| Chad Cordero | |
|---|---|
 Cordero with the Washington Nationals | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1982-03-18)March 18, 1982 (age 43) Upland, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 30, 2003, for the Montreal Expos | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 9, 2010, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 20–15 |
| Earned run average | 2.89 |
| Strikeouts | 298 |
| Saves | 128 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Chad Patrick Cordero (born March 18, 1982) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher. Cordero played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theMontreal Expos /Washington Nationals andSeattle Mariners.
Cordero's best season was in 2005, when he was anAll-Star and won theRolaids Relief Man Award. During the period of 2005–2007, he recorded 113 saves, second most in the National League behindTrevor Hoffman's 131.[1]
At age 18, Cordero was drafted by theSan Diego Padres in the 26th round of the2000 MLB draft, but he chose to enroll atCal State Fullerton, where he was a standout reliever. With anERA of under 1.83 he made the 1st team All-America Freshman team and was selected to the Big West All-Conference team, the latter of which he repeated in each of his next two years. In2003, he was the Fullerton Regional MVP (College World Series), and then was drafted by the Expos in the1st round (20th overall).
Cordero pitched briefly in 2003, and then appeared in 69 games for the Expos in2004, compiling an ERA of 2.94, usually appearing as a closer. He earned a save in the last Montreal Expo victory inHiram Bithorn Stadium on July 11, 2004. He also threw the final pitch for the Expos at Olympic Stadium on September 29, 2004, and the final pitch for a win on October 2 against theNew York Mets atShea Stadium.[2]
The Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2005, and Cordero had a career-best season. In June 2005, Cordero tied the major league record forsaves in one month with 15. He shares the record withLee Smith andJohn Wetteland. He also converted his 24th consecutive save, breaking the club record held byMel Rojas. On September 9, 2005, Cordero's 44th save broke the franchise record. He completed the 2005 season with 47 saves, leading the major leagues, and was selected to the National League pitching staff for the2005 MLB All-Star game, facing one batter,Iván Rodríguez, andstriking him out. He was the 2005 Washington Nationals Player of the Year, and won the National LeagueRolaids Relief Man of the Year Award.
In February2006, Cordero and his teammateBrian Schneider were chosen to play for Team USA in theWorld Baseball Classic. During the season, however, his production tailed off. While he still got 29 saves (8th best in the league), his ERA went from 1.82 to 3.19.
In the beginning of the2007 season, Cordero faced a tough time against batters. By May 6, his ERA was 4.70. Cordero admitted he was distracted by the illness of his ailing grandmother,[3] and missed six games for personal bereavement leave. He came back a changed man, and starting May 16 made 12 consecutive appearances without allowing arun. On June 13, Cordero (at age 25 years and 86 days) became the second youngest player in baseball history to reach 100 saves in a career. (Francisco Rodríguez is the youngest at 24 years and 246 days old.)[4] Echoing his final pitches at Olympic Stadium and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in 2004 Cordero closed out the final Nationals game at RFK stadium getting a save on September 23, 2007.[5] He is likely the only pitcher in major league history to throw the final pitch at three different home stadiums for the same franchise.[citation needed]
Cordero missed almost all of the2008 season after undergoing surgery to repair alabrum tear, an injury he suffered in April.[1] On October 30, 2008, the Nationals sent him outright to AAASyracuse, and he rejected the assignment, becoming a free agent. Among other reasons for Cordero's rejection was that he was displeased with how he found out that he would be "non-tendered" by the Nationals at the end of the season—via an impromptu comment made by Nationals' GMJim Bowden on a radio show in July.[6]
On March 12, 2009, Cordero signed a minor league contract with theSeattle Mariners with an invitation to spring training. He was to compete for the closer role once he fully recovered from surgery, but was unable to make a minor league appearance until July.[1] He was called up to the Mariners on June 3, 2010, taking the spot of the retiredKen Griffey Jr.[1] On July 15, 2010, he refused a minor league assignment from the Seattle Mariners and became a free agent.
On July 22, 2010, Cordero agreed on a minor league deal with theNew York Mets and was assigned to Triple A Buffalo. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.
On January 4, 2011, Cordero signed a minor league contract with an invite to spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was released on May 15.[7]
On June 3, 2011, Cordero signed with theSt. Paul Saints of theAmerican Association of Professional Baseball.[8] with theSt. Paul Saints of theAmerican Association of Independent Professional Baseball, but retired on June 20, 2011.[9] In 7 games 6 innings of relief he struggled mightily going 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA with 5 strikeouts.
On February 13, 2013, Cordero signed a minor league contract with theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim due to his desire to play again.[10] He was assigned to the Inland Empire 66ers of the California League, the (high) Class-A affiliate of the Angels, to begin the season.[11] He elected free agency following the season on November 4.
Cordero has three children: Riley, Cooper, and Tehya. Tehya died ofSudden Infant Death Syndrome in 2010.[12] He was married to Jamie Cordero but the couple is now separated. Chad has no relation toFrancisco Cordero, another MLB closer sharing his last name and playing at the same time as him.
