Denny Neagle

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**Denny Neagle**

Free Agent — No.
Pitcher
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
Major League Baseball debut
July 27, 1991 for the Minnesota Twins
Selected MLB statistics (through 2006)
Wins-Loss	124-92
ERA	4.24
Strikeouts	1415
Former teams
Minnesota Twins (1991) Pittsburgh Pirates (1992-1996) Atlanta Braves (1996-1998) Cincinnati Reds (1999-2000) New York Yankees (2000) Colorado Rockies (2001-2003)

Dennis Edward Neagle Jr. (Born September 13, 1968 in Gambrills, Maryland) is a Major League Baseball player, presently a free agent. He was last under contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays during the 2005 season, but he did not play due to injury. During the 1990s, he was one of the top pitchers in baseball, but his career, and personal life, deteriorated in the early 2000s.

1 Early Career
2 Colorado and Legal Troubles
3 Trivia
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Early Career

Denny Neagle was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1989 amateur draft by the Minnesota Twins. He saw some action in the summer of 1991 for the Twins, but was not on their postseason roster when the club won the 1991 World Series. He was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training in 1992. Neagle became a full-time starter for the Pirates in 1994. The following season, Neagle posted a 13-8 record with a 3.43 ERA and had become the top pitcher on the mediocre Pittsburgh staff, representing the team at the All-Star Game.

He got off to an impressive 14-6 start in 1996. On August 27, 1996, he pitched eight innings giving up only two runs to the first place Atlanta Braves. The next day, the Braves traded young pitcher Jason Schmidt to Pittsburgh to get Neagle for their playoff run. Neagle was given the opportunity to start in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series, earning a no-decision.

Remaining with the Braves in 1997, Neagle had his best season, going 20-5 with a 2.97 ERA. He earned another All-Star selection and finished third in Cy Young Award voting. In the 1997 NLCS, Neagle pitched a complete-game shutout. Neagle's 16-11 record and 3.55 ERA in 1998 were still solid numbers, but the emergence of Kevin Millwood made him expendable and he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds after the season.

Injuries limited Neagle to 19 starts in 1999, but he stormed out to an 8-2 record in 2000. The playoff-bound New York Yankees traded for Neagle on July 12, 2000. He only registered a 7-7 record over the rest of the season with the Yankees, and his playoff performance was shaky, but his team triumphed in the 2000 World Series and Neagle earned a championship ring.

[edit] Colorado and Legal Troubles

In December 2000, the Colorado Rockies signed Neagle and fellow lefthander Mike Hampton to expensive contracts. Neagle's contract was for five years and $51 million, and his 17-19 record and 5.31 ERA over the 2001 and 2002 seasons spelled disaster for the Rockies. Due to injuries, Neagle only started seven games in 2003. He went 2-4 with a 7.90 ERA, pitching what has proven to be his last Major League game on July 20, 2003.

At this point, Neagle's life derailed. He missed the 2004 season due to ligament and elbow surgeries. Then, he ran into legal problems at the end of the year, which allowed the Rockies to cancel the final year of his lucrative contract. ^[1] Neagle was found engaged with a prostitute and three days later caught speeding while drunk. The incident was a public humiliation for Neagle and ended his marriage.

He signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before the 2005 season, but did not play due to injury.

On January 24, 2006, Neagle pled guilty in Jefferson County, Colorado, on one charge of patronizing a prostitute. Although the sentence can carry a maximum of a $500 fine and up to six months in prison, Neagle was only sentenced to 40 hours of community service.

[edit] Trivia

Neagle was known to teammates and the media for his playfulness, which included the ability (and compulsion) to imitate the "choo, choo" sound of a train.