Dan Haren
Encyclopedia
Daniel John Haren is a Major League Baseball
starting pitcher
for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
.
and Mexican
descent, graduated from Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, CA in 1998. He attended Pepperdine University
in Malibu, CA on a baseball scholarship. It was there that Haren teamed up with Noah Lowry
, a left-handed pitcher just one month younger than Haren, to form the best starting pitching duo in the West Coast Conference
. In the 2001 season, Haren posted a 2.22 ERA
in 17 starts, and Lowry posted a 1.71 ERA in 18 starts. The teammates (and roommates) skipped their senior seasons, and Lowry was taken in the 1st round (30th overall) by the San Francisco Giants
and Haren was taken in the 2nd round (72nd overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals
in the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft
.
and Potomac
, finishing with a combined ERA of 2.74. He started 2003 in Double-A Tennessee
, but was promoted after eight starts to Triple-A Memphis
.
Haren made his major league debut at the age of 22. He pitched well in his debut but was out-dueled by Jason Schmidt
, who went on to finish second in the National League
Cy Young Award
voting that year. In his MLB debut, he showed off his batting skills by hitting the very first pitch he saw for a double. After finishing 2003 with a 5.08 ERA for the Cardinals, however, he was sent back down to AAA Memphis for the 2004 season. He received a late-season call-up, and made five appearances in the post-season for the Cardinals, including two in the World Series
. The Cardinals were swept by the Boston Red Sox
, but Haren pitched well, tossing 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
and top hitting prospect Daric Barton
to the Oakland Athletics for Mark Mulder
, one of the best pitchers in the American League at the time. Mulder was surprisingly not missed, as Haren went 14-12 with a 3.73 ERA in his first full season as a major leaguer.
With Haren joining the A's, he got the opportunity to pitch against the rival San Francisco Giants in the Bay Bridge Series
. Coincidentally, he has gone head-to-head multiple times against best friend and former teammate Noah Lowry, who also quickly made it to the majors. Haren has been the victor in both of the Haren/Lowry duels.
In 2005, Haren broke the top 10 in the American League in the following categories: innings (217-9th place), strikeouts (163-6th place), and complete games (3-4th place).
Furthermore, in 2007, Haren had one of the best seasons among any pitcher in the majors. Haren finished in the top ten in the American League in wins, with 15, strikeouts, with 192, and finished in the top three in the AL in ERA with 3.07.
In 2007, he was also selected to start the MLB All Star Game after Mark Buerhle declined for the American League.
On December 14, 2007, Haren was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks
along with Connor Robertson
for prospects including Carlos González
, Brett Anderson
, Aaron Cunningham
, Greg Smith
, Dana Eveland
, and Chris Carter
.
In his first season with the Arizona Diamondbacks he was selected to the 2008 All-Star game at Yankee Stadium
along with his teammate, Brandon Webb
. He finished 2008 with an impressive 3.33 ERA to go along with a 16-8 win-loss record, and a career-high 206 strikeouts.
On August 6, 2008, Haren agreed to a four-year, $44.75 million contract and a team option for the 2013.
Haren was also selected a 2009 NL All-Star, representing the Diamondbacks along with Justin Upton
. Haren had a great year, finishing with a record of 14-10, 3.14 ERA, and 223 strikeouts.
In 2009 he was named # 33 on the Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball. A panel of 100 baseball people, many of them members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and winners of major baseball awards, was polled to arrive at the list.
, and minor league pitchers Rafael Rodríguez
, Patrick Corbin, and Tyler Skaggs
.
In 13 games with the Angels to close out the 2010 season, Haren went 5-4 with 75 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA.
Haren also had an impressive year at the plate, posting a .364 batting average and .902 OPS with one home run in 55 at bats.
On September 10, 2011, Haren threw a complete-game shutout against the New York Yankees
, allowing four hits and striking out seven.
with movement (hit 97 mph), a recently added 90-93 mph two-seam fastball
, a sharp split-finger fastball
, and a spike curve. Haren has also added and relied more heavily upon an 86-90 mph cut fastball
, which he credited for last season's success. His curveball is just an average offering that he flips over to get ahead early in the count, while his splitter is a plus pitch and his main strikeout weapon. When able to control his split-finger fastball, batters swing as the ball drops down at the last second. He has excellent control, having one of the best K/BB ratios in the league, but is prone to giving up home runs.
Haren usually has a slow pitching delivery, highlighted by a slight pause in the middle of his windup, that he speeds up with runners on base. His pitching style is often dubbed a "chess match" by reporters and announcers (particularly Daron Sutton
and Mark Grace of the Diamondbacks announce team) due to his ability to change speeds and throw any pitch on any count (and often throws pitches in succession, i.e. four straight breaking balls), often going against scouting reports, making it particularly hard to hit him.
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...
starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
.
High-school and college career
Haren, who is of IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
descent, graduated from Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, CA in 1998. He attended Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
in Malibu, CA on a baseball scholarship. It was there that Haren teamed up with Noah Lowry
Noah Lowry
Noah Ryan Lowry is a free agent left-handed starting pitcher formerly of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball.-College and the MLB Draft:...
, a left-handed pitcher just one month younger than Haren, to form the best starting pitching duo in the West Coast Conference
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
. In the 2001 season, Haren posted a 2.22 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...
in 17 starts, and Lowry posted a 1.71 ERA in 18 starts. The teammates (and roommates) skipped their senior seasons, and Lowry was taken in the 1st round (30th overall) by the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
and Haren was taken in the 2nd round (72nd overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft
2001 Major League Baseball Draft
-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Selections:-Background:The Minnesota Twins selected St. Paul, MN native Joe Mauer with the number one pick in the 2001 draft. The 18-year-old Mauer, a catcher from Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, became the seventh Minnesotan to be...
.
St. Louis Cardinals
Haren made 28 starts in A-ball in 2002 for PeoriaPeoria Chiefs
The Peoria Chiefs are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, from Peoria, Illinois. They play in the Midwest League....
and Potomac
Potomac Nationals
The Potomac Nationals are a Minor League Baseball team located in Woodbridge, Virginia. The Nationals play in the Class A Advanced Carolina League, and are an affiliate of the Washington Nationals.-History:...
, finishing with a combined ERA of 2.74. He started 2003 in Double-A Tennessee
Tennessee Smokies
The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in the Knoxville, Tennessee metropolitan area. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball as of the 2011 season...
, but was promoted after eight starts to Triple-A Memphis
Memphis Redbirds
The Memphis Redbirds are the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They play their home games at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium's capacity is 14,320. They entered the Pacific Coast League as an expansion team in 1998, and were owned as a...
.
Haren made his major league debut at the age of 22. He pitched well in his debut but was out-dueled by Jason Schmidt
Jason Schmidt
Jason David Schmidt , is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher.Schmidt was born in Lewiston, Idaho. In his career he has played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves , by whom he had been drafted in the eighth round, 206th overall, of...
, who went on to finish second in 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...
Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
voting that year. In his MLB debut, he showed off his batting skills by hitting the very first pitch he saw for a double. After finishing 2003 with a 5.08 ERA for the Cardinals, however, he was sent back down to AAA Memphis for the 2004 season. He received a late-season call-up, and made five appearances in the post-season for the Cardinals, including two in the World Series
2004 World Series
The 2004 World Series was the Major League Baseball championship series for the 2004 season. It was the 100th World Series and featured the American League champions, the Boston Red Sox, against the National League champions, the St. Louis Cardinals...
. The Cardinals were swept 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"...
, but Haren pitched well, tossing 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
Oakland Athletics
After the 2004 season, Haren was traded in a package that included right-handed reliever Kiko CaleroKiko Calero
Enrique Nomar "Kiko" Calero is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher, who is currently a free agent.-Professional career:...
and top hitting prospect Daric Barton
Daric Barton
Daric William Barton nicknamed "D.B.", is a Major League Baseball first baseman who plays for the Oakland Athletics....
to the Oakland Athletics for Mark Mulder
Mark Mulder
Mark Alan Mulder is a retired left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Oakland Athletics:...
, one of the best pitchers in the American League at the time. Mulder was surprisingly not missed, as Haren went 14-12 with a 3.73 ERA in his first full season as a major leaguer.
With Haren joining the A's, he got the opportunity to pitch against the rival San Francisco Giants in the Bay Bridge Series
Bay Bridge Series
The Bay Bridge Series is the name of a series of baseball games played between—and the rivalry of—Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics of the American League and San Francisco Giants of the National League. The series takes its name from the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge which...
. Coincidentally, he has gone head-to-head multiple times against best friend and former teammate Noah Lowry, who also quickly made it to the majors. Haren has been the victor in both of the Haren/Lowry duels.
In 2005, Haren broke the top 10 in the American League in the following categories: innings (217-9th place), strikeouts (163-6th place), and complete games (3-4th place).
Furthermore, in 2007, Haren had one of the best seasons among any pitcher in the majors. Haren finished in the top ten in the American League in wins, with 15, strikeouts, with 192, and finished in the top three in the AL in ERA with 3.07.
In 2007, he was also selected to start the MLB All Star Game after Mark Buerhle declined for the American League.
On December 14, 2007, Haren was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
along with Connor Robertson
Connor Robertson
James Connor Robertson is a currently inactive right-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher...
for prospects including Carlos González
Carlos González (baseball)
Carlos Eduardo González is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Colorado Rockies.-Minor leagues:...
, Brett Anderson
Brett Anderson (baseball)
Brett Franklin Anderson is a left-handed pitcher for the Oakland Athletics.-Early life:He attended Stillwater High School in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he was an all-state selection in 2006, his senior year....
, Aaron Cunningham
Aaron Cunningham
Aaron Roe Ward Cunningham is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the San Diego Padres.-Baseball career:Cunningham was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the sixth round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft...
, Greg Smith
Greg Smith (pitcher)
Gregory Thomas Smith is an American professional baseball pitcher.-Baseball career:Smith attended Louisiana State University, where he played for the LSU Tigers baseball team...
, Dana Eveland
Dana Eveland
Dana James Eveland is a left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers.Eveland throws a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball. He is 6' 1" and weighs 230 pounds....
, and Chris Carter
Chris Carter (right-handed hitter)
Vernon Christopher "Chris" Carter is a professional baseball player for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball.-High school career:...
.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
along with his teammate, Brandon Webb
Brandon Webb
Brandon Tyler Webb is a Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the 2006 National League Cy Young Award winner.-High school:Webb attended Paul G...
. He finished 2008 with an impressive 3.33 ERA to go along with a 16-8 win-loss record, and a career-high 206 strikeouts.
On August 6, 2008, Haren agreed to a four-year, $44.75 million contract and a team option for the 2013.
Haren was also selected a 2009 NL All-Star, representing the Diamondbacks along with Justin Upton
Justin Upton
Justin Irvin Upton is a National Major League Baseball right fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks....
. Haren had a great year, finishing with a record of 14-10, 3.14 ERA, and 223 strikeouts.
In 2009 he was named # 33 on the Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball. A panel of 100 baseball people, many of them members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and winners of major baseball awards, was polled to arrive at the list.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
On July 25, 2010, Haren was traded to the Angels for starting pitcher Joe SaundersJoe Saunders
Joseph Francis Saunders is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks.-College and minor league career:...
, and minor league pitchers Rafael Rodríguez
Rafael Rodríguez (baseball)
Rafael Rodríguez is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization....
, Patrick Corbin, and Tyler Skaggs
Tyler Skaggs
Tyler W. Skaggs is a pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He is considered one of the top prospects in baseball.-Professional career:...
.
In 13 games with the Angels to close out the 2010 season, Haren went 5-4 with 75 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA.
Haren also had an impressive year at the plate, posting a .364 batting average and .902 OPS with one home run in 55 at bats.
On September 10, 2011, Haren threw a complete-game shutout against the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, allowing four hits and striking out seven.
Pitching style
Haren throws a 91–94 mph fastballFastball
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...
with movement (hit 97 mph), a recently added 90-93 mph two-seam fastball
Two-seam fastball
A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball, but the general movement of a screwball...
, a sharp split-finger fastball
Split-finger fastball
A split-finger fastball or splitter is a pitch in baseball. It is named after the technique of putting the index and middle finger on different sides of the ball, or "splitting" them. When thrown hard, it appears to be a fastball to the batter, but suddenly "drops off the table" towards home...
, and a spike curve. Haren has also added and relied more heavily upon an 86-90 mph cut fastball
Cutter (baseball)
In baseball, a cutter, or cut fastball, is a type of fastball which breaks slightly toward the pitcher's glove side as it reaches home plate. This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slider but with more motion than a typical fastball. Some...
, which he credited for last season's success. His curveball is just an average offering that he flips over to get ahead early in the count, while his splitter is a plus pitch and his main strikeout weapon. When able to control his split-finger fastball, batters swing as the ball drops down at the last second. He has excellent control, having one of the best K/BB ratios in the league, but is prone to giving up home runs.
Haren usually has a slow pitching delivery, highlighted by a slight pause in the middle of his windup, that he speeds up with runners on base. His pitching style is often dubbed a "chess match" by reporters and announcers (particularly Daron Sutton
Daron Sutton
Daron Sutton is the television play-by-play voice of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball. Sutton is also the son of former pitching great and Hall of Famer Don Sutton...
and Mark Grace of the Diamondbacks announce team) due to his ability to change speeds and throw any pitch on any count (and often throws pitches in succession, i.e. four straight breaking balls), often going against scouting reports, making it particularly hard to hit him.