Dan Miceli
Encyclopedia
Daniel Miceli is former major league baseball
relief pitcher
.
as an amateur free agent
in , but never saw time at the major league level for Kansas City. Instead, he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates
(July 31, 1993) with pitcher
Jon Lieber
in exchange for pitcher Stan Belinda
. Miceli made his major league debut on his birthday, September 9, 1993.
The Pirates tried Miceli as both a starter
and in the bullpen
, but the right-hander found his niche as a reliever, collecting a career high 21 saves in . Unfortunately, Miceli battled a high ERA
in Pittsburgh, a tendency that has followed him throughout his career. The Pirates dealt Miceli to the Detroit Tigers
(November 1, 1996) for pitcher Clint Sodowsky
.
Miceli's stint in the Motor City was short, but productive, recording over 82 innings
all in relief. The oft-traded reliever was moved once again to the San Diego Padres
with fellow pitcher Donne Wall
and minor leaguer Ryan Balfe, for outfielder
Trey Beamon
and reliever Tim Worrell
.
Miceli was an important piece of the Padres National League
Champion team. An ineffective campaign saw Miceli on the move again this time to the Florida Marlins
.
, Cleveland
, New York
, Colorado
(three times), Houston
and even an overseas stay in Japan
as member of the Yomiuri Giants
.
In the season, Miceli became part of the Astros relief corps. That season, Miceli went 6-6 with a respectable 3.59 ERA, and made career highs in games (74) and strikeout
s (83). Miceli also made his second postseason trip that season, coming within a game of another World Series
berth. While he was a significant bullpen contributor during the regular season, he pitched poorly in the postseason. Particularly, in the NLCS he posted a 27.00 ERA in only 1.1 innings pitched and received the losses in 2 crucial games - in other words, "He gave it up," as the saying goes in baseball jargon. In contrast to his solid 2004 season, his performance in Japan was one of the worst in his career, losing 2 consecutive games to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
and Yokohama BayStars
, which were only his first two games, and resulted in being the fastest player to be released in Giants' History in only 4 games.
On January 12, 2006, the journeyman signed on with his eleventh team, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, agreeing to a two-year deal. Part of a closer
by committee system in Tampa, Miceli earned four saves and held opponents to a .217 batting average
. A majority of Miceli's season was lost due to a right shoulder injury. The veteran righty entered the once again as a candidate for the Rays' closer. Poor results during spring training
however cost the well traveled reliever a spot on Tampa Bay's forty-man roster, and on March 29, Miceli was released from the team.
In 631 career games, Miceli had a 43-52 record, with 4.48 ERA. He collected 632 strikeouts, and 310 Base on balls walks in just over 700 innings pitched. Miceli also had 39 career saves, and had two singles
in 22 at-bats.
on a minor league contract with invitation to spring training. He announced his retirement on March 1, 2008.
for the 2009 season.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
.
Early career
Miceli was signed by the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
as an amateur free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in , but never saw time at the major league level for Kansas City. Instead, he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
(July 31, 1993) with pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Jon Lieber
Jon Lieber
Jonathan Ray Lieber is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago Cubs , New York Yankees , Philadelphia Phillies . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
in exchange for pitcher Stan Belinda
Stan Belinda
Stanley Peter Belinda is a former Major League Baseball player. A right-handed relief pitcher who batted from the right side, Belinda is 6'3" tall and weighs 187 pounds. He pitched from a three-quarters arm slot and threw both a regular low-90's fastball and a split-fingered fastball...
. Miceli made his major league debut on his birthday, September 9, 1993.
The Pirates tried Miceli as both a starter
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
and in the bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
, but the right-hander found his niche as a reliever, collecting a career high 21 saves in . Unfortunately, Miceli battled a high ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in Pittsburgh, a tendency that has followed him throughout his career. The Pirates dealt Miceli to the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(November 1, 1996) for pitcher Clint Sodowsky
Clint Sodowsky
Clint Rea Sodowsky is a former Major League Baseball player.Sodowsky, a right-handed pitcher, was originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the ninth round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft, Sodowsky would make his Major League Baseball debut with the Detroit Tigers on September 4, , and...
.
Miceli's stint in the Motor City was short, but productive, recording over 82 innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
all in relief. The oft-traded reliever was moved once again to the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
with fellow pitcher Donne Wall
Donne Wall
Donnell Lee Wall , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues primarily in relief from 1995-2002....
and minor leaguer Ryan Balfe, for outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Trey Beamon
Trey Beamon
Clifford "Trey" Beamon is a former professional baseball player. He spent three seasons in Major League Baseball as a left fielder and right fielder. Beamon bats from the left side, throws with his right hand, and was at one time listed as 6' 3" tall and weighing 210 pounds.-Career summary:After a...
and reliever Tim Worrell
Tim Worrell
Timothy Howard Worrell is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. During his fourteen-year Major League career, Worrell has pitched for nine teams, including the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, San...
.
Miceli was an important piece of the Padres National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
Champion team. An ineffective campaign saw Miceli on the move again this time to the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
.
Frequent Flyer Miles
From through , Miceli's services was sought from contenders and non-contenders alike, as teams attempted to fill vacancies in their bullpen. Miceli made stops in Florida, TexasTexas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, Cleveland
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, New York
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, Colorado
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
(three times), Houston
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
and even an overseas stay in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as member of the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
.
In the season, Miceli became part of the Astros relief corps. That season, Miceli went 6-6 with a respectable 3.59 ERA, and made career highs in games (74) and strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s (83). Miceli also made his second postseason trip that season, coming within a game of another World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
berth. While he was a significant bullpen contributor during the regular season, he pitched poorly in the postseason. Particularly, in the NLCS he posted a 27.00 ERA in only 1.1 innings pitched and received the losses in 2 crucial games - in other words, "He gave it up," as the saying goes in baseball jargon. In contrast to his solid 2004 season, his performance in Japan was one of the worst in his career, losing 2 consecutive games to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. Mazda is the largest single shareholder , which is less than the portion owned by the Matsuda family . Because of that,...
and Yokohama BayStars
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
, which were only his first two games, and resulted in being the fastest player to be released in Giants' History in only 4 games.
On January 12, 2006, the journeyman signed on with his eleventh team, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, agreeing to a two-year deal. Part of a closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
by committee system in Tampa, Miceli earned four saves and held opponents to a .217 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
. A majority of Miceli's season was lost due to a right shoulder injury. The veteran righty entered the once again as a candidate for the Rays' closer. Poor results during spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
however cost the well traveled reliever a spot on Tampa Bay's forty-man roster, and on March 29, Miceli was released from the team.
In 631 career games, Miceli had a 43-52 record, with 4.48 ERA. He collected 632 strikeouts, and 310 Base on balls walks in just over 700 innings pitched. Miceli also had 39 career saves, and had two singles
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
in 22 at-bats.
Boston Red Sox
On January 22, 2008, Miceli signed with the Boston Red SoxBoston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
on a minor league contract with invitation to spring training. He announced his retirement on March 1, 2008.
Long Island Ducks
Despite announcing his retirement, Miceli joined the Long Island DucksLong Island Ducks
The Long Island Ducks is an American professional baseball team based in Central Islip, New York. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
for the 2009 season.