Shawn Chacón
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Houston Astros — No. 30 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: December 23, 1977 | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| April 29, 2001 for the Colorado Rockies | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2007) |
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| Win-Loss | 43-58 |
| Earned run average | 4.98 |
| Strikeouts | 566 |
| Teams | |
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Shawn Anthony Chacón (born on December 23, 1977 in Anchorage, Alaska) is a major league pitcher, who currently plays for the Houston Astros. He throws an 88-92 mph sinker, a big curveball, a slider, and a changeup.
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[edit] Childhood
Chacón was born in Anchorage, Alaska but has only dim recollection of his biological mother and none of his father (he believes his biological father was black and his mother Hispanic). His mother placed him in a Greeley, CO foster home when he was 4, and he was adopted by Tony and Blanca Chacón.
"There's no way I could have ended up any better than I am," Chacón told the Rocky Mountain News. "Some (adopted) people go back and ask, 'Why?' I don't want to ask, 'Why?' The only thing I'd say is, 'Thank you.' "My parents were not able to have children, which is why they adopted me. We are pretty blessed to have each other."
Chacón was a star at Greeley Central High School, one of only two athletes to ever have his jersey number retired in the 123-year history of the school (Former basketball player and current Northern Colorado coach Tad Boyle was the other).
[edit] Colorado Rockies
Chacón was recruited by Arizona State, but chose to play professionally after he was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 3rd Round of the 1996 amateur draft. Chacón made his MLB debut in 2001 as a member of the Rockies. He developed into a capable starter and was Colorado's 2003 All-Star representative, finishing 11-8 with a 4.60 ERA. The next year, he was converted into a closer and put up one of the most bizarre stat lines in baseball history. Chacón was 9th in the National League with 35 saves, but his record was 1-9 and his ERA 7.11. Chacón was 1-7 in 2005 as a starter before being traded to the Yankees.
[edit] New York Yankees
He was acquired by the Yankees in July 2005 for minor league pitchers Ramon Ramirez and Eduardo Sierra. Many New York fans and members of the tough New York media criticized the trade, calling it a bandage and not a solution, much like how the Yankees saw starts from Tim Redding, Darrell May and Sean Henn in 2005. Chacón was excited to be coming to New York, and he did not waver under the initial pressure and criticism. In his first start as a Yankee, he pitched six innings without allowing an earned run against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He finished 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA for the Yankees. Chacón made his postseason debut in Game 4 of the 2005 American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He pitched 6⅓ innings and allowed just 2 runs in a Yankee win.
Before the 2006 season, sportswriters thought that Chacón would be a big key to the Yankee rotation. This included one Yankees fan in Maine, who dubbed Shawn Chacon "The Stopper" in phone calls to the local sports radio station WJAB in Portland, Maine and in his blog predicted Chacon would win the Cy Young award in 2006. Chacón, however, got off to a slow start, but started pitching well in late April. On May 16, the Texas Rangers scored 7 runs off Chacón. After the terrible start, Chacón went on the 15-day disabled list. Chacon came off the DL on June 11. After coming off the DL, Chacón couldn't pitch 5 innings, forcing the Yankees to use their tired bullpen. On July 6, Chacón was sent to the bullpen after giving up seven runs in 1⅓ innings against the Cleveland Indians on July 4. He was replaced in the rotation by Kris Wilson.[1]
[edit] Pittsburgh Pirates
During the July 31, 2006 mid-season non-waiver trade deadline, he was dealt for the less expensive Craig Wilson.
Chacon was used as a starter by the Pirates, making 9 starts and going 2-3 with a 5.48 ERA.
In 2007, Chacon was mainly used as a reliever by the Pirates, but also made 4 starts. He went 5-4 with a 3.94 ERA in 64 games for the Pirates in 2007. Chacon became a free agent after the season.
[edit] Houston Astros
On February 20, 2008, Chacón signed a one-year deal with the Houston Astros worth $2 million.[2]
[edit] On the leaderboards
Chacón is among the Rockies all-time leaders in various pitching categories. This is due in part to the Rockies short history and lack of pitching success. A T indicates a tie on the list.
- T-4th, career ERA (5.20, shared with Kevin Ritz)
- 10th, career wins (24)
- 1st, career hits allowed per 9 innings (8.85)
- 2nd, career strikeouts per 9 innings (6.27)
- 7th, career saves (35) (NOTE: Some records show him tied for 6th with Brian Fuentes but these have not been updated for 2006.)
- 2nd, single season saves (35, 2004)
- 6th, career innings pitched (552⅓)
- 6th, single season strikeouts (134, 2001)
- 5th, career strikeouts (385)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube
- Baseball Almanac Page
- Houston Chronicle article
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