Clay Buchholz

From BR Bullpen

Clay Daniel Buchholz

Bats Left, Throws Right
Height 6' 3", Weight 190 lb.
School Angelina College
Debut August 17, 2007
Born August 14, 1984 in Nederland, TX USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Pitcher Clay Buchholz was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 2005 amateur draft. In the 2005 college season, he had a 1.14 ERA, fifth-lowest in Division I junior colleges. He was chosen as an All-American by Baseball America. He made his pro debut that summer with the Lowell Spinners and went 0-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 15 starts. He began the next year with the Greenville Drive, where he was 9-4 with a 2.62 ERA in 21 starts before being promoted to the Wilmington Blue Rocks, where he posted a 2-0 record and a 1.13 ERA. Following the season, he was ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox best pitching prospect and second best prospect overall.

Buchholz pitched the 6th inning of the 2007 Futures Game for the US. He allowed a homer to the first batter he faced, Canadian 1B Joey Votto, then struck out two of the next three to wrap up the inning. He made his major league debut for the Red Sox with a winning start against the Los Angeles Angels on August 17. He pitched a 10-0 no-hitter over the Baltimore Orioles on September 1, in his 2nd career start as an emergency fill-in for the injured Tim Wakefield. With Buchholz nearing his career high in innings pitched, manager Terry Francona decided to move him to the bullpen after that start instead of risking his young arm in the rotation.

Buchholz has a good repertoire of pitches. He has a low- to mid-90's fastball complemented by a changeup of just under 80MPH and his out pitch, a looping 12-to-6 curveball which induces a lot of strikeouts. He is projected to be the #1 starter with the Pawtucket Red Sox next season, and may be the first person the Red Sox call up if they need to fill a spot in the rotation.

[edit] Year-by-Year Playing Record

Year	Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	BB	SO
2005	Lowell Spinners	New York-Penn League	0	1	2.61	15	15	41.1	34	9	45
2006	Greenville Drive	South Atlantic League	9	4	2.62	21	21	103	78	29	117
	Wilmington Blue Rocks	Carolina League	2	0	1.13	3	3	16	10	4	23
2006	Totals	--	11	4	2.42	24	24	119	88	33	140
2007*	Portland Sea Dogs	Eastern League	0	1	1.61	6	6	22.1	12	3	27