My Minnesota Twins (BBRT hails from Minnesota) are currently excited about 27-year-old rookie lefthander Andrew Albers, who has started his major league career with 17 1/3 scoreless innings pitched (two starts, two wins, one complete game shutout, six hits, one walk, four strikeouts). Albers, in fact, might have two complete game whitewashes to his credit, except Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire thought he was tiring and pulled him from his last start with one down and two runners on (single, walk) in the ninth.
Gardenhire didn’t prove to be much of a prognosticator before Albers took the mound yesterday for his second start, noting that “If he goes out and tries to duplicate what he did before, he’ll get in trouble.” Albers not only duplicated his first start, he took it to the next level, in a 102-pitch, 3-0 win over the Indians.
The publicity surrounding Albers’ start got BBRT to thinking about the MLB record holder for scoreless innings at the start of a career – current Diamondbacks’ reliever Brad Ziegler, who came up with the A’s in 2008 and pitched 39 major league innings before being touched for a run. Albers and Zeigler, it turns out, have a lot in common – including college stardom, significant injuries, being released by the MLB team that originally signed them, stints in independent league ball, making the best of second chances and PERSEVERANCE. Note: It’s stories like these that help fuel BBRT’s love of the game.
Albers, who was a standout hurler at the University of Kentucky, was drafted in the tenth round (Padres) of the 2008 draft, and made five appearances in the 2008 Arizona Rookie League. He injured his pitching elbow during 2009 Spring Training and missed the entire season (and was released by the Padres) after Tommy John surgery. In 2010, Albers pitched (and pitched well … 3-0, 17 saves, 1.40 ERA) for the Québec Capitales of the independent Can-Am Association. After a 2011 tryout, the Twins signed Albers to a minor league contract. He went on to put up a 24-10 record, with a 2.91 ERA over the past three minor league seasons, 11-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 22 Triple A starts this year.
Brad Ziegler, despite two skull fractures, he is giving HITTERS headaches.
Ziegler, like Albers, was a standout pitcher in college, setting Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) records for starts, wins and strikeouts. He was drafted by the Phillies in the 20th round of the 2003 MLB draft. Ziegler, however, threw only six minor-league innings, before being sidelined by shoulder tendinitis. Like Albers, Zeigler was released by his first MLB organization (just before the start of the 2004 season) and ended up pitching in the independent leagues (Schaumburg Flyers of the Northern League) – where his performance (four starts, three wins, 1.50 ERA) earned him a spot in the Oakland A’s organization. (Oakland had originally drafted Zeigler in 2002, but he elected to return for his senior year at MSU.)
Zeigler pitched well at Oakland’s Modest0 (High A) club in 2004, going 9-2, 3.90, as Modesto made the playoffs. Then, while pitching in the playoffs, injury struck again – in the form of a line drive that fractured Ziegler’s skull. Zeigler, however, recovered and pushed. From 2005 until his call up in 2008, he moved steadily up the A’s minor league ladder.
It was during this time, actually in 2007, that the A’s asked Ziegler to try more of a sidearm approach – and Ziegler went 12-3, 2.41 as a reliever (Double A and Triple A) in 2007. He continued to refine his new delivery in 2008 and was 2-0, 0.37 ERA in 19 appearances at Triple A Sacramento, when the A’s called him up in late May. (Note: If all of Ziegler trials weren’t enough, he also suffered a second skull fracture in January of 2008, the result of a deflected throw at a youth baseball camp.)
In his first MLB game, Ziegler pitched one-third of an inning (giving up a single) in an 8-4 loss to Texas. Twenty-eight appearances, and 38 2/3 innings pitched, later, Ziegler still had not given up an earned run. In those 39 innings, he gave up just 21 hits, while walking 11 and striking out 18 – and, as of August 8, earned the A’s closer role.
Ziegler’s streak came in the ninth inning of an August 14th game against the Tampa Bay Rays. After pitching a 1-2-3 eighth, Ziegler gave up a run on a single by Akinori Iwamura and a double by B.J. Upton (the first extra base hit Ziegler had allowed). Ziegler ended the season with 47 games pitched, a 3-0 record, 11 saves and a 1.06 ERA. He remains active today, pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he has a 6-1 record, with seven saves and a 2.19 ERA.
Zeigler and Albers, persevering, despite the odds.
