David Price
From BR Bullpen
David Taylor Price
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 6", Weight 215 lb.
- School Vanderbilt University
- High School Blackman High School
- Debut September 14, 2008
- Born August 26, 1985 in Nashville, TN USA
[edit] Biographical Information
David Price was the top pick in the 2007 amateur draft.
Price was a three-time Male Athlete of the Year in Rutherford County in high school. As a freshman, he had a 2-4, 2.86 record with 92 K and 13 BB in 69 1/3 IP. He lost Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year honors to J.P. Arencibia but made the Baseball America second team freshman All-American team. Collegiate Baseball also named him to their Freshman All-American squad. The young left-hander also pitched for the USA college national team, going 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA and 39 K in 29 IP while allowing 13 hits. He led the team in strikeouts and ERA. Against Italy, he fanned 11 while giving up one hit in 7 IP and he shut out Nicaragua. Baseball America named him a summer baseball All-Star.
In his sophomore season, he was 9-5 with a 4.32 ERA for Vanderbilt but fanned 155 in 110 IP to lead the Southeastern Conference. He was fourth in NCAA Division I in strikeouts behind Tim Lincecum, Eddie Degerman and P.J. Walters and right ahead of Brad Lincoln. He was third in strikeouts per 9 innings and 4th in IP. He had started the year 5-2 with a 1.81 ERA before struggling in SEC play and allowing 7 earned runs against Georgia Tech in the NCAA regionals. Returning to team USA, he was 5-1 with a 0.20 ERA, allowing 21 hits and 7 walks while whiffing 61 in 44 IP as the ace. He helped the team claim a Gold Medal at the 2006 World University Championship in Havana.
Price went unbeaten in 11 decisions as a junior. He whiffed 175 in 123 IP, walking 29 and allowing a .201 average and one home run. He was Pitcher of the Year in the SEC and won the Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year Award, Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award. He led all of NCAA Division I in strikeouts. In the regional NCAA tournaments, he lost a relief decision to the University of Michigan, eliminating #1 Vanderbilt from competition for the 2007 College World Series.
In the 2007 amateur draft, Price was taken first overall by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He signed on August 15 for 6 years and $11.25 million, including a $5.6 million signing bonus.
Price missed the start of the 2008 season due to an elbow strain sustained in spring training. He returned to action on May 22, hitting 98 mph on the radar gun in his first inning back. He had a fine debut, throwing five shutout innings for the Vero Beach Devil Rays, allowing 3 hits and a walk while fanning four in a 2-0 win over the Clearwater Threshers. He went 4-0, 1.82 in 6 starts for Vero Beach, to earn a promotion to AA. There, he was dominant in 9 starts for the Montgomery Biscuits, posting a record of 7-0, 1.89 to earn another promotion, this time to AAA. He did not pitch as well for the Durham Bulls, going 1-1, 4.50, in 18 innings, but that still put him at 12-1, 2.30 for the year. He was called up to Tampa Bay in early September and made his debut in relief at Yankee Stadium on September 14, 2008. He pitched 5 ⅓ innings, giving up two runs on three hits, including a solo home run by Derek Jeter, and walking none while striking out four in a Rays' loss. He was the second player selected in the 2007 draft to reach the majors, after Washington's Ross Detwiler a year earlier. He was impressive enough in his first taste of the big leagues to earn a spot in the Rays' bullpen for the postseason after putting up a 1.93 ERA over 14 innings and striking out 12. He won a game and recorded a save in the 2008 ALCS as the Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games, his win coming in an extra-inning game in Game Two, and his save in the clinching Game Seven that sent the Rays to the 2008 World Series. In Game Two of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, he relieved Dan Wheeler with two outs in the 7th with the Rays holding a 4-0 lead; he gave up a solo home run to Eric Bruntlett in the 8th and an unearned run in the 9th, and was not eligible for a save, but was still a key contributor to the 4-2 win, the first and only victory in a World Series game by the Rays.
Price was a full-time starter for the Rays in 2009, making 23 starts with a record of 10-7, 4.42. He was one of the early favorites for the 2009 American League Rookie of the Year Award, but did not put up the expected eye-popping numbers. Those came in his sophomore season, 2010, when he set a Rays team record for wins with 19, shattering the old mark of 13 held by Rolando Arrojo. He finished the year 19-6, 2.72, with 188 strikeouts in 208.2 innings. He started the 2010 All-Star Game and finished second behind Felix Hernandez in Cy Young Award voting. He started Games One and Five of the ALDS against the Texas Rangers, but lost both times by 5-1 scores as the Rays bowed out in the first round of the postseason after finishing with the best record in the majors during the regular season. Price was not quite so dominant in 2011, but was still named to a second All-Star squad while serving as the Rays' ace. On August 28th, he struck out 14 Toronto Blue Jays batters in 7 innings to set a Tampa franchise record, on his way to a 12-0 win.
Sources: 2006-2007 Baseball Almanacs, Vanderbilt Stats, The Baseball Cube, Collegiate Baseball All-Americans
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 2-time AL All-Star (2010 & 2011)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (2010)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (2010 & 2011)
- 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (2011)
