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Scott Feldman (baseball player)
Encyclopedia
Scott Wynne Feldman is a Major League Baseball
right-handed pitcher
for the Texas Rangers
.
After going 25–2 in his first two years of college baseball
, he was drafted in the 30th round by the Rangers in 2003. Feldman had Tommy John surgery
later that year. He followed it up with a minor league career in which he had a 2.70 ERA, and held batters to only 6.6 hits per 9 innings
, pitching almost exclusively in relief
.
After pitching out of the bullpen while bouncing back and forth between Texas and its Triple-A
affiliate in 2005–07, Feldman converted to a starter
in 2008. He established himself in 2009 with a breakout season for the Rangers. He was 17–8, tied for 4th in the American League in wins, and tied the major league record with 12 victories on the road.
As for Feldman's road to the major leagues, "The dream started off like any other kid," Feldman said. "You’d think about it as you were watching games in front of the TV, and you’d think about it playing in the neighborhood park with your friends. You always hope, but you just don’t know if it’s ever going to happen."
His father, Marshall, an FBI agent
who grew up in a Pennsylvania coal mining town and played college baseball at Duquesne
, coached Feldman in youth baseball in North California.
Feldman attended Burlingame High School
in Burlingame, California
, where he pitched a no-hitter
. He was known more for his hitting than his pitching during high school. A left-handed
hitter, Feldman led the Peninsula Athletic League in batting average
as a junior, and nearly matched the feat as a senior. He was also overweight; at one point in high school he was up to 265 pounds.
, and ended up walking on to the team without a college scholarship. There, in two seasons he went 25–2 (his only losses coming in the state "final four"), with a 1.30 ERA
and a strikeout
-to-walk
ratio of 8-to-1. "When Feldman pitched," said Bulldogs coach Doug Williams, "the game was 95% over." He earned Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year honors both as a freshman in 2002 and as a sophomore in 2003, and was also an All American both years. "He has a gift," Williams said.
Picked in the 41st round (the 1,241st pick overall) of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft
by the Houston Astros
, he did not sign. He was then drafted again, in the 30th round (886th overall) of the 2003 Draft
by the Texas Rangers, 13 rounds behind future teammate Ian Kinsler
, and this time he signed with the Rangers after they offered him "6th-round money."
, also known as "Tommy John surgery", in October 2003. It limited him to four appearances in 2004 for the Arizona League Rangers in the Arizona League
, in which he pitched seven scoreless innings.
He began the 2005 season with the Single-A Bakersfield Blaze
, but after nine scoreless innings in relief was quickly promoted to the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders
.
On July 28, Feldman and two teammates combined for a perfect game
, as the RoughRiders defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks
3–0. It was only the third nine-inning perfect game in the Texas League
's 117-year history, and the first combined one. Feldman was tasked with getting the last three outs, and with two outs in the ninth he let the count get to 3–1. "I was just telling myself, 'Don't walk him,'" Feldman said. "Once it got to 3–1, I threw it right down the middle. If they got a hit, they got a hit. But they're not going to break up a perfect game on a walk." The batter grounded out. On July 31, the three pitchers shared the Texas League Pitcher of the Week Award.
With the RoughRiders, he held opposing batters to a .202 batting average in 46 relief appearances, led the team with 14 saves (which tied for fifth-most in the league), and had a 2.36 ERA. For the 2005 season, between the two teams he had a 2.06 ERA and 17 saves in 52 appearances, all in relief. Baseball America
tabbed him as having the best control of all minor league pitchers in the Rangers' organization.
Prior to the 2006 season, MLB.com
beat reporter T.R. Sullivan opined that Feldman was the Rangers' top minor league relief prospect. In 2006, in 23 relief appearances for the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma RedHawks
, he had a 1.98 ERA, and in 2007 in 21 relief appearances for the team he had a 4.50 ERA. Later in 2007, he pitched in the Arizona Fall League
, to work on a new three-quarters delivery.
In 2008, as the Rangers decided to convert Feldman to a starter, he started and won a game for Frisco, taking a perfect game into the fifth and a no-hitter into the seventh ("For my first start, it was a lot of fun," Feldman said). He also started and won the two games that he pitched for Oklahoma.
Overall, through 2008 Feldman had a minor league career ERA of 2.70 in 153.1 innings in 105 games (all but 6 as a reliever), and gave up on average only 6.6 hits per every 9 innings.
He made his major league debut against the Chicago White Sox
on August 31, 2005. In 8 relief appearances with the Rangers, he compiled a record of 0–1, with an ERA of 0.91 in 9.1 innings of work.
in 2006, Feldman was feeling confident that he was going to make the parent club's 25-man roster. A week before opening day
he was called into Manager
Buck Showalter
's office. But instead of telling Feldman he had made the team, for the first 10 minutes Showalter and the team's pitching coach Mark Connor
spoke on and on about how Feldman had had a solid spring training — but needed to work on some things. Feldman could not believe it, but eventually thought, "Holy smoke, I’m going down [to the minors]." Suddenly, unable to continue the prank any longer, Showalter burst out laughing. "Pack your bags rookie, you’re coming with us!" he said.
During the regular season, Feldman bounced back and forth between the Rangers and Oklahoma.
The national spotlight shone briefly on Feldman on August 16, 2006, when he sparked a bench-clearing brawl
in the ninth inning of a game between the Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
. Tensions between the two division rivals were already high, as two Rangers starting pitchers — Adam Eaton
and Vicente Padilla
— had been ejected in previous games that month for throwing at Angels batters, along with Texas manager Buck Showalter. Prior to Feldman taking the mound, on a night with a game-time temperature of 101 degrees, two Angels pitchers (Kevin Gregg
and Brendan Donnelly
) had already been thrown out of the game for hitting Rangers batters, and Angels' manager Mike Scioscia
and acting manager/bench coach Ron Roenicke had been ejected as well.
Feldman hit
Angels second baseman
Adam Kennedy
in the buttocks with a fastball with only one out remaining in the game, and the Rangers up 9–3. Kennedy charged the mound
, as the 6' 5" Feldman stood atop it and threw down his glove. When Kennedy reached him, triggering a fight between Feldman and the light-hitting 6' 1" Kennedy, Feldman hit Kennedy in the armpit with a punch. An announcer describing the fight said, '[Feldman] even punches like he throws — sidearm and under-hand.'" "I didn't charge him," Feldman said in his defense. "I couldn't just stand there." Feldman was suspended for six games. As to others' reactions, Feldman said: "Everybody is telling me to take boxing lessons."
In 36 relief appearances in 2006, he had an ERA of 3.92. In games that were late and close, Feldman did not give up any hits while facing 16 batters.
Feldman was in the Rangers' 2007 spring training camp, and won the final spot in the Texas bullpen. He picked up his first Major League victory on April 11 in his 47th big-league appearance. "I'll always remember it, no doubt about it," Feldman said.
He was sent down, however, on May 1. That began a trend, as he was called up and send down five more times during the season.
He made some changes in his delivery in September. Instead of throwing sidearm, he raised his arm angle and threw from a three-quarters delivery, which pitching coach Mark Connor
observed gave him more sink on his fastball and downward movement on his breaking ball. "This has a chance to be pretty good," Connor said. "He was busting his fastball 94–95, the ball was sinking, and his four-seamer was cutting."
He was 1–2 for the season, with a 5.77 ERA in 29 games. He held the first batter he faced in each game to a .160 batting average, and his "ground ball:fly ball ratio" of 1.39 was the highest on the team.
In late March, he was one of three pitchers vying for one long relief
spot on the team, though the Rangers also began experimenting with converting him to be a starter. General Manager Jon Daniels
observed: "Toward the end of spring training something clicked with his new [three-quarter] arm slot." On March 22, despite Feldman's success with his new, higher arm angle, the Rangers optioned him to Oklahoma, where he was a starter. In April he bounced back and forth between Texas and Frisco.
In his first Major League start, on April 13, he allowed three runs in six innings and did not receive a decision. "Feldman was outstanding," manager Washington said. "He hung in there and battled." Feldman recorded his first major league hit
on June 13 against Óliver Pérez
of the New York Mets
.
On August 13, against the Boston Red Sox
, he allowed a franchise-record 10 runs in the first inning. He also became the first major league pitcher in 90 years to give up at least 12 runs in a game and not take the loss (the prior one being Gene Packard
of the St. Louis Cardinals on August 3, 1918).
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com wrote towards the end of the season: "He's going to win the bronze medal for innings pitched on the Rangers this season.... He has exceeded all expectations, and his lack of history as a starter makes it difficult to figure where this great experiment is headed." General Manager Daniels noted: "Feldman has really saved our pen
this year, and he wasn't a guy we were counting on in the beginning of the season." The Rangers kept trying to shut him down in the season's final month to limit his innings, but never did because other Texas pitchers kept getting hurt.
For the season, he was 6–8 in 25 starts and 3 relief appearances, over 151.1 innings — just two innings fewer than he had pitched in his entire minor league career. He also led the Rangers' pitching staff in quality start
s (13), quality start percentage (52%), strikes looking (29%), "grounded into double plays" (24), and "grounded into double play rate" (21%). His 13 unearned runs tied for the third-highest total in the AL.
During the off-season, club president Nolan Ryan
emphasized conditioning for the Rangers pitchers. Feldman and nine other of the team's top young pitchers were brought to Arlington in November for a week-long conditioning camp. "It's different," Feldman said. "In the past, it was a little more of 'this is what you need to do, now go out and do it.' Most guys would do it, but this is their way of overseeing it and making sure everybody is ready."
would start for Texas. "Feldman makes us a better team in the bullpen," explained Washington. "He goes down there with better stuff than he had before." Feldman, for his part, admitted to being disappointed about his move from the rotation to the pen.
Within a month Benson was injured, however, and Feldman took his place in the rotation on April 25. "I'm excited," said Feldman. "I love starting." He pitched well using a new full windmill windup
, rather than the compact delivery he had used before, and remained in the rotation thereafter. In early May, Washington noted: "He has real life on his fastball, his slider is harder than it has been, his breaking ball is much crisper, and he's getting a good feel for his changeup. He's got four pitches he can throw over the plate."
Feldman began the 2009 season 5–0. He sported better mechanics and a different repertoire (a new and improved cut fastball), threw 1–2 mph harder, and kept the ball down — forcing more ground balls. "Scott Feldman has been great since we put him in the starting rotation," said Manager Washington. "He always does what you need him to do, keep you in the ballgame."
At the All Star break, despite not having moved into the starting rotation until nearly a month into the season, Feldman was 8–2, led the AL in won-lost percentage (.800), and was 9th in hits per nine innings (7.75) and walks + hits per inning pitched
(1.18). On July 20, Nolan Ryan opined that, taking into consideration Feldman's age and the fact that he had changed his arm angle only two years prior, "he's going to get better."
On July 25, Feldman outpitched Kansas City All Star and AL ERA leader Zack Greinke
with eight innings of four-hit, shutout ball, leading the Rangers to a 2–0 victory. "Feldman matched the best pitcher in baseball," Washington said. "I’m so happy for him. Two pitchers went at it pretty good, and our's won the battle." The eight innings were Feldman’s major-league high, as he mixed in a changeup, curveball, and slider with his fastball.
As of the end of July, opposing batters were hitting .228 against Feldman (and only .217 in his starts), the fourth-lowest batting average in the league — the only three pitchers who kept opposing batters to lower batting averages were Edwin Jackson
(.216), Matt Garza
(.222), and Jarrod Washburn
(.224). In his starts through the end of July he had a 3.04 ERA, and 12 of his 17 starts were quality starts.
After he beat the Mariners
on short (three days') rest at the beginning of August for the team lead in wins, Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu
said: "I thought Feldman was awfully tough. I have seen this kid, and he gets better every year. I think you have to tip your hat."
As of mid-August, Feldman had the most effective cut fastball in all of baseball in 2009 — more effective even than those of Mariano Rivera
and Roy Halladay
. And it was the third-most-effective pitch in the major leagues, behind only Tim Lincecum
’s change-up and Clayton Kershaw
’s fastball. While in 2008 he used his cutter 13.4% of the time, in 2009 he was throwing it 30.4% of the time. The only starting pitchers who were throwing cutters more often were Brian Bannister
, Doug Davis, and Halladay.
The press began to take notice. On August 14 Matthew Berry
of ESPN
noted that: "since April 25, when Scott Feldman ... rejoined the Rangers' rotation, only Justin Verlander
has more wins than Feldman's 12." And two days later, Phil Rogers wrote for The Chicago Tribune: "Scott Feldman is creeping into consideration for the bottom of Cy Young
ballots."
On August 23, Feldman threw 7 shutout innings in a victory over the Tampa Bay Rays
, allowing only four hits, to improve to 13–4 on the season. The win put the Rangers two games up on the Rays in the AL wild card
standings, and one game behind the Red Sox. His 13th win tied him for third in the AL, only 1 victory behind league-leaders Josh Beckett
and CC Sabathia. It was Feldman's 9th road win of the season (bringing him to 9–1 on the road), tying him with Sabathia for best in the AL. His career-high 11 strikeouts were the most by a Ranger since Matt Perisho
struck out 12 in 1999 (see video of parts of Feldman's 11 strikouts). Commenting on Feldman's last strikeout, Carlos Peña
said: "I was on second base, and I saw a pitch that he made to B. J. [Upton
], and I was like, 'Wow.' I thought to myself, 'That's unhittable right there.'" Rays manager Joe Maddon
called Feldman's performance "the best-pitched game against us all year", despite the fact that his team had been the victim of a perfect game
by Mark Buehrle
earlier in the season.
On August 29, he again held the opposition scoreless, this time the Twins for 5.2 innings in a 3–0 victory. "His ball was definitely moving all over the place, with a great breaking ball," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire
said. "He throws a nasty cutter, and the ball sinks. He was tough on us." It was good for his 14th win of the season (tied for second in the AL behind Sabathia), raising his record to 14–4. His cutter was more dominant than any other thrown over a single season since Baseball Info Solutions first began collecting cutter data in 2004.
On September 4, he extended his scoreless streak to 18.1 innings before giving up a run to the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth inning at Camden Yards; that was the only run he gave up over 6.2 innings in a 5–1 win, to bring his record to 15–4. It was also his 11th road victory (matching the club record held by Rick Helling
(1998) and Padilla (2008)), and he matched the club record set by Bobby Witt
(1990) with his 7th consecutive road win of the season. Evan Grant, writing for D Magazine
, asked rhetorically: "At some point, RHP Scott Feldman is going to have to enter the Cy Young Award conversation, isn’t he?"
On September 9, Feldman threw 7 innings of shutout ball against the Cleveland Indians
, leading Texas to a 10–0 win. He struck out 5, while giving up 5 singles, raising his record to 16–4, and tying Sabathia and Verlander for the AL lead in victories. He became the first Rangers pitcher to win 16 games since Kevin Millwood
in 2006. It was his seventh win in a row, eighth straight road victory (a new Texas record), and 12th road win overall in 2009 (another new club record, and tops in the AL). "I'm not doing anything different on the road than I am at home," said Feldman, who had allowed only one run in the last 26.1 innings. "The preparation is the same. I think it's a pretty humbling game, so you can't get too high or too low." He became the first Rangers right-hander to allow just one run over four consecutive starts. Outfielder Marlon Byrd
said: "When you have your ace on the mound, you expect to win. You get a couple of runs early, and you feel you have a 'W' in hand. He has been unbelievable this year when he steps on the mound.... He just keeps getting better."
The Boston Herald reported: "Scott Feldman started the season in the bullpen. He'll end it as a Cy Young award candidate." Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune
referred to him as " an under-the-radar Cy Young candidate." And Jennifer Floyd Engel of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote: "Is there a more likable "stud player" on any of the locals than Scott Feldman? Dude is amazing, wins freakishly a lot on the road, is Boy Scout-ishly dependable, has been an ace on what is really a pretty good staff, and is humble as hell. He’s certainly deserving to be in Cy Young conversations." Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald
also referred to him as a Cy Young Award candidate.
As of September 10, he was leading the AL in won-lost percentage (.800), tied with Sabathia and Verlander for the league lead in wins (16), had the 3rd-lowest "slugging percentage against" (.359; behind Felix Hernandez
and Greinke), was tied for 4th in double plays induced (20), and had the 7th-lowest "OPS
-against" (.670). Feldman was holding lefties to a .220 batting average, and as a starter he had kept batters to the 2nd-lowest batting-average-against on balls that they had put in play (.261) among AL starters (behind only Washburn), had the 4th-best ERA in the league (3.10; behind Greinke, Hernandez, and Halladay), was tied for the 4th-lowest batting-average-against (.236), had stranded the 5th-highest percentage of runners (78.3%), and had the 5th-highest ground ball/fly ball ratio (1.48). He had the most effective cutter of all major league starters, and had thrown it 33% of the time (behind only Brian Bannister (52%) and Halladay (42%) among AL starters). Feldman had also pitched at least five innings in all but one of his 26 starts in 2009. As of mid-September, Feldman's cutter was still the third-most-effective pitch in the major leagues, behind only Tim Lincecum’s changeup and Randy Wolf
’s fastball.
For the season, Feldman was 17–8 with a 4.08 ERA in 34 games, 31 of them starts. Despite not having become a starter until the end of April, he tied for 4th in the American League in wins, and only four pitchers in the majors had more victories. His club-record 12 victories on the road tied the major league record. Feldman became the third player in Rangers history to win at least 17 games in 31 starts or fewer, joining Kenny Rogers (17 wins in 31 starts in 1995) and Ferguson Jenkins
(18 wins in 30 starts in 1978).
He was named the Texas Rangers' Pitcher of the Year for 2009 by the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America
.
On March 27, manager Ron Washington announced that Feldman would be the opening day starter for the Rangers. On April 2, the Rangers signed Feldman to a two-year, $11.5 million extension through the 2012 season, with a $9.25 million option for 2013.
Feldman was 7–11 for the season, as he started 22 games and pitched 7 games out of the bullpen.
performed on his right knee during the off-season. To rehab, he made two appearances for the Double-A Frisco Roughriders
and eight appearances for the Triple-A Round Rock Express
. On July 8, he was transferred from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. He was outrighted to the minors on July 13.
However, on July 14, after he cleared waivers, Feldman rejected the assignment giving the Rangers the option of activating him from the disabled list or releasing him. They opted to activate him off the disabled list, which re-added him to the 40-man roster.
In 2011, Feldman was 2–1 with a 3.94 ERA for Texas in 11 games, 2 of which were starts. In 32 innings he gave up 25 hits, while walking 10 and striking out 22. He limited left-handed hitters to a .155 batting average.
Brought in in the first game of the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Rays, he pitched 3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits while striking out four. In Game 2 of the ALCS he pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, allowing the Detroit Tigers only one hit and no walks. He became the third pitcher in 20 years to throw at least 4 scoreless innings of relief in his team's post-season victory. He pitched another scoreless inning in Game 4, and through the first two rounds of the post-season his playoff record was 8.2 innings pitched with 9 strikeouts, 3 hits, and 0 walks.
In the first game of the World Series, he pitched another 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball to extend his post-season record to 10.1 scoreless innings pitched. Only eight relief pitchers had pitched more scoreless innings in a postseason, with Goose Gossage
holding the record (14.1 in 1981). His post-season record in 2011 was 10.1 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts, 4 hits, and 0 walks.
, a low-to-mid-90s fastball
, a hard slider
with extreme downward movement, a curve
, a changeup
, and a 90-mph cut fastball.
Since September 2007, when he raised his arm angle from sidearm
to three-quarters, his sinker has had more bite, and he has also developed his cut fastball. Both pitches come in on the same level and at the same speed, but they have late break in different directions — the cutter goes in on lefties, while the sinker drops down and away on them. In August 2009 a scout described him has having three "above-average pitches," and a "filthy" cutter.
As of March 2007, Feldman was one of 13 Jewish baseball players in the major leagues, along with teammate Ian Kinsler
. He was featured in the edition of Jewish Major Leaguers Baseball Cards, licensed by Major League Baseball, commemorating the Jewish major leaguers from 1871 through 2008. He joined, among others, Kinsler, Brad Ausmus
, Kevin Youkilis
, Ryan Braun
, Gabe Kapler
, Jason Marquis
, John Grabow
, Craig Breslow
, Scott Schoeneweis
, and Jason Hirsh
. In 2009, Feldman was named the Jewish Major Leaguers Pitcher of the Year, in a year in which he had more wins than any other Jewish pitcher since Steve Stone in 1980.
Feldman was also in 2007 one of 32 players born in Hawaii to have made it to the majors.
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...
right-handed 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...
for the Texas Rangers
Texas 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...
.
After going 25–2 in his first two years of college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
, he was drafted in the 30th round by the Rangers in 2003. Feldman had Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
later that year. He followed it up with a minor league career in which he had a 2.70 ERA, and held batters to only 6.6 hits per 9 innings
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
, pitching almost exclusively in relief
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...
.
After pitching out of the bullpen while bouncing back and forth between Texas and its Triple-A
AAA (baseball)
Triple-A refers to the highest level of play in minor league baseball in the United States and Mexico.-Purpose:Triple-A teams' main purpose is to prepare players for the Major Leagues:...
affiliate in 2005–07, Feldman converted to 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....
in 2008. He established himself in 2009 with a breakout season for the Rangers. He was 17–8, tied for 4th in the American League in wins, and tied the major league record with 12 victories on the road.
Early life and high school
The 6' 5" Feldman was big from an early age. His father recalled with a chuckle: "His second-grade teacher made a comment to my wife that it was like 'Alice in Wonderland,' because Scott was always too big for his seat."As for Feldman's road to the major leagues, "The dream started off like any other kid," Feldman said. "You’d think about it as you were watching games in front of the TV, and you’d think about it playing in the neighborhood park with your friends. You always hope, but you just don’t know if it’s ever going to happen."
His father, Marshall, an FBI agent
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
who grew up in a Pennsylvania coal mining town and played college baseball at Duquesne
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
, coached Feldman in youth baseball in North California.
Feldman attended Burlingame High School
Burlingame High School
Burlingame High School is a public high school in Burlingame, California. It is part of the San Mateo Union High School District .-History:...
in Burlingame, California
Burlingame, California
Burlingame is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame. It is renowned for its many surviving examples of Victorian architecture, its affluence, and...
, where he pitched a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
. He was known more for his hitting than his pitching during high school. A left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
hitter, Feldman led the Peninsula Athletic League in 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 :...
as a junior, and nearly matched the feat as a senior. He was also overweight; at one point in high school he was up to 265 pounds.
College
He lost 40 pounds before the start of his freshman year at the College of San MateoCollege of San Mateo
College of San Mateo is a community college in San Mateo, California. It is part of the San Mateo County Community College District....
, and ended up walking on to the team without a college scholarship. There, in two seasons he went 25–2 (his only losses coming in the state "final four"), with a 1.30 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...
and a 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....
-to-walk
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
ratio of 8-to-1. "When Feldman pitched," said Bulldogs coach Doug Williams, "the game was 95% over." He earned Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year honors both as a freshman in 2002 and as a sophomore in 2003, and was also an All American both years. "He has a gift," Williams said.
Picked in the 41st round (the 1,241st pick overall) of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft
2002 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5.This year's draft is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book Moneyball.-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Compensation Selections:...
by the Houston Astros
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...
, he did not sign. He was then drafted again, in the 30th round (886th overall) of the 2003 Draft
2003 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2003 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 3 and 4. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.Source: -First round selections:...
by the Texas Rangers, 13 rounds behind future teammate Ian Kinsler
Ian Kinsler
Ian Michael Kinsler is a Major League Baseball All-Star second baseman for the Texas Rangers.Despite having been drafted in only the 17th round out of college, Kinsler has risen to become a two-time All Star, and a member of the Sporting News 2009 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball...
, and this time he signed with the Rangers after they offered him "6th-round money."
Minor leagues
Feldman underwent reconstructive elbow surgery for a torn ulnar collateral ligamentUlnar collateral ligament (elbow)
The ulnar collateral ligament is a thick triangular band consisting of two portions, an anterior and posterior united by a thinner intermediate portion....
, also known as "Tommy John surgery", in October 2003. It limited him to four appearances in 2004 for the Arizona League Rangers in the Arizona League
Arizona League
The Arizona League is a minor league baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona. It is a rookie-level professional baseball league run by Major League Baseball since 1989. Games are played at the spring training complexes of the team's parent organizations from mid-June until the...
, in which he pitched seven scoreless innings.
He began the 2005 season with the Single-A Bakersfield Blaze
Bakersfield Blaze
The Bakersfield Blaze are a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California, USA. They are a Class A – Advanced team in the California League and are a farm team of the Cincinnati Reds. The Bakersfield Blaze play their home games at Historic Sam Lynn Ballpark...
, but after nine scoreless innings in relief was quickly promoted to the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders
Frisco RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are currently the Class AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers major league baseball club. The team plays in the Texas League, assigned to the South Division. Prior to 2003, the franchise was based in Shreveport, Louisiana, and were known as the Shreveport Captains...
.
On July 28, Feldman and two teammates combined for a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
, as the RoughRiders defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks
Corpus Christi Hooks
The Corpus Christi Hooks are a minor league baseball team of the Texas League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team's ownership group is headed by Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan...
3–0. It was only the third nine-inning perfect game in the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
's 117-year history, and the first combined one. Feldman was tasked with getting the last three outs, and with two outs in the ninth he let the count get to 3–1. "I was just telling myself, 'Don't walk him,'" Feldman said. "Once it got to 3–1, I threw it right down the middle. If they got a hit, they got a hit. But they're not going to break up a perfect game on a walk." The batter grounded out. On July 31, the three pitchers shared the Texas League Pitcher of the Week Award.
With the RoughRiders, he held opposing batters to a .202 batting average in 46 relief appearances, led the team with 14 saves (which tied for fifth-most in the league), and had a 2.36 ERA. For the 2005 season, between the two teams he had a 2.06 ERA and 17 saves in 52 appearances, all in relief. Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
tabbed him as having the best control of all minor league pitchers in the Rangers' organization.
Prior to the 2006 season, MLB.com
MLB.com
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. . MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports columns...
beat reporter T.R. Sullivan opined that Feldman was the Rangers' top minor league relief prospect. In 2006, in 23 relief appearances for the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma RedHawks
Oklahoma RedHawks
The Oklahoma City RedHawks are a minor league baseball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros...
, he had a 1.98 ERA, and in 2007 in 21 relief appearances for the team he had a 4.50 ERA. Later in 2007, he pitched in the Arizona Fall League
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League is an off-season league owned and operated by Major League Baseball which operates during the fall in Arizona, United States at five spring training complexes...
, to work on a new three-quarters delivery.
In 2008, as the Rangers decided to convert Feldman to a starter, he started and won a game for Frisco, taking a perfect game into the fifth and a no-hitter into the seventh ("For my first start, it was a lot of fun," Feldman said). He also started and won the two games that he pitched for Oklahoma.
Overall, through 2008 Feldman had a minor league career ERA of 2.70 in 153.1 innings in 105 games (all but 6 as a reliever), and gave up on average only 6.6 hits per every 9 innings.
2005: Breaking in
Feldman was a late-season call-up in 2005. The first time he walked into the Rangers’ locker room was with a sense of awe: "The night before, I didn’t sleep a minute. I didn’t know what to expect, but when I walked in, I saw a lot of the guys I had seen on TV all these years, and was like, 'Holy cow, I’m in the big leagues.'"He made his major league debut against the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
on August 31, 2005. In 8 relief appearances with the Rangers, he compiled a record of 0–1, with an ERA of 0.91 in 9.1 innings of work.
2006: Brawl
Towards the end of the spring trainingSpring 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...
in 2006, Feldman was feeling confident that he was going to make the parent club's 25-man roster. A week before opening day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...
he was called into Manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Buck Showalter
Buck Showalter
William Nathaniel "Buck" Showalter III is an American Major League Baseball manager for the Baltimore Orioles. He has previously served in a similar capacity with the New York Yankees , Arizona Diamondbacks , and Texas Rangers...
's office. But instead of telling Feldman he had made the team, for the first 10 minutes Showalter and the team's pitching coach Mark Connor
Mark Connor
Mark Peter Connor is a former pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. Before his coaching career, he was a minor league pitcher from 1971 through 1972 who batted and threw right-handed....
spoke on and on about how Feldman had had a solid spring training — but needed to work on some things. Feldman could not believe it, but eventually thought, "Holy smoke, I’m going down [to the minors]." Suddenly, unable to continue the prank any longer, Showalter burst out laughing. "Pack your bags rookie, you’re coming with us!" he said.
During the regular season, Feldman bounced back and forth between the Rangers and Oklahoma.
The national spotlight shone briefly on Feldman on August 16, 2006, when he sparked a bench-clearing brawl
Bench-clearing brawl
A bench-clearing brawl, sometimes known as a basebrawl or a rhubarb, is a form of ritualistic fighting that occurs in sports, most notably baseball and ice hockey, in which every player on both teams leave their dugouts, bullpens, or benches and charge the playing area in order to fight one...
in the ninth inning of a game between the Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
. Tensions between the two division rivals were already high, as two Rangers starting pitchers — Adam Eaton
Adam Eaton
Adam Thomas Eaton is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-High school:Eaton graduated from Snohomish High School in 1996 where he went 8–0 with a 0.67 earned run average as a senior, and earned second team High School All-America honors from Baseball America. Ranked the No...
and Vicente Padilla
Vicente Padilla
Vicente de la Cruz Padilla is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who is a free agent. Padilla previously pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers...
— had been ejected in previous games that month for throwing at Angels batters, along with Texas manager Buck Showalter. Prior to Feldman taking the mound, on a night with a game-time temperature of 101 degrees, two Angels pitchers (Kevin Gregg
Kevin Gregg
Kevin Marschall Gregg is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles.-High school career:...
and Brendan Donnelly
Brendan Donnelly
Brendan Kevin Donnelly is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He bats and throws right-handed.-Career:Donnelly was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 27th round of the 1992 amateur draft...
) had already been thrown out of the game for hitting Rangers batters, and Angels' manager Mike Scioscia
Mike Scioscia
Michael Lorri Scioscia is a former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He has worked in that capacity since the 2000 season, and is the longest-tenured manager in Major League Baseball....
and acting manager/bench coach Ron Roenicke had been ejected as well.
Feldman hit
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
Angels second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Adam Kennedy
Adam Kennedy
Adam Thomas Kennedy is an American Major League Baseball second baseman who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners and had two stints with the St. Louis Cardinals.-Early years:Kennedy...
in the buttocks with a fastball with only one out remaining in the game, and the Rangers up 9–3. Kennedy charged the mound
Charging the mound
In baseball, charging the mound is when a batter assaults the pitcher, usually the result of being hit by a pitch or nearly being hit by a pitch. The first incidence of a professional charging of the mound has not been identified but the practice certainly dates back to the game's early days...
, as the 6' 5" Feldman stood atop it and threw down his glove. When Kennedy reached him, triggering a fight between Feldman and the light-hitting 6' 1" Kennedy, Feldman hit Kennedy in the armpit with a punch. An announcer describing the fight said, '[Feldman] even punches like he throws — sidearm and under-hand.'" "I didn't charge him," Feldman said in his defense. "I couldn't just stand there." Feldman was suspended for six games. As to others' reactions, Feldman said: "Everybody is telling me to take boxing lessons."
In 36 relief appearances in 2006, he had an ERA of 3.92. In games that were late and close, Feldman did not give up any hits while facing 16 batters.
2007: First win
He was sent down, however, on May 1. That began a trend, as he was called up and send down five more times during the season.
He made some changes in his delivery in September. Instead of throwing sidearm, he raised his arm angle and threw from a three-quarters delivery, which pitching coach Mark Connor
Mark Connor
Mark Peter Connor is a former pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. Before his coaching career, he was a minor league pitcher from 1971 through 1972 who batted and threw right-handed....
observed gave him more sink on his fastball and downward movement on his breaking ball. "This has a chance to be pretty good," Connor said. "He was busting his fastball 94–95, the ball was sinking, and his four-seamer was cutting."
He was 1–2 for the season, with a 5.77 ERA in 29 games. He held the first batter he faced in each game to a .160 batting average, and his "ground ball:fly ball ratio" of 1.39 was the highest on the team.
2008: Conversion to starter
In spring training in 2008, Feldman changed his release point, and used the three-quarter delivery that he had begun to use late in 2007. Manager Ron Washington noted: "It makes his ball heavier, and his movement a little more pronounced."In late March, he was one of three pitchers vying for one long relief
Long reliever
A Long reliever is a type of relief pitcher in baseball.Long relievers traditionally enter early in a game when the starting pitcher cannot continue, whether due to ineffective pitching, lack of endurance, rain delays, injury, or ejection...
spot on the team, though the Rangers also began experimenting with converting him to be a starter. General Manager Jon Daniels
Jon Daniels
Jon Daniels is the current General Manager of the Texas Rangers, a Major League Baseball. When hired, at age 28, he was the youngest GM in Major League Baseball history. And as of 2011 was still the youngest GM.-Biography:...
observed: "Toward the end of spring training something clicked with his new [three-quarter] arm slot." On March 22, despite Feldman's success with his new, higher arm angle, the Rangers optioned him to Oklahoma, where he was a starter. In April he bounced back and forth between Texas and Frisco.
In his first Major League start, on April 13, he allowed three runs in six innings and did not receive a decision. "Feldman was outstanding," manager Washington said. "He hung in there and battled." Feldman recorded his first major league hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
on June 13 against Óliver Pérez
Oliver Pérez
Óliver Pérez Martínez is a left-handed pitcher currently in the Washington Nationals organization.-San Diego Padres:...
of the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
.
On August 13, against the Boston Red Sox
Boston 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"...
, he allowed a franchise-record 10 runs in the first inning. He also became the first major league pitcher in 90 years to give up at least 12 runs in a game and not take the loss (the prior one being Gene Packard
Gene Packard
Eugene Milo Packard , was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1912–19. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Packers, St...
of the St. Louis Cardinals on August 3, 1918).
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com wrote towards the end of the season: "He's going to win the bronze medal for innings pitched on the Rangers this season.... He has exceeded all expectations, and his lack of history as a starter makes it difficult to figure where this great experiment is headed." General Manager Daniels noted: "Feldman has really saved our pen
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"...
this year, and he wasn't a guy we were counting on in the beginning of the season." The Rangers kept trying to shut him down in the season's final month to limit his innings, but never did because other Texas pitchers kept getting hurt.
For the season, he was 6–8 in 25 starts and 3 relief appearances, over 151.1 innings — just two innings fewer than he had pitched in his entire minor league career. He also led the Rangers' pitching staff in quality start
Quality start
In baseball, a quality start is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs....
s (13), quality start percentage (52%), strikes looking (29%), "grounded into double plays" (24), and "grounded into double play rate" (21%). His 13 unearned runs tied for the third-highest total in the AL.
During the off-season, club president Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
emphasized conditioning for the Rangers pitchers. Feldman and nine other of the team's top young pitchers were brought to Arlington in November for a week-long conditioning camp. "It's different," Feldman said. "In the past, it was a little more of 'this is what you need to do, now go out and do it.' Most guys would do it, but this is their way of overseeing it and making sure everybody is ready."
2009: Breakout season
As the Rangers' middle relief became a concern during spring training, it was decided that Feldman would begin 2009 as a reliever, and Kris BensonKris Benson
Kristin James Benson is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher. Benson pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates from to , New York Mets from to , Baltimore Orioles in to , Texas Rangers in , and Arizona Diamondbacks in ....
would start for Texas. "Feldman makes us a better team in the bullpen," explained Washington. "He goes down there with better stuff than he had before." Feldman, for his part, admitted to being disappointed about his move from the rotation to the pen.
Within a month Benson was injured, however, and Feldman took his place in the rotation on April 25. "I'm excited," said Feldman. "I love starting." He pitched well using a new full windmill windup
Pitching position
In baseball, there are two legal pitching positions: the windup, and the set. Each type of pitching position has its strengths and weaknesses. Compared to the set, the windup takes a relatively slower execution, so therefore is better suited for situations in which there are no baserunners, or when...
, rather than the compact delivery he had used before, and remained in the rotation thereafter. In early May, Washington noted: "He has real life on his fastball, his slider is harder than it has been, his breaking ball is much crisper, and he's getting a good feel for his changeup. He's got four pitches he can throw over the plate."
Feldman began the 2009 season 5–0. He sported better mechanics and a different repertoire (a new and improved cut fastball), threw 1–2 mph harder, and kept the ball down — forcing more ground balls. "Scott Feldman has been great since we put him in the starting rotation," said Manager Washington. "He always does what you need him to do, keep you in the ballgame."
At the All Star break, despite not having moved into the starting rotation until nearly a month into the season, Feldman was 8–2, led the AL in won-lost percentage (.800), and was 9th in hits per nine innings (7.75) and walks + hits per inning pitched
Walks plus hits per inning pitched
In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. It is a measure of a pitcher's ability to prevent batters from reaching base...
(1.18). On July 20, Nolan Ryan opined that, taking into consideration Feldman's age and the fact that he had changed his arm angle only two years prior, "he's going to get better."
On July 25, Feldman outpitched Kansas City All Star and AL ERA leader Zack Greinke
Zack Greinke
Donald Zackary "Zack" Greinke is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. Greinke won the American League Cy Young Award in 2009 with the Kansas City Royals.-High school & minor leagues:Greinke was born in Orlando, Florida...
with eight innings of four-hit, shutout ball, leading the Rangers to a 2–0 victory. "Feldman matched the best pitcher in baseball," Washington said. "I’m so happy for him. Two pitchers went at it pretty good, and our's won the battle." The eight innings were Feldman’s major-league high, as he mixed in a changeup, curveball, and slider with his fastball.
As of the end of July, opposing batters were hitting .228 against Feldman (and only .217 in his starts), the fourth-lowest batting average in the league — the only three pitchers who kept opposing batters to lower batting averages were Edwin Jackson
Edwin Jackson
Edwin Jackson is an American professional baseball pitcher.-Early life:Jackson's father, Edwin Jackson, Sr., a military cook, was stationed in Germany at the time of his birth. Jackson is one of 27 major league players who were born in Germany...
(.216), Matt Garza
Matt Garza
Matthew Scott Garza is a United States professional baseball pitcher with the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.-Amateur career:He attended Washington Union High School and Fresno State.-Minnesota Twins:...
(.222), and Jarrod Washburn
Jarrod Washburn
Jarrod Michael Washburn is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and currently resides in his hometown of Webster, Wisconsin.-High school / college:...
(.224). In his starts through the end of July he had a 3.04 ERA, and 12 of his 17 starts were quality starts.
After he beat the Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
on short (three days') rest at the beginning of August for the team lead in wins, Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu
Don Wakamatsu
Wilbur Donald "Don" Wakamatsu is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager. He was the manager of the Seattle Mariners for the season, as well as the majority of the season...
said: "I thought Feldman was awfully tough. I have seen this kid, and he gets better every year. I think you have to tip your hat."
As of mid-August, Feldman had the most effective cut fastball in all of baseball in 2009 — more effective even than those of Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian right-handed baseball pitcher who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera has served as a relief pitcher for most of his career, and since 1997, he has been the Yankees' closer...
and Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies...
. And it was the third-most-effective pitch in the major leagues, behind only Tim Lincecum
Tim Lincecum
Timothy Leroy Lincecum is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "The Freak" and "Big Time Timmy Jim" and "The Franchise." He throws right-handed and bats left-handed....
’s change-up and Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Edward Kershaw is a left-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball.In 2011, Kershaw won the Pitching Triple Crown and the National League Cy Young Award, becoming the youngest pitcher to accomplish either of these feats since Dwight Gooden in 1985...
’s fastball. While in 2008 he used his cutter 13.4% of the time, in 2009 he was throwing it 30.4% of the time. The only starting pitchers who were throwing cutters more often were Brian Bannister
Brian Bannister
Brian Patrick Bannister is a former baseball starting pitcher who most recently pitched for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball.-Personal:...
, Doug Davis, and Halladay.
The press began to take notice. On August 14 Matthew Berry
Matthew Berry
Matthew Berry is an ESPN fantasy sports analyst and ESPN.com columnist. He writes under the nickname "the Talented Mr. Roto," or "TMR". Berry currently works as ESPN's senior director of fantasy sports.-Hollywood writer:...
of ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
noted that: "since April 25, when Scott Feldman ... rejoined the Rangers' rotation, only Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball....
has more wins than Feldman's 12." And two days later, Phil Rogers wrote for The Chicago Tribune: "Scott Feldman is creeping into consideration for the bottom of Cy Young
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
ballots."
On August 23, Feldman threw 7 shutout innings in a victory over the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
, allowing only four hits, to improve to 13–4 on the season. The win put the Rangers two games up on the Rays in the AL wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
standings, and one game behind the Red Sox. His 13th win tied him for third in the AL, only 1 victory behind league-leaders Josh Beckett
Josh Beckett
Joshua Patrick Beckett is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. During his career in the playoffs, he won the 2003 World Series MVP Award with the Florida Marlins, and received the 2007 ALCS MVP award with the Red Sox.-Florida Marlins :A...
and CC Sabathia. It was Feldman's 9th road win of the season (bringing him to 9–1 on the road), tying him with Sabathia for best in the AL. His career-high 11 strikeouts were the most by a Ranger since Matt Perisho
Matt Perisho
Matthew Alan Perisho is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who currently plays for the Brother Elephants of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League . He bats and throws left-handed....
struck out 12 in 1999 (see video of parts of Feldman's 11 strikouts). Commenting on Feldman's last strikeout, Carlos Peña
Carlos Peña
Carlos Felipe Peña is a Dominican professional baseball left-handed first baseman. He played previously with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.Although he was born in Santo Domingo and his family is from San Francisco de Macorís,...
said: "I was on second base, and I saw a pitch that he made to B. J. [Upton
B. J. Upton
Melvin Emmanuel "B. J." Upton is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays. Upton is a graduate of Greenbrier Christian Academy....
], and I was like, 'Wow.' I thought to myself, 'That's unhittable right there.'" Rays manager Joe Maddon
Joe Maddon
Joseph John Maddon is the Major League Baseball manager for the Tampa Bay Rays.He previously served as interim manager of the Anaheim Angels in both 1996 and 1999. He was also a long-time bench coach for the team.-Early life and career:Maddon attended Lafayette College, where he played baseball...
called Feldman's performance "the best-pitched game against us all year", despite the fact that his team had been the victim of a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
by Mark Buehrle
Mark Buehrle
Mark Alan Buehrle is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He has pitched his entire baseball career for the Chicago White Sox, starting the opening game every season from 2002 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2011....
earlier in the season.
On August 29, he again held the opposition scoreless, this time the Twins for 5.2 innings in a 3–0 victory. "His ball was definitely moving all over the place, with a great breaking ball," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire
Ron Gardenhire
Ronald Clyde "Gardy" Gardenhire is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and current manager of the Minnesota Twins.He is six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds during most of his baseball career....
said. "He throws a nasty cutter, and the ball sinks. He was tough on us." It was good for his 14th win of the season (tied for second in the AL behind Sabathia), raising his record to 14–4. His cutter was more dominant than any other thrown over a single season since Baseball Info Solutions first began collecting cutter data in 2004.
On September 4, he extended his scoreless streak to 18.1 innings before giving up a run to the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth inning at Camden Yards; that was the only run he gave up over 6.2 innings in a 5–1 win, to bring his record to 15–4. It was also his 11th road victory (matching the club record held by Rick Helling
Rick Helling
Richard Allen Helling is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-High school and college:...
(1998) and Padilla (2008)), and he matched the club record set by Bobby Witt
Bobby Witt
Robert Andrew Witt was a pitcher for the Major League Baseball Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Cleveland Indians, and Arizona Diamondbacks....
(1990) with his 7th consecutive road win of the season. Evan Grant, writing for D Magazine
D Magazine
This article is about the magazine about Dallas. For the Italian magazine, see La Repubblica.D Magazine is a monthly magazine covering Dallas-Fort Worth. It covers a range of topics including politics, business, food, fashion and lifestyle in the city of Dallas. The first issue was published in...
, asked rhetorically: "At some point, RHP Scott Feldman is going to have to enter the Cy Young Award conversation, isn’t he?"
On September 9, Feldman threw 7 innings of shutout ball against the Cleveland Indians
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...
, leading Texas to a 10–0 win. He struck out 5, while giving up 5 singles, raising his record to 16–4, and tying Sabathia and Verlander for the AL lead in victories. He became the first Rangers pitcher to win 16 games since Kevin Millwood
Kevin Millwood
Kevin Austin Millwood is an American professional baseball pitcher. He has previously played for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies.-Personal life:Millwood graduated from Bessemer City High School in North Carolina...
in 2006. It was his seventh win in a row, eighth straight road victory (a new Texas record), and 12th road win overall in 2009 (another new club record, and tops in the AL). "I'm not doing anything different on the road than I am at home," said Feldman, who had allowed only one run in the last 26.1 innings. "The preparation is the same. I think it's a pretty humbling game, so you can't get too high or too low." He became the first Rangers right-hander to allow just one run over four consecutive starts. Outfielder Marlon Byrd
Marlon Byrd
Marlon Jerrard Byrd , popularly known as The Position or The Possish or Sish, is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs...
said: "When you have your ace on the mound, you expect to win. You get a couple of runs early, and you feel you have a 'W' in hand. He has been unbelievable this year when he steps on the mound.... He just keeps getting better."
The Boston Herald reported: "Scott Feldman started the season in the bullpen. He'll end it as a Cy Young award candidate." Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
referred to him as " an under-the-radar Cy Young candidate." And Jennifer Floyd Engel of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote: "Is there a more likable "stud player" on any of the locals than Scott Feldman? Dude is amazing, wins freakishly a lot on the road, is Boy Scout-ishly dependable, has been an ace on what is really a pretty good staff, and is humble as hell. He’s certainly deserving to be in Cy Young conversations." Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
also referred to him as a Cy Young Award candidate.
As of September 10, he was leading the AL in won-lost percentage (.800), tied with Sabathia and Verlander for the league lead in wins (16), had the 3rd-lowest "slugging percentage against" (.359; behind Felix Hernandez
Félix Hernández
Félix Abraham Hernández , nicknamed "King Félix", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners....
and Greinke), was tied for 4th in double plays induced (20), and had the 7th-lowest "OPS
On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League...
-against" (.670). Feldman was holding lefties to a .220 batting average, and as a starter he had kept batters to the 2nd-lowest batting-average-against on balls that they had put in play (.261) among AL starters (behind only Washburn), had the 4th-best ERA in the league (3.10; behind Greinke, Hernandez, and Halladay), was tied for the 4th-lowest batting-average-against (.236), had stranded the 5th-highest percentage of runners (78.3%), and had the 5th-highest ground ball/fly ball ratio (1.48). He had the most effective cutter of all major league starters, and had thrown it 33% of the time (behind only Brian Bannister (52%) and Halladay (42%) among AL starters). Feldman had also pitched at least five innings in all but one of his 26 starts in 2009. As of mid-September, Feldman's cutter was still the third-most-effective pitch in the major leagues, behind only Tim Lincecum’s changeup and Randy Wolf
Randy Wolf
Randall Christopher Wolf is a left-handed pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball. Randy's older brother Jim is a Major League umpire. Unlike his brother Jim and Houston Astros relief pitcher Ross Wolf, Randy is a boss...
’s fastball.
For the season, Feldman was 17–8 with a 4.08 ERA in 34 games, 31 of them starts. Despite not having become a starter until the end of April, he tied for 4th in the American League in wins, and only four pitchers in the majors had more victories. His club-record 12 victories on the road tied the major league record. Feldman became the third player in Rangers history to win at least 17 games in 31 starts or fewer, joining Kenny Rogers (17 wins in 31 starts in 1995) and Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Arthur "Fergie" Jenkins, CM, is a Canadian former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was a three-time All-Star and the 1971 NL Cy Young Award winner. In 1991, Jenkins was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During a 19-year career, he pitched for four different teams,...
(18 wins in 30 starts in 1978).
He was named the Texas Rangers' Pitcher of the Year for 2009 by the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America
Baseball Writers Association of America
The Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...
.
2010
The Rangers and Feldman agreed to a $2,425,000 one-year contract in January 2010, thereby avoiding arbitration.On March 27, manager Ron Washington announced that Feldman would be the opening day starter for the Rangers. On April 2, the Rangers signed Feldman to a two-year, $11.5 million extension through the 2012 season, with a $9.25 million option for 2013.
Feldman was 7–11 for the season, as he started 22 games and pitched 7 games out of the bullpen.
2011
Feldman, had microfracture surgeryMicrofracture surgery
Microfracture surgery is one of the articular cartilage repair surgical techniques that works by creating tiny fractures in the underlying bone. This causes new cartilage to develop from a so-called super-clot...
performed on his right knee during the off-season. To rehab, he made two appearances for the Double-A Frisco Roughriders
Frisco RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are currently the Class AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers major league baseball club. The team plays in the Texas League, assigned to the South Division. Prior to 2003, the franchise was based in Shreveport, Louisiana, and were known as the Shreveport Captains...
and eight appearances for the Triple-A Round Rock Express
Round Rock Express
The Round Rock Express is a class Triple-A Pacific Coast League minor league baseball team in Round Rock, Texas, owned by RSR Sports and founded by Reid Ryan, son of Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. The team is affiliated with the Texas Rangers, for whom Nolan Ryan serves as the president and...
. On July 8, he was transferred from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. He was outrighted to the minors on July 13.
However, on July 14, after he cleared waivers, Feldman rejected the assignment giving the Rangers the option of activating him from the disabled list or releasing him. They opted to activate him off the disabled list, which re-added him to the 40-man roster.
In 2011, Feldman was 2–1 with a 3.94 ERA for Texas in 11 games, 2 of which were starts. In 32 innings he gave up 25 hits, while walking 10 and striking out 22. He limited left-handed hitters to a .155 batting average.
Brought in in the first game of the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Rays, he pitched 3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits while striking out four. In Game 2 of the ALCS he pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, allowing the Detroit Tigers only one hit and no walks. He became the third pitcher in 20 years to throw at least 4 scoreless innings of relief in his team's post-season victory. He pitched another scoreless inning in Game 4, and through the first two rounds of the post-season his playoff record was 8.2 innings pitched with 9 strikeouts, 3 hits, and 0 walks.
In the first game of the World Series, he pitched another 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball to extend his post-season record to 10.1 scoreless innings pitched. Only eight relief pitchers had pitched more scoreless innings in a postseason, with Goose Gossage
Goose Gossage
Richard Michael "Goose" Gossage is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During a 22-year baseball career, he pitched from 1972-1994 for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. The nickname "Goose" is a play on his surname...
holding the record (14.1 in 1981). His post-season record in 2011 was 10.1 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts, 4 hits, and 0 walks.
Pitching
Feldman is a three-quarters pitcher with a sinkerSinker (baseball)
In baseball, a sinker , is a type of fastball pitch which has significant downward and horizontal movement. The sinker is known for inducing a lot of ground balls...
, a low-to-mid-90s fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
, a hard slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....
with extreme downward movement, a curve
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
, a changeup
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball...
, and a 90-mph cut fastball.
Since September 2007, when he raised his arm angle from sidearm
Sidearm
In baseball, sidearm describes balls thrown along a low, approximately horizontal axis rather than a high, mostly vertical axis ....
to three-quarters, his sinker has had more bite, and he has also developed his cut fastball. Both pitches come in on the same level and at the same speed, but they have late break in different directions — the cutter goes in on lefties, while the sinker drops down and away on them. In August 2009 a scout described him has having three "above-average pitches," and a "filthy" cutter.
Personal life
Feldman is Jewish, as is his father, and the family belonged to Peninsula Temple Sholom in Burlingame for a period of time.As of March 2007, Feldman was one of 13 Jewish baseball players in the major leagues, along with teammate Ian Kinsler
Ian Kinsler
Ian Michael Kinsler is a Major League Baseball All-Star second baseman for the Texas Rangers.Despite having been drafted in only the 17th round out of college, Kinsler has risen to become a two-time All Star, and a member of the Sporting News 2009 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball...
. He was featured in the edition of Jewish Major Leaguers Baseball Cards, licensed by Major League Baseball, commemorating the Jewish major leaguers from 1871 through 2008. He joined, among others, Kinsler, Brad Ausmus
Brad Ausmus
Bradley David "Brad" Ausmus is a former All Star catcher in Major League Baseball, and currently a special assistant for the San Diego Padres....
, Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Edmund Youkilis , also known as "Youk" , is an American professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball...
, Ryan Braun
Ryan Braun
Ryan Joseph Braun is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No...
, Gabe Kapler
Gabe Kapler
Gabriel "Gabe" Stefan Kapler is an American Major League Baseball outfielder.He has played portions of 13 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Tampa Bay Rays...
, Jason Marquis
Jason Marquis
Jason Scott Marquis is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously pitched for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks....
, John Grabow
John Grabow
John William Grabow, nicknamed "Grabes" , is a Major League Baseball left-handed reliever....
, Craig Breslow
Craig Breslow
Craig Andrew Breslow is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. He throws left-handed, and is considered a lefty specialist....
, Scott Schoeneweis
Scott Schoeneweis
Scott David Schoeneweis is an American Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.In the five seasons from 2003–07, Schoeneweis allowed only one home run to left-handed batters...
, and Jason Hirsh
Jason Hirsh
Jason Michael Hirsh is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who is a free agent.Hirsh was a dominant minor league pitcher in 2005–06, winning the Double-A Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award in successive seasons, as he went...
. In 2009, Feldman was named the Jewish Major Leaguers Pitcher of the Year, in a year in which he had more wins than any other Jewish pitcher since Steve Stone in 1980.
Feldman was also in 2007 one of 32 players born in Hawaii to have made it to the majors.
See also
- List of major league baseball players who had Tommy John surgery
- List of select Jewish Major League Baseball players
- List of Texas Rangers Opening Day starting pitchers