| Mike MacDougal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Washington Nationals — No. 54 | |
| Relief pitcher | |
| Born: March 5, 1977 Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Bats: Switch | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 22, 2001 for the Kansas City Royals | |
| Career statistics (through 2009) |
|
| Win-Loss | 14-21 |
| Earned run average | 4.09 |
| Strikeouts | 266 |
| Saves | 70 |
| Teams | |
|
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
Robert Meiklejohn "Mike" MacDougal (born March 5, 1977 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws right-handed.
A former star pitcher for Wake Forest University, MacDougal began his career as a starting pitcher, but suffered a fractured skull late in the 2001 season when he was struck in the head by a bat that had escaped from the hand of Carlos Beltrán. He lost feeling in his right arm and was unable to pitch for three months. In 2003, the Kansas City Royals turned him into a closer. He recorded 24 saves by mid-season and made the American League All-Star team.
MacDougal struggled with flu-like symptoms in spring training in 2004, causing him to lose weight and, as a result, to lose velocity off his fastball, which had been clocked as high as 103 miles per hour. He lost his job as the Royals' closer to Jeremy Affeldt and spent much of the 2004 season in the minor leagues. However, early in 2005, he was reinstalled as the closer after Affeldt himself was injured.
MacDougal battled injuries again in 2006, starting the season on the DL and not returning to the field until mid July. After only about a week after his first appearance of the year, he was traded for minor-league pitchers Tyler Lumsden and Dan Cortes by the Chicago White Sox on July 24, 2006. [1]. The addition of MacDougal was to be a move to bolster the White Sox bullpen as they vied for playoff contention, and while the team ended up missing the playoffs, MacDougal was quite effective in his 25 appearances. Combining his appearances with both teams, he finished the year with a 1.55 ERA.
MacDougal's 2006 performance earned him a new three-year deal with the White Sox [1], but he was not able to carry his success from the end of the 2006 season into 2007. MacDougal finished 2007 with an ERA about 6.00, spent more time on the DL with right-shoulder inflammation [2], and was actually optioned to the team's Triple-A affiliate at one point.
On April 21, 2009, MacDougal was designated for assignment by the White Sox, and was released on April 30.[3] He then signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals on May 3.
His pitch selection include a fastball in the 95-98 mph range, a slider, curve, and a changeup used only occasionally. [4]
See also
References
- ^ ESPN - Former All-Star MacDougal agrees to deal with ChiSox - MLB
- ^ ESPN - Reliever MacDougal to DL with shoulder inflammation - MLB
- ^ White Sox designate Mike MacDougal for assignment
- ^ The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers: An Historical Compendium of Pitching, Pitchers, and Pitches. Bill James and Rob Neyer. 2004.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
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