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PERSONAL:
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- Ziegler and Cardinals super-star Albert Pujols began their careers just 27 miles from each other more than 10 years ago in Missouri.
Before he converted to a submariner in the A's organization, Ziegler was just another pitcher at Odessa High School in Odessa, Mo. Pujols, meanwhile, was a slugger during his days at Fort Osage High School in Independence, Mo. Yet the 30-minute distance that separated these two future big leaguers didn't keep them from playing with -- and against each other -- in summer ball, a time during which Ziegler admits he didn't exactly own Pujols. "He hit a couple home runs off me," Ziegler said with a laugh. "He hit a couple balls hard off me that were right at guys. Average-wise, I think I did OK against him. But it's not like I was punching him out every at-bat. He was a phenomenal hitter in high school, and we all knew that he was going to go on to bigger and better things."
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Ziegler and Pujols played in the same district, and their respective performances in American Legion ball often brought them together as teammates for all-star games. On June 20, 2010 in St. Louis, they were opponents in Interleague Play, but that didn't stop the A's reliever from lending a hello to the three-time National League MVP. "He didn't recognize my face, but as soon as I said who I was he knew right away," Ziegler said. "He was very gracious and very encouraging. He was always such a nice guy then, and it sounds like he's the same guy now." In the summer of 2001, Brad pitched with Chatham in the prestigious Cape Cod League.
He came back to college in 2002 with a lot more confidence after posting a 3-1, 1.96 ERA.
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Ziegler was disappointed by his 31st-round selection by the Athletics in June, 2002. So Brad went back to Southwest Missouri State for his senior season and was named Missouri Valley Conference pitcher of the year. He set school records for career wins, starts, complete games, innings and strikeouts and tied the single-season victory mark before the Bears began NCAA regional play."I was decent friends with Albert Pujols in high school when we played against each other in American Legion ball," Ziegler said. "He was, without question, the best hitter I’ve ever faced, even at that time -- Albert was a man. And now that he’s with St. Louis, he’s very easy to follow here in Springfield. I love to watch Tim Hudson pitch. His stuff is absolutely nasty, and he’s a bulldog on the mound. I think we’re very similar in physical build and the way we pitch, but he throws harder and has that nasty splitter. I’m a Royals fan even through the hard times. I’m also a big fan of Oakland. How could you not like watching those guys pitch? Plus, they drafted me, so I’m a little partial."
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June 2004: The A's signed Ziegler after he'd been released by Philadelphia and pitched 24 innings for Schaumburg in the independent Northern League (which are not listed in his above statistics).On May 31, 2008, Brad made his Major League debut—at age 28.
"It's extremely exciting," Ziegler said about making it to the big leagues. "It's a lifelong dream, and there were times I didn't know if it was even realistic. But it was still my goal, and the last couple of years, I realized there was a distinct possibility and to get to this place—well, I just hope I can help them (the A's)."
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August 12, 2008: When reliever Brad Ziegler was asked if he would accept an offer to ride into an A's game in an IndyCar, the relief pitcher replied with a question rather than an answer. "Can I get a Danica Patrick autograph?" he inquired. The answer was yes, so Ziegler agreed to the proposition, which was created to reward the pitcher for his career-opening Major League record scoreless streak. "I'm no more of a car-racing fan than the average person," he admitted, "but I became a fan of Danica Patrick after meeting her in Spring Training."
Ziegler rode to the ballpark in a street-legal two-seat IndyCar driven by Davey Hamilton, a former Indy 500 participant. "It was a lot of fun," Ziegler said of the promotional event for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.
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Patrick's husband, Paul Hospenthal, happens to be the team's physical therapist while the A's are at Spring Training in Arizona. Brad is very thankful for the support he has had through the tough times in his career.
"My friends and family have been a great supporting cast in urging me never to give up, but I've always just trusted God to lead me down a path that allows me to glorify Him and however that needed to happen was fine with me," Ziegler said. In January 2009, Ziegler got to fly with the Blue Angels.
"One word: incredible. It was so much more than I had even pictured in my head, and I can't imagine anything being more exhilarating," Brad said of the experience.
How did he get the such an exciting ride?
"My brother-in-law is training to be a pilot in the Marines. He got me some contact information and my agent did the rest of the work. The Blue Angels were gracious enough to make me one of their 20 VIP flights for this year," Brad said.
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Asked what his daily routine is in the offseason, Brad said, "My day starts when my daughter wakes up. I'll play with her for an hour or two, and then wake my wife up so I can go start my workouts. I lift weights for an hour and half, four days per week, and play catch six days per week. Then I go back home and try to spend as much time with my family as possible, because I know the season is coming up."
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PITCHING:
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- Ziegler throws an 88-89 mph 2-seam sinking FASTBALL, a 4-seam fastball, a CUT FASTBALL, a CURVE, SLIDER and a CHANGEUP, and can drop down for a sidearm slider and fastball. Coming at hitters from different arm slots keeps a hitter from getting comfortable at the plate.
- Brad throws strikes.
"I’m definitely not a power pitcher but more of a control pitcher," Brad said. "I rely heavily on hitting spots and changing speeds. I throw a fastball (two-seam and four-seam), changeup, curve and slider. I also try to focus strongly on the mental aspect of the game." - Ziegler now comes at hitters exclusively submarine/low-sidearm style. It was Oakland A's pitching coordinator Ron Romanick who first threw out the bold suggestion that Brad convert from starter to reinventing himself as a submarining reliever.
"I toyed with it in the bullpen, and it went okay," Ziegler said. "After talking to my agent and my family, I decided that if this is my best chance to get there, then we should do it."
So after the 2006 season, Ziegler went to Instructional League to learn to sling, and the results were startling. He began the 2007 season back at Double-A Midland, where he posted a 1.14 ERA in 15 appearances before being promoted to Triple-A Sacramento. With the River Cats, Ziegler proved to be one of the Pacific Coast League champions' most durable and effective relievers. He went 8-3, 2.96 in 55 innings over 35 appearances, giving up just 46 hits and 14 walks while striking out 44.
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He has a real good feel for pitching. He has very good makeup, works hard, and really wants to succeed. He can be a middle reliever in the Majors for several years.Ziegler has ecome more than a right-on-right reliever—he was retiring lefthanders as well. He got outs against the last 16 lefties he faced in Triple-A in 2007—the kind of success that gives hope that he won't be locked into a specialist role.
ROOKIE RECORDIn June, July and August of 2008, Ziegler threw 39 consecutive scoreless innings to begin his career, an AL record. Brad passed Dave (Boo) Ferriss's 22 innings in 1945 for the Red Sox. He then passed George McQuillan of the 1907 Phillies with 25 scoreless innings. And he then pitched 14 more scoreless innings for a total of 39 scoreless innings before the Tampa Bay Rays ended it on August 14, 2008.
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"It's pretty crazy. But it's a tribute to the team. I rely on my defense; I don't strike guys out," Brad said Ziegler then passed the A's longest scoreless streak by a relief pitcher, Rick Honeycutt's 24 1/3 innings, from June 25–September 14, 1995. And, finally lost it on August 14, 2008, Brad had a streak of 39 scoreless innings before giving up a run.
BREAKDOWN vs. LEFTIES and RIGHTIES In 2008, the righty throwing Ziegler allowed a .280 average with 2 home runs in 93 at-bats vs. lefthanded hitters, while holding righthanded batters to a .198 average and no home runs in 106 at-bats.
In 2009, Brad allowed a .336 average with only one homer in 110 at-bats to lefty batters, while righthanded hitters had a .265 average with one home run in 170 at-bats.
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As of the start of the 2010 season, Ziegler had a Major League career record of 5-4 with a 2.17 ERA, having allowed only 4 home runs and 129 hits in 133 innings.
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