David Riske

David Richard Riske ( /ˈrɪski/; born October 23, 1976 in Renton, Washington) is a Major League Baseball Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher.

Career

Riske was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 56th round of the June 1996 amateur draft. In January 2006, he was traded along with outfielder Coco Crisp, and catcher Josh Bard to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for reliever Guillermo Mota, third baseman Andy Marté, and catcher Kelly Shoppach.

Riske was traded on June 15 of that year to the Chicago White Sox for minor league pitcher Javier López. Theo Epstein commented that Riske was traded because the Red Sox had too many right-handed relievers, and needed a left-hander like Lopez.^[1] He throws a low-90s fastball, but due to his deceptive delivery, it appears even faster. He also throws a slider and a split-fingered fastball.

Having posted solid numbers the past two seasons, Riske continued to put up good numbers in the 2005 season. In 58 games and 72 2/3 innings, Riske had an ERA of 3.10 and a WHIP of 0.96. His strikeout total had noticeably declined over the past two seasons. In 2005 Riske experienced his first season in which he did not average more than one strikeout per inning pitched. He also is known for allowing home runs, allowing 11 in 2004 and 2005, and six in only 44 innings in 2006. Riske played a minor role with the Red Sox in 2006, mainly appearing in blow-out games before being traded.

Leader in the bullpen

Riske lead the Kansas City Royals bullpen to the best season they had had in years in 2007. Besides being a leader on the field, he was also a leader off. He was credited with helping turn around Zack Greinke's career.^[2]

On October 31, 2007, Riske declined his $2.9 million player option.^[3] Later, on December 5, he signed a three year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. Riske was released by the Brewers on August 23, 2010.^[4]

On February 7, 2011, Riske signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

He is currently a free agent as was released during 2011 after Spring Training for Baltimore O's

References

1. ^ Gasper, Christopher L. "Theo talks trade - Extra Bases." The Boston Globe. 15 June 2006. 16 June 2008.
2. ^ Fly, Colin. "Brewers' David Riske helped Royals pitcher Zach Greinke through struggles." USA Today. 28 March 2008. 16 June 2008.
3. ^ "Royals decline Perez's $9 million option; Riske files for free agency." ESPN. 31 October 2008. 16 June 2008.
4. ^ McCalvy, Adam. "Brewers release Riske." Major League Baseball. 23 August 2010. Retrieved on 23 August 2010.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)