Joel Zumaya

From BR Bullpen

Joel Martin Zumaya (Zoom Zoom)

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 3", Weight 210 lbs.

High School Bonita Vista High School

Debut April 3, 2006
Born November 9, 1984 in Chula Vista, CA USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Joel Zumaya is one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in Major League Baseball, regularly topping 100 mph. The 11th-round pick of the Detroit Tigers in the 2002 amateur draft, Joel began his career with the GCL Tigers, going 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA, 46 K in 37 1/3 IP and a .162 opponent batting average. Baseball America named him the #15 prospect in the Gulf Coast League.

In '03, Joel went 7-5, 2.79 for the West Michigan Whitecaps, allowing a .209 average and striking out 126 in 90 1/3 IP. He was named the #6 prospect in the Midwest League by Baseball America. Battling back and shoulder spasms, his 2004 season ended early. He went 6-4, 3.54 with the Lakeland Tigers (allowing a .198 average) before fading to 2-2, 6.30 in four starts with the Erie Sea Wolves, where he still K'd 29 in 20 frames.

Zumaya was back on track in 2005. At age 20, he had a 8-3, 2.77 line for Erie, allowing a .187 average and 11.99 K/9. He was 1-2, 2.66 with the Toledo Mud Hens, striking out 11.45 per nine and allowing a .194 average. He pitched a scoreless inning in the 2005 Futures Game for the USA team. He was second among minor league starters with 11.86 strikeouts per nine, his 15 Ks in a game tied for the most in the minors and he was second to Francisco Liriano (204-199) in strikeouts on the farm. Baseball America rated him the top pitching prospect in the Eastern League in their tools list, but only 6th among EL pitchers and 10th overall in the circuit in their top prospects list. He was also rated as having the best fastball in the circuit and made the EL All-Star team. His four balks tied for the most in the loop.

As a rookie in the majors, Zumaya was 6-3 with a save and 1.94 ERA after being converted to a reliever by the 2006 Tigers. He only allowed 6.05 H/9 while fanning 10.48 per nine but walked a batter almost every other inning.

He was 1-1 with a save and a 3.63 ERA in his first 13 games of 2007 before a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger sidelined him for several months. He only pitched 28 games in the majors that year, going 2-3 with one save and a 4.28 ERA.

Zumaya suffered more bad luck in the off-season. He was helping clear items out of his parents' home in California when wildfires were encroaching. A heavy box landed on Zumaya's shoulder. He needed surgery and was expected to be out until mid-2008.

His brother, pitcher Richard Zumaya, was also drafted by the Tigers in the 2007 amateur draft.

Sources: 2003-2006 Baseball Almanacs, MLB.com