Tom Gorzelanny

Tom Gorzelanny
Washington Nationals – No. 32
Starting pitcher
Born: July 12, 1982 (1982-07-12)
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
MLB debut
September 20, 2005 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Career statistics (through 2011 season)
Win-Loss	40-43
Earned run average	4.57
Strikeouts	506
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (2005–2009) Chicago Cubs (2009–2010) Washington Nationals (2011–present)

Thomas Stephen Gorzelanny (born July 12, 1982 in Evergreen Park, Illinois) is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals.

Personal life

Tom grew up in Chicago, IL, In part of his childhood he lived in Oak Forest, IL 60452. He graduated from Marist High School in 2000. He was drafted in the 38th round of the 2000 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox but chose to play college baseball rather than immediately pursuing a professional career.

Minor League Career

Gorzelanny spent most of the 2005 season with the Double-A Altoona Curve, but made his Major League debut with the Pirates in September. He struggled in Pittsburgh, allowing eight runs in six innings. At the beginning of the 2006 season, he was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. Gorzelanny was selected to play for the US team in the 2006 All-Star Futures Game, but was ineligible due to being called up by the Pirates. On June 29, 2006, the Pirates called Gorzelanny up to replace Oliver Pérez in the starting rotation. He made his season debut on July 1 against the Detroit Tigers.

Major League Career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Gorzelanny was penciled in as a starter with the Pirates in 2007, earning a regular spot in the rotation. On July 1, 2007, Gorzelanny was selected as one of the five players in the National League that would be chosen from a final fan vote for the last spot on the NL roster for the 2007 MLB All-Star Game. Gorzelanny went on to compile a 14-10 season for the 68-94 Pirates, leading the Pirates in wins and finishing with over 200 innings and an ERA of 3.88.

In 2008, Gorzelanny suffered from control problems with his pitches, walking 61 batters and giving up 99 hits in his first 87⅔ innings of work. After a difficult start to the first half of the season, Gorzelanny was optioned to AAA Indianapolis in July. He was recalled to Pittsburgh several weeks later after a successful tenure in Indianapolis, but ultimately failed to regain his 2007 form.

After Spring Training, Gorzelanny began the 2009 season at AAA Indianapolis. In May, he was recalled to pitch from the bullpen after injuries to the Pirates' roster. He was optioned back to AAA after several weeks with Pittsburgh.

Chicago Cubs

Gorzelanny pitching for the Chicago Cubs in 2010.

Gorzelanny was traded on July 30, 2009 to the Chicago Cubs along with John Grabow for Kevin Hart, José Ascanio, and minor league third baseman Josh Harrison, and assigned to the Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate, the Iowa Cubs. He was called up to start on August 4, and got his first win as a Cub. He went on to make seven starts for the Cubs, earning a record of 4-2 and ending the season in the bullpen.

In 2010, Gorzelanny won a spot in the Cubs starting rotation. Gorzelanny compiled a high strikeout rate and an ERA below 4 through September 2010. In late May, he was moved to the bullpen to accommodate the return of Carlos Zambrano to the Cubs rotation.

After Zambrano aimed a profanity-laced tirade at his teammates in late June, Gorzelanny pitched in relief for 2 ¹⁄₃ innings. On June 26, skipper Lou Pinella announced that Zambrano would move back to the bullpen, and Gorzelanny would regain a spot in the Cubs rotation. Even after Zambrano made his second return to the rotation after undergoing anger management therapy, Gorzelanny kept his spot in the rotation.

Washington Nationals

On January 17, 2011, the Washington Nationals acquired Gorzelanny from the Cubs for prospects Michael Burgess, A. J. Morris, and Graham Hicks. Gorzelanny became expendable to the Cubs after they traded for Matt Garza ten days earlier.

On May 28, 2011, Gorzelanny was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left elbow inflammation. After coming off the DL he was less consistent and was removed from the rotation.

Pitching style

Gorzelanny features three main pitches, including a low 90's four-seam fastball that can occasionally reach the mid-90's, a sharp slider with good movement, and a deceptive mid to low 80's change-up. Towards the beginning of his career he threw a curveball but has all but eliminated it from his repertoire as of 2010.

External links

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