesebaseball.com.
- ^ "Giants' Zito placed on DL, Vogelsong called up". csnbayarea.com. April 17, 2011.
- ^ "Ryan Vogelsong Pitches Giants Past Pirates". espn.com/mlb. April 28,2011.
- ^ http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/2011/06/05/bruce-bochy-ryan-vogelsong-isnt-going-anywhere-whenever-zito-comes-back/
- ^ "Vogelsong superb as Giants top Twins". mlb.com. June 23, 2011.
- ^ http://twitter.com/#!/SFGiants/status/93178472544997376