John Lackey

From BR Bullpen

John Derran Lackey

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 6", Weight 205 lb.
School University of Texas at Arlington, Grayson County College
Debut June 24, 2002
Born October 23, 1978 in Abilene, TX USA

[edit] Biographical Information

John Lackey has pitched five seasons in the major leagues for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, winning at least 9 games each year. He had a winning record each season except for his second year.

Lackey was a 2nd round pick in the 1999 amateur draft of what were then the Anaheim Angels, and pitched 3 1/2 years in the minors before breaking in with the parent team. He went 6-2 in 1999, 15-9 in 2000 split among three teams, 12-11 in 2001 split among two teams, and 8-2 with the Salt Lake Stingers with a 2.57 ERA in 2002 along with his 9-4 record as a rookie with the Angels. He was fourth in the Rookie of the Year Award voting.

Lackey was then a key pitcher in the postseason, as he threw seven innings of shutout ball to win the fourth game of the 2002 ALCS. Then in the 2002 World Series, he appeared in 3 games, and got the win in Game 7 of the Series. He is the first rookie to do so since Babe Adams in 1909. He also appeared in postseason play in 2005.

In both 2005 and 2006, he has been among the league ERA leaders. The most similar player, according to the similarity scores method, is his contemporary Brad Penny.

Lackey is the most successful of the five major leaguers to come out of the University of Texas at Arlington.