Ben McDonald
From BR Bullpen
Larry Benard McDonald
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 7", Weight 213 lb.
- School Louisiana State University
- Debut September 6, 1989
- Final Game July 16, 1997
- Born November 24, 1967 in Baton Rouge, LA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Ben McDonald was signed as the first overall selection in the 1989 amateur draft by the Baltimore Orioles and scout Ray Crone out of Louisiana State University. He was a member of the 1988 United States Olympic team that competed in Seoul, South Korea. In the 1988 Baseball World Cup, he had a 0.00 ERA in the round-robin before struggling in the semifinals against Taiwan. Overall, he was 2-0 with a 1.31 ERA and 11 hits allowed in 20 2/3 IP. He was the winner of the 1989 Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the country, his junior year at LSU. He finished the season 14-4, with a 3.49 ERA with 202 strikeouts in 152 innings. Despite his success during his college career, McDonald struggled in the College World Series. In 1987, his freshman year, Stanford University's Paul Carey hit a grand slam off of him in the championship game. In 1989, after pitching both games of the final series of the Central Regional, he allowed 11 runs in the game that eliminated LSU from the tournament.
