Cla Meredith
Encyclopedia
Olise Claiborne "Cla" Meredith III (icon; born June 4, 1983, in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

), nicknamed "The Claw", is a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...

 who is currently a Free Agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

.

Collegiate career

Meredith attended Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...

 and played on their baseball team. Meredith was used almost exclusively as a reliever. He put up his best numbers in , going 6-0 with a school record 1.19 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

, which was 2nd best in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 (Division I). Meredith posted 8 saves that year, with 70 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....

s, and only 16 walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...

. He is also VCU's all time ERA leader at 2.52.

Boston Red Sox

Meredith was drafted in the 6th round (185th overall) 2004 Major League Baseball Draft
2004 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...

 by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 after his junior year at VCU. He started his pro career with their Single-A affiliate the Augusta GreenJackets
Augusta GreenJackets
The Augusta GreenJackets are a minor league baseball team that plays in Augusta, Georgia, as a Class A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Lake Olmstead Stadium has been the home of the GreenJackets since the 1995 season, although Augusta has fielded a team in the South Atlantic League since 1988...

. In 13 games, he gave up no runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...

 and saved six games, while striking out 18 and walking three.

He was promoted to Sarasota of the Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...

 after his performance in Augusta and put up a 0-2 record with a 2.20 ERA in 16 games with 12 saves, 16 strikeouts and only three walks. In , he pitched 15 innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...

 over 12 games for the Portland Sea Dogs
Portland Sea Dogs
The Portland Sea Dogs are the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Established in 1994 and based in Portland, Maine, the Sea Dogs play in the Northern Division of the Eastern League....

 without giving up an earned run
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...

, striking out 12 while walking three.

He made his major league debut on May 8 against Seattle
2005 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 2005 season was their 29th since the franchise creation, and their second consecutive season finishing at the bottom of the American League West, finishing with a record of 69-93...

. Meredith walked two batters before allowing a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...

 to Richie Sexson
Richie Sexson
Richmond Lockwood "Big Sexy" Sexson is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for five teams from 1997 to 2008...

.

San Diego Padres

On May 1, , Meredith was traded to the Padres, along with then-Red Sox backup catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

 Josh Bard
Josh Bard
Joshua David Bard is an American professional baseball catcher and designated hitter who is a free agent. Bard is a switch-hitter who throws right-handed....

, for catcher Doug Mirabelli
Doug Mirabelli
Douglas Anthony Mirabelli is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the San Francisco Giants , Texas Rangers , Boston Red Sox , and San Diego Padres before returning to the Red Sox to end his eleven year career...

. Meredith earned a win
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...

 in his first appearance for San Diego on May 13, 2006, starting off a record-setting rookie campaign. His 1.07 ERA and .170 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 against led the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

 (minimum 50 innings pitched).

He did not surrender a run in 28 consecutive appearances, a span of 33 2/3 innings from July 18 through September 12. That streak set a franchise record, eclipsing Randy Jones' 30-inning scoreless streak. The 33 2/3 scoreless innings also tied Orel Hershiser
Orel Hershiser
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently an analyst for Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and a professional poker player for...

's mark in for the second-longest streak by a rookie since . It now stands as the second-longest scoreless stretch by a rookie relief pitcher in the live-ball era .

Baltimore Orioles

In July 2009, Meredith was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for infielder Oscar Salazar
Oscar Salazar (baseball)
Oscar Enrique Salazar is a Major League Baseball infielder.-Biography:Signed by Oakland as an amateur free agent in 1994, Salazar was selected off waivers by the Detroit Tigers in 2002, making his debut in that season.In one season as a backup with the Tigers, Salazar batted .190 with one home run...

.

On December 12, 2009, Meredith, avoided arbitration and agreed to a one year contract with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

.

After getting sent down, on June 22, 2010, he was designated for assignment to make room for recently acquired Jake Fox
Jake Fox
Jacob Quirin Fox is an American professional baseball catcher and outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.-Early years:...

.

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...

 signed Meredith to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training on February 2, 2011. on March 27, 2011 Meredith was released by the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...

.

Pitching style

The right-handed side-armer
Sidearm
In baseball, sidearm describes balls thrown along a low, approximately horizontal axis rather than a high, mostly vertical axis ....

 is best known for his sinking fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...

, which is typically thrown in the 86-89 mph range. He is working to further develop his changeup
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball...

 and average slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....

.

External links

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