Bobby Cramer
From BR Bullpen
Robert Thomas Cramer
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 1", Weight 210 lb.
- School Long Beach State University
- Debut September 13, 2010
- Born October 28, 1979 in Anaheim, CA USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Bobby Cramer made his major league debut at age 30.
Cramer was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 38th round of the 2001 amateur draft but never appeared in their system. He had Tommy John surgery in 2002. He was picked up by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and appeared for the Hudson Valley Renegades (0-1, 1 Sv, 1.69) and the Bakersfield Blaze (3.55 in 5 games). He went 6-4 with 4 saves and a 3.32 ERA in 35 games for the 2004 Charleston RiverDogs, allowing only a .224 average and striking out four times as many as he walked, with a WHIP barely over 1. Tampa Bay released him and he retired from baseball for a spell.
In 2007, he signed with the Oakland Athletics and pitched for the Midland Rockhounds (5-1, 1.89 in 12 games, 50 K, 10 BB in 52 1/3 IP) and the Stockton Ports (4-1, 3.80 in 9 games). He pitched for the independent Orange County Flyers in 2008, posting a 7-4, 3.93 record with 92 K to 16 walks in 91 2/3 innings.
For 2009, Cramer was rumored to be headed to Italy's Parma club but instead was picked up once more by the A's organization. He bounced between Stockton (1-0, 1.59), Midland (3-4, 3.35) and the Sacramento River Cats (1-1, 6.43). At age 29, he made it to AAA for the first time but had fared poorly there.
Cramer's big redemption came in 2010 when he signed with the Tigres de Quintana Roo and went 13-3 with a 2.95 ERA while walking only 28 in 128 innings. He led the Mexican League in wins, complete games (5), shutouts (3), strikeouts (123) and WHIP (1.12). He was .06 behind ERA leader Mac Suzuki. Cramer won Pitcher of the Year honors.
That got him yet another contract with Oakland. Sent to Sacramento, he continued to shine, going 2-2 with a 1.94 ERA in seven starts. He was then called up to the big leagues. He gave up a double to the first big-league batter he faced, fellow rookie Jarrod Dyson, but wound up facing the minimum through three. Mike Aviles took him deep in the 4th. Bobby left with a 3-1 lead in the 6th, replaced by Brad Ziegler, and got the victory in his first game as a major leaguer. Overall, he went 2-1, 3.04 in 4 starts for Oakland, with 13 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 2010 Pitcher of the Year Mexican League Tigres de Quintana Roo
[edit] Sources
- Mister baseball
- 2004-2008 Baseball Almanacs
