| Carlos Mármol | |
|---|---|
 Mármol with theChicago Cubs in 2009 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1982-10-14)October 14, 1982 (age 43) Bonao,Dominican Republic | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 4, 2006, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 10, 2014, for the Miami Marlins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 23–35 |
| Earned run average | 3.57 |
| Strikeouts | 744 |
| Saves | 117 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Carlos Agustín Mármol (born October 14, 1982) is a Dominican former professionalbaseballrelief pitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theChicago Cubs,Los Angeles Dodgers, and theMiami Marlins.
Mármol was signed by theChicago Cubs as an amateur free agent on July 3, 1999, as acatcher/outfielder. In his last season as a hitter, in 2002, he batted .258 with a .271 OBP for theArizona League Cubs in theRookie League, and .149 with a .167 OBP for theLansing Lugnuts in theMidwest League.
After batting .273 in 14 minor league games, Mármol converted to become a pitcher. He went 26–19 with a 3.41ERA before being added to the 40-man roster in November 2005.[1]
Mármol made his Major League debut on June 4, 2006, against theSt. Louis Cardinals in a relief appearance. He pitched two scoreless innings and gave up one hit while striking out three.
After Cubs pitcherKerry Wood was placed on the disabled list for the second time of the season, Mármol was called on to make a spot start. He was one of seven rookies to make a start for the 2006 Cubs. On June 11, against theCincinnati Reds, in his first Major League start he allowed just one run on two hits while striking out seven, to earn the win.
He went on to make 19 appearances and 13 starts in the 2006 season with a 5–7 record. He posted a 6.08 ERA in 77 innings, and walked 6.9 batters per 9 innings.
Mármol returned to the Major Leagues in 2007 as a relief pitcher for the Cubs. Due to an injury to closerRyan Dempster, Mármol was called upon to pitch in the ninth inning of a game against theColorado Rockies on June 27, 2007.[2] He pitched a scoreless frame, recording two strikeouts, for his first Major Leaguesave.
In his second season, he flourished in thebullpen as asetup man and finished the season with a stellar ERA of 1.43 and struck out 96 batters in 69.1 innings. His ERA was good enough for third in the Major Leagues among relievers, behind onlySeattle Mariners closerJ. J. Putz andLos Angeles Dodgers closerTakashi Saito. He received one 10th place vote and came in 26th in the MVP award voting.
Entering the 2008 season, Mármol was in a tight battle for the closer spot that was now vacant with former closer Dempster having moved to the starting rotation. He competed with Kerry Wood andBob Howry for the spot, and while both he and Wood had solid numbers in the spring, managerLou Piniella opted for the veteran Wood to close and kept Mármol in the setup role he excelled at in 2007. With Wood suffering from a blister, Mármol was selected to replace him at theAll-Star Game, and pitched a scoreless 13th inning of relief in an eventual 15-inningNational League loss.
Mármol competed withKevin Gregg for the closer's role in 2009 after the departure of Wood before the2009 MLB season, but lost the role to Gregg.[3]
In spring training in 2009 he led all pitchers inhit batsmen, with 5 (in 10.1 innings).[4] As of August 18, 2009, he was leading all NL pitchers in hbp in the regular season, with 11 (in 56.1 innings), and his 52 walks averaged over 8 walks per 9 innings.
However, after a series of disappointing appearances by Gregg in August, and after Gregg allowed 12 homers in56+1⁄3 innings (the most in the majors for a reliever), Piniella announced on August 18 that Mármol would replace Gregg as closer.[5]
Mármol won theDelivery Man of the Month Award for September 2010.[6]He finished the 2010 campaign with 16.0 strikeouts averaged per nine innings (138 in77+2⁄3 innings), breaking the record for highest K/9 ratio by a pitcher with at least 50 innings pitched, previously held byÉric Gagné's 14.9 mark over his 2003 season. His 138 K's are a franchise record for a relief pitcher.
In 2011, Mármol led the National League and tied for the Major League lead in blown saves (withJordan Walden) with 10.[7]
On June 25, 2013, Marmol was designated for assignment by the Cubs after recording a 5.86 ERA in 31 appearances during the season.[8]
On July 2, 2013, he was traded to theLos Angeles Dodgers for relieverMatt Guerrier.[9] The Dodgers promptly outrighted him to the minor leagues, where he made 3 appearances for Class ARancho Cucamonga and 2 for AAChattanooga. The Dodgers recalled him to the Majors on July 23. In 21 appearances for the Dodgers he had an ERA of 2.53.
On February 6, 2014, Marmol agreed to a one-year contract with theMiami Marlins worth $1.25 million.[10] In 15 appearances, he recorded an 8.10 ERA in13+1⁄3 innings, while striking out 14 batters and walking 10. He was designated for assignment on May 11, 2014.[11] On May 19, the Marlins officially released Marmol.[12]
On May 27, 2014, Mármol signed a minor league deal with theCincinnati Reds.[13] He was released on November 17, 2014, after only pitching in 3 games in Louisville.[14]
On May 8, 2015, Mármol signed a minor league contract with theCleveland Indians.[15][16]
On February 16, 2016, Mármol signed a minor league contract with theBoston Red Sox, with an invitation tospring training.[17] On March 28, 2016, Mármol was released by the Red Sox.[18]
He has played in theWorld Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic.
Mármol is known for two quality pitches, afour-seam fastball (91–94 mph, although when he was younger this was often several mph faster), and a sweepingslider (81–84).[19] When Mármol pitched well, he became nearly unhittable, as evidenced by career rates of 5.7 hits and 11.7 strikeouts per 9 innings. However, Mármol has also at times been plagued by serious control problems. In 2009, he was third in the entire National League inhit batsmen (12) despite only pitching 74 innings. He had also walked more batters than he has allowed hits in his career.[20] Mármol's control issues and an over-reliance on his slider — despite managerDale Sveum's advice to throw his fastball more often — led to Sveum removing him from the closer role in May 2012.[21]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)The Marlins also released veteran reliever Carlos Marmol on Monday.
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