Brandon McCarthy

Not to be confused with Brendan McCarthy.

Brandon McCarthy
Oakland Athletics – No. 32
Starting pitcher
Born: July 7, 1983 (1983-07-07) Glendale, California
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 22, 2005 for the Chicago White Sox
Career statistics (through 2011 Season)
Win-Loss	29-33
Earned run average	4.17
Strikeouts	374
Teams
Chicago White Sox (2005–2006) Texas Rangers (2007–2009) Oakland Athletics (2011–present)

Brandon Patrick McCarthy (born July 7, 1983, in Glendale, California) is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics.

Early life

He graduated from Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2001.

McCarthy was playing baseball for Lamar Community College in Colorado when he was drafted in the 17th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago White Sox.

Minor leagues

In the minor leagues in 2003, McCarthy posted impressive stats and showed excellent control, pitching 101 innings, striking out 125 batters, and walking only 15 batters. In 2004, he led all minor league pitchers in strikeouts, with 202.

Major leagues

McCarthy made his major league debut on May 22, 2005, as a spot starter for the Chicago White Sox in a game against the Chicago Cubs. McCarthy would make several additional spot starts that year before earning a permanent spot on the team as a reliever in 2006.

On December 23, 2006, McCarthy was traded along with David Paisano to the Texas Rangers for John Danks, Nick Masset and Jake Rasner. McCarthy endured an injury-plagued season in his first year for the Rangers (and his first full year as a starter) in 2007, most notably dealing with a stress fracture in his right shoulderblade that kept him sidelined for nearly 2 months. His luck did not improve in 2008, as he developed inflammation in his right elbow during spring training and consequently missed most of the 2008 season.

As part of the starting pitcher rotation for the Oakland Athletics in 2011, McCarthy strengthened his mechanics and had his most productive major league season, pitching twenty-five games, five complete. McCarthy adapted his pitch repertoire to emphasize two-seam fastballs and cutters, which helped increase his ground-ball percentage and lower his home-run rate while developing control and limiting walks allowed. He finished the year with the lowest FIP among American League starters.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• McCarthy in the minors