Aaron Harang, Starting Pitcher
Date of Birth: 5/9/1978
Birthplace: San Diego, California
College: San Diego State University
Aaron Harang, starting pitcher, was first drafted in 1996 by the Boston Red Sox but he opted for college instead. Three years later, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers. He played in the Rangers' minor league system from 1999 until 2000, when he was traded to the Oakland Athletics. He then continued in the minor leagues until the Athletics called him up in 2002 for 16 games.
After seven games with the Athletics in 2003, they traded Harang to the Cincinnati Reds. In 2004, he pitched in 28 games for the Reds and he had a 10-9 record with a 4.86 ERA.
Harang had his best season in 2006 when he led the National League in wins and strikeouts. That season, he had career highs in games played (36), innings pitched (234.1), and wins (16 to 11 losses). He struck out 216 batters while walking just 56.
Harang signed a four-year, $36.5 million contract with the Reds in February, 2007. The following season, he had career highs in wins (16) and strikeouts (218 to 52 walks) in 34 games.
In December, 2010, Harang signed a one-year contract with the San Diego Padres. He pitched in 28 games in 2011 and finished the season with a 14-7 record and a 3.64 ERA.
Harang signed a two-year contract with the Dodgers in December, 2011. In the first year of his new contract, he had a career low ERA of 3.61 in 31 games with a 10-10 record.
Harang spent time with four teams in 2013. He started Spring training with the Dodgers but he was traded to the Colorado Rockies on April 6th. Five days later, the Rockies traded him to the Seattle Mariners. After 22 games with the Mariners in 2013, he was designated for assignment at the end of August. A few days later, he signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets. In 2013, he finished with a 5-12 record and a 5.40 ERA in 22 games with the Mariners and 4 games with the Mets.
In February, 2014, Harang signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians. A month later, he was released and on the same day, he signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves.
Harang finished the 2014 season with 204.1 innings pitched, a 12-12 win-loss record, 161 strikeouts to 71 walks, and a 3.57 ERA in 33 games.
Harang signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Phillies in January, 2014. He finished the 2015 season with a 6-15 record, 108 strikeouts to 51 walks, and a 4.86 ERA in 172.1 innings in 29 games.
Harang became a free agent in November, 2015. He hasn't played professional baseball since 2015.
Statistics for Harang in 14 seasons (2002-2015) in the major leagues include:
- 6 seasons with 30 or more games, with a high of 36 in 2006
- 4 seasons with over 200 innings pitched, with a high of 234.1 in 2006
- 5 seasons with over 150 strikeouts, with a high of 218 in 2007
Career pitching statistics for Harang through 2015 include:
- 387 games played
- 2,322.0 innings pitched
- 128-143 win-loss record
- 1,842 strikeouts to 712 walks
- 4.26 ERA
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Aaron Harang
ESPN - Aaron Harang