Jake Peavy
Peavy pitching for the Padres
Chicago White Sox – No. 44
Starting pitcher
Born: (1981-05-31) May 31, 1981 (age 31) Mobile, Alabama
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 22, 2002 for the San Diego Padres
Career statistics (through May 28, 2012)
Win–loss record	115–82
Earned run average	3.45
Strikeouts	1,618
Shutouts	6
Complete games	11
Teams
San Diego Padres (2002–2009) Chicago White Sox (2009–present)
Career highlights and awards
3× All-Star selection (2005, 2007, 2008) 2007 NL Cy Young Award 2007 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year Led NL in ERA in 2004, 2007 Led NL in Strikeouts in 2007 Pitching triple crown (2007)

Jacob Edward Peavy (nicknamed "Joliet Jake," born May 31, 1981 in Mobile, Alabama) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Chicago White Sox. He bats and throws right-handed. Peavy stands 6'1" tall (1.85 m) and weighs 182 pounds (83 kg).

Peavy won the 2007 NL Cy Young Award after winning the pitching triple crown that year.

Career in baseball[link]

Minor leagues[link]

Peavy was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 15th round (472nd overall) of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school (St. Paul's Episcopal School). He was named the high school player of the year in the state of Alabama. Peavy declined an offer to pitch for Auburn University in order to accept the Padres' contract offer.

Peavy pitched for the Arizona League Padres and the Idaho Falls Braves in 1999 and the Fort Wayne Wizards in 2000. In 2001, Peavy played with the Lake Elsinore Storm and the Mobile BayBears. He spent all of 2002 playing for the BayBears.

Major leagues[link]

San Diego Padres[link]

2002[link]

Peavy was called up from Double A to make his Major League Debut on June 22, 2002 against the New York Yankees at Qualcomm Stadium. He lost the game, allowing one run on 3 hits in 6 innings while striking out 4.^[1]

2004[link]

During his third year of major league experience in 2004, Peavy emerged as the Padres' ace starting pitcher and one of the best pitchers in baseball. He compiled a 15-6 record, struck out 173 in 166 innings and led the Major Leagues with a 2.27 ERA. He became the youngest pitcher to win an ERA title since Dwight Gooden in 1985. On September 17, 2004, Barry Bonds hit his 700th home run off of Peavy.^[2]

2005[link]

On March 5, 2005 he signed a four-year 14.5 million contract and held a club option for 2009 extension with the Padres.^[3]

During the 2005 season, Peavy was selected for the National League All-Star team and ended the regular season leading the National League in strikeouts with 216 (in 203 innings). He was second in the majors to Minnesota's Johan Santana who had 238 strikeouts. In addition he finished the season with a 13–7 record, 2.88 ERA, a strikeout-to-walk ratio of over 4:1 and WHIP of 1.044.

After the Padres won the National League West in 2005, Peavy was widely considered^[who?] the key to upsetting the St. Louis Cardinals, whom they faced in the National League Division Series. Peavy gave up eight runs in the first game, and afterwards it was announced that he would miss the rest of the season with a broken rib, which he apparently suffered while celebrating the Padres clinching the NL West Championship.^[4]

Peavy was the captain of Team USA in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He started the opening game for the U.S., a 2–0 win over Mexico, giving up just one hit and no runs over three innings. He did not factor in the decision in the second round game against Japan, as he gave up three runs in five innings in a game that the U.S. won, 4–3.

2006[link]

In 2006, Peavy got off to a rocky start, in part due to mechanical adjustments brought on by various off-season injuries. Although Peavy would go only 11–14 with a 4.09 ERA, he still managed to finish second in the National League in strikeouts with 215, one shy of both his 2005 league-leading total and of the 2006 NL strikeout leader, Aaron Harang who logged 32 more innings than Peavy. In the playoffs, the Padres again faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round. As the game one starter, Peavy had a much stronger outing than his 2005 playoff game, but the Padres again lost to the Cardinals.

2007[link]

On July 1, 2007, for the second time in his career, Peavy was named to the 2007 NL All-Star Team. On July 9, he was named as the starting pitcher for the NL.

On August 2, 2007 Peavy struck out Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jeff DaVanon, for his 1000th career strikeout.

Peavy won the pitching Triple Crown in 2007, leading the National League with 19 wins, 240 strikeouts, and a 2.54 ERA. Since the divisional play era started in 1969, Peavy is only the eighth player to accomplish this feat.^[5] On October 23, Peavy won the Players Choice Award for Outstanding NL Pitcher.^[6] He added the NL Cy Young—as a unanimous choice—on November 15,^[7] becoming just the 10th National League player in history to win the Cy Young Award in a unanimous vote (Sandy Koufax was unanimously selected three times).^[8]

The completion of the 2007 campaign represented Peavy's sixth year in the league. Over that six-year period Peavy collected two strikeout champion awards, two major league ERA titles, and a unanimous, triple-crown Cy Young Award.

On December 12, 2007, he signed a 4 year extension, worth $52 million with the Padres.^[9] At the time the contract was the largest in Padres history. The contract includes a $22 million option for 2013.

2008[link]

On April 5, 2008, Peavy pitched a two-hit complete game over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The following day, still-images from FOX sports video feed from the game showed a dirty, brown substance on the index and middle fingers, along with his thumb. Manager Bud Black defended Peavy saying that "it was a mixture of dirt and rosin". In the two games immediately following the report, Peavy posted a 1–0 record with a 1.92 ERA. In May he went on the DL with a sore throwing elbow. He returned on June 12 and pitched six shutout innings with four strikeouts. He ended 2008 with only a 10–11 record, but had one of the lowest run support per start of any pitcher in the league, and finished the season with a 2.85 ERA.

Peavy had been the subject of numerous trade rumors during the 2008 offseason,^[10] amidst reports that the Padres were looking to reduce salaries and build on young players for the future. In November 2008, Peavy added the New York Yankees to the list of teams he would accept a trade to. The list included several teams from the NL including the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Houston Astros. Peavy preferred to be in the NL, so the Yankees would not be involved. The Astros and Cardinals decided they would not pursue Peavy after talking with GM Kevin Towers on what they would have to give up.

In November 2008, the Padres were working with the Braves on a Peavy trade, in which Peavy would be traded to Atlanta for SS Yunel Escobar, OF Gorkys Hernandez, P Blaine Boyer and one of P Charlie Morton or P Jo-Jo Reyes.^[11] The Padres wanted the two top prospects in the organization as well, pitcher Tommy Hanson and outfielder Jordan Schafer, but after a few weeks, the Braves decided to move on to bring in a few free agents.

2009, first half[link]

Peavy in spring training pitched 14 total innings with no runs allowed, 10 strikeouts and no walks.^[12] Peavy rejected a trade to the Chicago White Sox, which included Aaron Poreda and Clayton Richard, saying that remaining in San Diego was best for him and his family.^[13] On May 22, Peavy hurt his ankle rounding third base against the Chicago Cubs in a start where he earned the win with 6 scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts a day after rejecting a trade to the White Sox. On June 12, Peavy learned he had a strained tendon in the back of his ankle, suffered in the May 22nd start. He was placed on the DL the same day. At the time of his injury, Peavy was 6-6 with 3.96 ERA and 92 strikeouts.

Chicago White Sox[link]

2009, second half[link]

On July 31, Peavy agreed to a trade to the Chicago White Sox in a last minute trade deadline day deal for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter.^[14]

In his first start for the White Sox, Peavy pitched 5 innings, giving up 3 runs (all earned), and striking out 5, getting the win against the Kansas City Royals. Peavy went 3-0 in his time with the White Sox compiling his year's record to 9-6, in his 2009 stint with the White Sox he shut out the Detroit Tigers on two occasions.

2010[link]

Peavy with Michael Mullen, 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

In 2010, Peavy got off to a rough start going 2-5 with a 6.05 ERA. Peavy then won five consecutive starts with a 1.99 ERA.

On July 6, while pitching in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Peavy injured his right arm and immediately walked off the field. He was diagnosed with a detached latissimus dorsi muscle in his back. He had surgery on July 14, 2010 at Rush Presbyterian Hospital in Chicago and missed the remainder of the season.^[15]

2011[link]

In 2011, Peavy had his worst season as a major leaguer. Due to various injuries and fatigue, Peavy was limited to only pitching in 19 games. Peavy started 18 games and came out of the bullpen once for the first time ever in his MLB career. Peavy finished the season posting a Win-Loss record of 7-7 with an ERA of 4.92 and 95 strikeouts.

2012[link]

Peavy was named the AL Pitcher of the Month for April, pitching 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 5 starts, all quality starts. Peavy threw 2 consecutive complete games and one shutout.^[16]

Scouting report[link]

Peavy's repertoire includes the command of a cut fastball (90-92 mph) two-seam fastballs (88-90 mph) and a four-seam fastball (93-97 mph), a hard slider (83-88 mph), a changeup (80-84 mph), and sports an occasional curveball (74-76 mph).

In his most successful games, Peavy most comfortably uses his two-seam fastballs, throwing an occasional slider. With the idea of the two-seam fastball, Peavy can control and run his fastball to both sides of the plate, cut it in and away from hitters, and make the fastball sink or fade, all in the high 80s-low 90s and can keep the hitters honest by spotting a four-seam fastball at 95 mph.

Since 2004 Peavy has posted the lowest WHIP of any Major Leaguer.^[17] Peavy's two-seam fastball acts primarily as a sinker and induces many ground balls.^[18] This can allow Peavy to induce many double plays when runners are on base. Peavy likes to run his fastballs in on lefties and make the pitch break back into the zone, similar to a power version of Greg Maddux's technique.

The natural movement of Peavy's pitches creates a heavier ball which helps to limit the number of home runs Peavy gives up, having allowed only 13 in over 220 innings in 2007.^[19]

Personal[link]

Peavy and his wife Katie have three sons. Jacob Edward II, born on June 20, 2001, Wyatt, born on May 24, 2004, and Judson Lee born in 2008.^{[citation needed]}

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
• List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
• List of Major League Baseball wins champions
• List of Major League Baseball Cy Young Award winners
• Triple crown

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jake Peavy

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

Gordon Beckham
Chicago White Sox – No. 15
Second Baseman
Born: (1986-09-16) September 16, 1986 (age 25) Atlanta, Georgia
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 4, 2009 for the Chicago White Sox
Career statistics (through May 28, 2012)
Batting average	.246
Home runs	38
Runs batted in	170
Teams
Chicago White Sox (2009-present)
Career highlights and awards
2009 AL Rookie of the Month award for July 2009 Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year

Gordon Beckham III (born September 16, 1986 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a baseball infielder, who plays for the Chicago White Sox.

Personal life[link]

Growing up in Atlanta, Gordon Beckham played quarterback and free safety for The Westminster Schools (like his father, Gordon Beckham Jr., who went on to play quarterback for the University of South Carolina). His mother also attended the University of South Carolina, where she was a cheerleader for both football and basketball. In 2004, Gordon led the Westminster Wildcats to their first and only undefeated season, breaking his father's single-season record for touchdown passes by one in the process. Beckham was given 1st Team All-State honors as both a junior for Free-Safety and then as a senior for Quarterback. He played under coach Gerry Romberg. Beckham was an honorary member of the Chi Phi Fraternity while attending the University of Georgia. Gordon also has two younger sisters, Gwen (22), and Grace (19).

College[link]

As a freshman in 2006, Beckham started all 81 games at shortstop, helping to lead the University of Georgia Bulldogs to the College World Series. He was named a Freshman All-American that year. As a sophomore, he started all 56 games that Georgia played. As a junior, he was the only unanimous selection to the All-SEC First Team and was selected as the SEC Player of the Year. He was also selected as an All-American, an Academic All-American, a Finalist for the NCAA Player of the Year and a Finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. He led the NCAA in home runs that year, setting the school's single season home run record (26) and tied the school record for most home runs in a career (51) against NC State on June 8, 2008 in the deciding third game of the Super Regionals that sent Georgia to the College World Series. The home run came on his last at-bat at his home Foley Field, after which he received a curtain call. On June 25, 2008 with his last at bat as a college player, Beckham tied Matt Clark of LSU as the 2008 season home run leader (28). He finished college with 53 home runs, the most ever by a player at the University of Georgia.

Professional career[link]

Minor Leagues[link]

Beckham was selected eighth overall in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago White Sox. Considered the number 1 rated prospect in the Chicago White Sox system at the start of the 2009 season according to Baseball America,^[1] Beckham played in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Saguaros. He lit up the AFL, hitting .394 with 3 HRs and a .468 OBP in 66 at-bats.^[2] He continued to impress in Spring Training, hitting .270 with 2 HR and 6 RBI in 37 at-bats.^[3] He forced his way into contention for the Sox' 25-man opening day roster, but it was eventually decided that he should start the season at the Sox' Double-A affiliate, the Birmingham Barons. After batting .299 over 38 games with the Barons, Beckham was promoted to Class AAA Charlotte Knights on May 27, 2009 and switched from his natural position at shortstop to third base. This was seen as a clear indication that he was being prepared for a Major League call-up, as White Sox third baseman Josh Fields was struggling at the plate and on defense.^[4]

Major League[link]

Chicago White Sox[link]

On June 3, 2009, the White Sox purchased Beckham's contract, adding him to the major league roster after he had hit .326 with 23 doubles, four home runs and 25 RBI in 175 at-bats between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. Thus, Beckham reached the Majors 364 days after he was selected by the White Sox. He became the second position player from his draft class, behind the Giants' Conor Gillaspie, to make his MLB debut when, on June 4, 2009, he started at third base for the White Sox against the Oakland Athletics. In his debut Beckham went 0-3 with a strikeout and reached on a fielder's choice. He became the Sox' everyday starting third baseman, due to Josh Fields, and utility infielder Wilson Betemit's inadequacies at the plate and on defense. He struggled initially in the Major Leagues, going 2-for-28 over his first eight games. He got his first MLB hit, a single to center field, in his 14th at-bat on June 9, 2009 at U.S. Cellular Field, after which he received a standing ovation from the home crowd. On June 20, 2009, Beckham hit his first major league home run, a three-run shot in the fourth inning of the annual MLB Civil Rights Game, off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto. Beckham's milestone home run came while the Reds were ahead 5-0, and sparked a comeback victory for the Sox. On June 27, 2009, Beckham hit a walk-off single with two men on and two out in the bottom of the 9th inning against the crosstown rival Chicago Cubs, his first walk-off hit. On June 29, 2009, Beckham went 3 for 3 with a walk and 2 RBIs as the Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 6 to 3.^[5] Beckham uses The Outfield's hit song Your Love as his walk-up song as he did at The University of Georgia.

On October 20, 2009, Beckham was named the Sporting News' 2009 American League Rookie of the Year, as selected by a panel of 338 major league players, 22 managers and 31 general managers and assistant general managers. On October 26, 2009 Beckham was voted the American League Rookie of the Year by the MLBPA, which is voted on in September by every player on a major league roster.

References[link]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/beckhgo01.shtml

External links[link]

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