James McDonald | |
---|---|
Pitcher | |
Born: Long Beach, California, U.S. | October 19, 1984|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 17, 2008, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
Last MLB appearance | |
May 1, 2013, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 32–30 |
Earned run average | 4.20 |
Strikeouts | 442 |
Teams | |
James Zell McDonald (born October 19,1984) is an American former right-handed professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates.
McDonald was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 11th round of the June 2002 MLB Draft,and as a draft and follow pick,he played at Golden West College in Huntington Beach,California.
McDonald attended Long Beach Poly High School,where he played baseball,basketball and football. He played in the infield and pitched,however,he was selected by the Dodgers in 2002 more for his ability as a first baseman instead of a pitcher. But in junior college,McDonald's pitching improved so exponentially that he was signed by Los Angeles.
He made his professional debut pitching for the Gulf Coast Dodgers in 2003,where he compiled a modest 3.33 ERA with 47 strikeouts over 48.2 innings of work,although unfortunately a case of tendinitis prevented him from pitching in 2004 and most of the 2005. But instead of opting for a rehab program,McDonald and others were still interested in his hitting ability. He made the switch to outfield,thinking he could still work with trainers while keeping occupied in left field,but after sub-.230 batting averages in '04 with the Gulf Coast Dodgers and again in 2005 with the Ogden Raptors,he expressed his desire to return to pitching. "When I was in the outfield,I felt like I was just running around. I am a lot more competitive when I'm pitching,it's more up to me to get guys out." he explained to Bill Shelley. In 2006,he was back on the hill full-time for the South Atlantic League's Columbus Catfish where he led the pitching staff with an ERA of 3.97 and 147 strikeouts in 143 innings of work but only managed to finish with a record of 5–10. [1] McDonald started 2007 with the Inland Empire 66ers before he was promoted to the Double-A Jacksonville Suns. He was named the Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2007. [2] In August 2008,he was promoted to the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate,Las Vegas 51s. He went 1–0 in his first two starts,striking out 20 batters in that span. He was called up to the Dodgers on September 1,2008. He made his major league debut on September 17,2008,against the Pittsburgh Pirates,working one scoreless inning in relief. In February 2009,McDonald was named the #56 prospect in baseball by Baseball America. [3] McDonald then earned a spot in the Dodgers' starting rotation to begin the 2009 season and started his first game in the majors on April 10,2009,at Chase Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks,allowing five runs in a little over two innings. He made three more starts,only lasting as many as five innings in one (April 25 against the Colorado Rockies,his first career victory),and then was demoted back to the bullpen. With an ERA of 6.75,he was optioned back to AAA on May 14,and then recalled by the Dodgers on June 19. After being recalled,he pitched exclusively out of the bullpen the rest of the season. McDonald began 2010 in the starting rotation for the Albuquerque Isotopes. He was recalled by the Dodgers to start the game on July 19 against the San Francisco Giants. He made a few additional appearances in the bullpen for the Dodgers.
On July 31,2010,McDonald was traded along with outfielder Andrew Lambo to the Pittsburgh Pirates for reliever Octavio Dotel. [4] In his Pirates debut,he pitched 6 innings of shutout ball against the Colorado Rockies and set a career-high with eight strikeouts in a 5–1 Pirates victory. "I was just real excited today and ready to be on the mound and to get a chance to start every five days," said McDonald. "I was having fun today. When you get ahead,pitching can be fun." [5]
McDonald then pitched two consecutive shutouts,first on September 7,2010 against the Atlanta Braves in a 5–0 Pirates victory and second on September 13 against the New York Mets. His streak of 20 straight scoreless innings,the longest by any Pirate pitcher since Zach Duke threw 22 straight scoreless innings in 2005,was ended against the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 18 although McDonald still earned the win to move to 4–1 at PNC Park. [6] His performances prompted Jack Moore of Fangraphs to call McDonald an "ace" for the Pirates and the biggest steal of the 2010 MLB Trading Deadline. [7]
He completed the 2010 with a 4–5 record with a 3.52 ERA and 61 strikeouts in Pittsburgh over a span of 11 starts.
McDonald allowed 21 earned runs over his first four starts,but finished May with a 2.86 ERA while giving up no more than three runs in any start. On two consecutive starts on July 19 and 25,McDonald allowed 0 runs against the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves. Following the Atlanta game where McDonald out-dueled Braves ace Tim Hudson and struck out nine while walking none,he spoke about his control during the first half of the season. "It's been an issue for me this year. I told myself in the second half I was going to keep my walks down. Being ahead is a big key for me." [8] The win helped propel the Pirates into a first-place tie in the NL Central with St. Louis. McDonald finished the season 9–9 with a 4.21 ERA,142 strikeouts and 78 walks over 171 innings of work.
To begin the 2012 campaign,McDonald delivered several quality starts before earning his first victory of the season on April 30 against Atlanta,a 7+2⁄3-inning, 10 strikeout performance. On May 17, McDonald set a new career-high for strikeouts with 11 against the Washington Nationals, while also taking a no-hit bid into the sixth inning. [9] During the month of May, he posted a record of 3–1 with a sparkling 1.54 ERA. On June 21, McDonald pitched his first career complete game, against the Minnesota Twins, throwing 120 pitches and allowing one earned run. [10] McDonald had a 2.37 ERA before the all-star break but a 7.52 ERA after the all-star break.
McDonald was designated for assignment by the Pirates on September 7. He became a free agent on September 13.
He signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs on January 31, 2014. [11] He did not pitch in a game for the team due to injury and became a free agent after the season.
In 2017, McDonald became a coach for the Southwest Nationals Baseball Organization, founded by former MLB pitcher Scott Elbert.
McDonald has a variety of pitches. His primary pitch is a four-seam fastball in the 91–94 mph range. He throws a two-seam fastball with similar velocity. He features two breaking balls: a slider (79–82) and a knuckle curve (75–77). His last pitch is a changeup in the low 80s. McDonald does not mix his repertoire differently between right-handed and left-handed hitters. He throws his four-seamer about half the time and uses his curveball most often when he is ahead in the count. [12]
In the early part of the 2012 season, his slider was recognized as the NL's second-best swing-and-miss pitch, only behind Cole Hamels' changeup, with whiff rate of 49% since 2011. [13]
McDonald's father, also named James, played basketball at USC and football for the Los Angeles Rams from 1983–87, [14] while his uncle Ben McDonald, was a professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors. [15] His cousins are former Chicago Cubs outfielder Darnell McDonald and former New York Yankee and Kansas City Royal outfielder Donzell McDonald. [16]
Chan Ho Park is a South Korean former professional baseball pitcher. Park was the first South Korea-born player in MLB history. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB), the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League. As of 2023, he has the most career wins of any Asia-born pitcher in history (124), having passed Hideo Nomo for that distinction in 2010. During his playing days, Park stood 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) tall, weighing 210 pounds (95 kg).
Juan Carlos Cruz is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, and Pittsburgh Pirates from 2001 to 2012.
Juan Ramón Pizarro a.k.a. "Terín" was a Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. He played for 18 seasons on 9 teams, from 1957 through 1974. In 1964, he won 19 games (19–9) and pitched 4 shutouts for the Chicago White Sox. He was selected for the Major League All-Star Baseball game in 1963 and 1964.
Octavio Eduardo Dotel Diaz is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. Dotel played for 13 major league teams, the second most teams played for by any player in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), setting the mark when he pitched for the Detroit Tigers on April 7, 2012, breaking a record previously held by Mike Morgan, Matt Stairs, and Ron Villone. Edwin Jackson broke this record in 2019. Dotel's longest tenure with any one team was the five seasons he spent with the Houston Astros.
Edwin Jackson Jr. is a German-born American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2003 to 2019 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Rays, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Paul Gurner Maholm is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Daniel Livingston Meyer is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2010 for the Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, and Florida Marlins. Meyer's coaching career began in 2014, within the Braves organization. Prior to the 2022 season, he was hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Alvin O'Neal McBean is a former professional baseball player from the United States Virgin Islands. He played in Major League Baseball as a pitcher, most notably for the Pittsburgh Pirates with whom he played the majority of his career.
Charles Alfred Morton IV is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Braves selected Morton in the third round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. He has also previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay Rays. Morton was a World Series champion in 2017 and 2021 and an All-Star in 2018 and 2019.
David Stefan "Bud" Norris is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Donald Tyrone Veal is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Veal played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, and Atlanta Braves. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2nd round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft and is currently a minor league pitching coach for the White Sox.
Kenley Geronimo Jansen is a Curaçaoan professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.
Joshua William Lindblom is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Milwaukee Brewers and in the KBO League for the Lotte Giants and Doosan Bears.
Gerrit Alan Cole is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. Cole played for the baseball team at Orange Lutheran High School, and was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft. Cole opted not to sign, and instead attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played college baseball for the UCLA Bruins.
Daniel Claiborne Hudson is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hudson was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round of the 2008 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut for the White Sox in 2009, and has also played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres. Hudson was on the mound at the end of Game 7 of the 2019 World Series to clinch the Nationals' first championship in franchise history.
Joseph William Kelly Jr. is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox. He played college baseball for the UC Riverside Highlanders. He has served as both a starter and a reliever. The Cardinals drafted Kelly in the third round of the 2009 MLB draft. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and 190 pounds (86 kg), Kelly throws and bats right-handed.
Christopher Lee Stratton is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Shane Greene is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees selected Greene in the 15th round of the 2009 MLB draft. After Greene made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2014, he was traded to the Tigers before the 2015 season. Greene was an All-Star in 2019.
Caleb Paul Ferguson is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Andre Terrell Jackson is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers.