Scott Karl

Randall Scott Karl

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
• School University of Hawai'i at Manoa
• High School Carlsbad (CA) High School
• Debut May 4, 1995
• Final Game September 28, 2000
• Born August 9, 1971 in Fontana, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Scott Karl won 54 games in the majors and another 38 in the minors. His minor league ERA was under 3.00.

He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 6th round of the 1992 amateur draft from the University of Hawai'i and reached the majors in May of 1995. In his final start that season on October 1st, Karl threw his first complete game, doing so with only 97 pitches while pounding the strike zone to the tune of over 70% strikes against the Boston Red Sox. He ended his rookie season at 6-7, 4.14, but was particularly streaky as he recorded four straight wins in July, followed by five straight losses before winning his final start.

Karl went 13-9 with the Brewers in 1996, a sub-.500 team. He set personal bests with 207 1/3 innings and 121 strikeouts that year, but also posted his highest ERA over a full season, at 4.86. He remained a member of the Brewers' starting rotation until the end of the 1999 season, accompanying the team during its switch-over from the American League to the National League before the 1998 season. He was remarkably consistent during the four-year stretch from 1996 to 1999, posting between 10 and 13 wins and 9 and 13 losses each year, while making either 32 or 33 starts. He pitched between 192 1/3 and 207 1/3 innings each year, and his ERA was always in a range between 4.40 and 4.86. In other words, the Brewers knew exactly what they would get from him every year. His main weakness was a low strikeout rate, as in his best season he only recorded 5.5 Ks per 9 innings. His walks rate was not great, but was remarkably consistent, at 3.1 W/9 each of those four seasons.

On December 13, 1999, he was included in a three-team trade that sent him to the Colorado Rockies, with the Oakland Athletics also involved in the deal. There were a number of other solid major leaguers involved in the deal apart from him, including 3B Jeff Cirillo, C Henry Blanco and Ps Jamey Wright, Justin Miller and Jimmy Haynes. However, he became the latest in a long series of pitchers to be spooked by the prospect of pitching his home games at Coors Field, as he went 2-3, 7.68 in 17 games for the Rockies in 2000, being moved to the bullpen after 8 wretched starts in April and May, and starting only one more time after that. On August 22nd, he was sent to the Anaheim Angels where he finished the season, going 2-2, 6.65 in 6 games as he failed to regain his effectiveness. His final major league game was a start against the Athletics on September 28th in which he gave up a pair of unearned runs in 5 innings but did not figure in the decision. Following the season, he was signed as a free agent by the San Diego Padres, but he ended up pitching for the Nashville Sounds, the AAA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, in 2001, going 4-3, 3.83 in 14 starts.

Through 2025, he and 1940s pitcher Andy Karl are the only two major leaguers with the last name "Karl".

Notable Achievements

• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1996)