Brandon McCarthy

Not to be confused with Brendan McCarthy.

Brandon McCarthy
Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 32
Starting pitcher
Born: (1983-07-07) July 7, 1983 Glendale, California
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 22, 2005 for the Chicago White Sox
Career statistics (through May 18, 2013)
Win–loss record	38–42
Earned run average	4.07
Strikeouts	484
Teams
Chicago White Sox (2005–2006) Texas Rangers (2007–2009) Oakland Athletics (2011–2012) Arizona Diamondbacks (2013–present)

McCarthy pitching for the Texas Rangers in 2007.

Brandon Patrick McCarthy (born July 7, 1983) is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who is currently a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Early life

McCarthy graduated from Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2002.

McCarthy 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

Chicago White Sox

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.

Texas Rangers

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.

Oakland Athletics

He signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics on December 14, 2010.

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.

McCarthy was the opening day starter for the 2012 season. On September 5th, McCarthy took a line drive to the head off the bat of Erick Aybar of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. McCarthy managed to get back on to his feet, however, he subsequently underwent surgery for 2 hours to relieve cranial pressure after CT scans revealed McCarthy had suffered an epidural hemorrhage, a brain contusion, and a skull fracture. While he did not pitch again that season, he recovered well enough to join his teammates in the dugout as a spectator during their postseason run.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 7, 2012, the Diamondbacks signed McCarthy to a 2-year $15.5 million contract.

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
• [http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/Mag15saviormetrics/oakland-brandon-mccarthy-writing-moneyball-next-chapter-reinventing-analytics-espn-magazine ESPN: The Magazine profile