Scott Schoeneweis

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Scott Schoeneweis

New York Mets — No. 60
Relief Pitcher
Born: October 2, 1973 (1973-10-02) (age 34)
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
Major League Baseball debut
April 7, 1999 for the Anaheim Angels
Selected MLB statistics (through May 3, 2008)
Win-Loss	43-50
Earned Run Average	4.99
Strikeouts	510
Teams
Anaheim Angels (1999-2003) Chicago White Sox (2003-2004) Toronto Blue Jays (2005-2006) Cincinnati Reds (2006) New York Mets (2007-present)

Scott David Schoeneweis [SHOW-en-WEISS] (born October 2, 1973, in Long Branch, New Jersey) is an American left-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He plays for the New York Mets.

In the five seasons from 2003-2007, Schoeneweis allowed only one home run to a left-handed batter. Left-handed hitters batted .209, with a .264 slugging percentage and .293 on base percentage, in 227 plate appearances against him from 2005-2006,^[1] and then only .207 with a .241 slugging percentage in 2007.

[edit] Early life

Schoenweiss was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, and grew up in Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey.^[2]

[edit] High school

Schoeneweis attended Lenape High School in Medford, New Jersey, where he lettered in baseball and basketball.^[2]

[edit] Duke

He was an All-American as a freshman, with 12 wins at Duke University (2nd best in the school's history) in 1993.

[edit] Testicular cancer

Then, at age 19, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer while playing the summer league in Cape Cod. The cancer had already spread to his lymph nodes.[1] To get back on the field by January, he requested an aggressive course of chemotherapy consisting of 3 weeklong sessions.^{[citation needed]} He said he took "6 months of chemotherapy in 3 months," and commented that "it puts things in perspective."^[3] Schoeneweis overcame the cancer, losing 20 pounds in the process,^[4] and returned to the team the following season, but was unable to win a single game in his weakened condition.

[edit] Tommy John surgery

Then he blew out his pitching elbow, perhaps as a result of his loss in strength, and required Tommy John surgery. He lost his slider, and was only throwing an 80 mph fastball after reconstructive surgery.

He worked harder than ever, spending another summer of rehabilitation and lifting weights, and returned to pitch his senior year at Duke University, enjoying a sensational season with 10 wins, and graduating -- at the same time as the rest of his class -- with a history degree.

Schoeneweis finished as Duke's career leader with 30 wins and 51 games started, and is second on the school's all-time strikeouts list (315).

[edit] USA National Team

He played for the USA National Team in 1996.

[edit] Draft

He was drafted by the California Angels in the 3rd round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft.

[edit] Minor league career

From 1996-2000, in the minor leagues, Schoeneweis was 28-20.

In the 1997 Arizona Fall League, he went 3-2 with a 1.98 ERA for the Scottsdale Scorpions, finishing second in ERA behind Rolando Arrojo.

[edit] Major league career

[edit] Anaheim Angels (1999-2003)

Schoeneweis started his MLB career with the Anaheim Angels (now Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), where in 1999, he appeared in 31 games and finishing the year with a 1-1 record. His season was cut short by a torn medial collateral ligament in his left elbow .^{[citation needed]}

The next season he was used as a starting pitcher, pitching in 27 games, all starts, as he went 7-10 with a 5.45 ERA.

In 2001, during which the Angels continued using him as a starter (beginning with opening day, he won a career-high 10 games and finished with a 5.08 ERA. He hit 14 batters (3rd in the American League).

In 2002, Schoeneweis was used primarily as a reliever, though he did make 15 starts. He lowered his ERA to 4.88, and left-handed batters batted only .202 against him. He also won 9 games, while losing 8. At the conclusion of the season, the Angels captured the American League Wild Card and qualified for the postseason.

Schoeneweis appeared in 3 games versus the defending American League Champion New York Yankees, giving up 1 earned run. Anaheim took the series 3 games to 1 over the heavily favored New York team, and battled past the Minnesota Twins in the American League Championship Series in 5 games. Scott appeared in 1 of those games, and did not surrender a run in 0.2 innings pitched. In the World Series, Schoeneweis pitched in 2 games and held the San Francisco Giants off the scoreboard in the 2 innings he pitched. The Angels captured the World Series title in 7 games.

He started the 2003 season with the Angels.

[edit] Chicago White Sox (2003-04)

During the season he was dealt to the Chicago White Sox after appearing in 39 games, all in relief, for Anaheim. He was traded with Doug Nickle for Gary Glover, Scott Dunn, and Tim Bittner on July 30. He finished the year with a combined 3-2 record between the Angels and White Sox, to go along with his 4.18 ERA in 59 games.

He was the recipient of the 2003 Gene Autry Courage Award.

The next season he was used mainly as a starting pitcher by Chicago manager Ozzie Guillén, going 6-9. He held batters to a .111 batting average in games that were late and close.

ESPN reported in 2007, that in 2003 and 2004 Schoeneweis received six steroid shipments from Signature Pharmacy while playing for the Chicago White Sox. Schoeneweis denied the report, and told the New York Daily News that he has never heard of Signature Pharmacy or received shipments from Florida. ^[4]

[edit] Toronto Blue Jays (2005-06)

He was signed as a free agent by the Blue Jays on January 11, 2005, for $2,500,000, which was just under what he made the two previous seasons combined.

During the 2005 season he slipped on a just-watered field in Oakland, and his fellow Toronto pitchers buckled over in laughter. not realizing that Schoeneweis had just sustained the worst injury of his career. He tore a tendon behind his left knee, near his hamstring, and the tendon remained torn as he pitched over the next two years.[2]

He ended his first season in Canada with a 3-4 mark, and picked up his second career save. Schoeneweis’s ERA improved to 3.32. He also saw action in a career-high 80 games (2nd in the American League). The lefty was also among the league leaders in holds, with 35. Left-handed hitters batted a meager .188 against him. Righties, however, pounded him.

In 2006, he went 2-2 for Toronto with a high ERA of 6.51 in 55 games.

[edit] Cincinnati Reds (2006)

On August 16, Schoeneweis was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for cash. In 16 games for the Reds, he was 2-0 with 3 saves and an 0.63 ERA.

[edit] New York Mets (2007-current)

In January 2007, Schoeneweis agreed to a 3-year deal with the New York Mets worth $10.8 million.^[5] He struggled during the season, finishing with an 0-2 record, 2 saves, and a 5.03 ERA. He did, however, hold lefties to a .204 batting average and .247 slugging percentage, and held batters to a .221 batting average when men were on base, and a .150 batting average with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. In 2008 he pichted 4 times as of April 16.^[6]

[edit] Pitching

Schoeneweis has three pitches: a sinking 91-92 mph fastball and slider, which are his better pitches, and a changeup. He is a ground-ball pitcher and has been used many times as a lefty specialist.^[3]

[edit] Mitchell Report

The Baseball Commissioner's Office met with Schoeneweis to discuss the 2007 ESPN report's allegations. On December 6, 2007, the Commissioner's Office announced that there was insufficient evidence of a violation of the joint program in effect at the time of the conduct in question to warrant discipline of Schoeneweis.[3]

Schoeneweis said the Mets and other clubs he had played for were aware of his use, which was tied to his treatment of testicular cancer, and t the levels were within the limits established by the collective bargaining agreement. "I was just trying to get to normal, not above normal. It's all well-documented," Schoeneweis said.[4][5]

[edit] Miscellaneous

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Married, with three children.
• Actively involved in the Office of the White House National Drug Control Policy encouraging students to say no to drugs.
• He moved up to 4th all-time, having passed Sandy Koufax in 2007, of all Jewish major league pitchers in games played, and 9th in strikeouts, trailing only Ken Holtzman and David Roberts in both categories.^[7]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Jewish Major League career leaders
• Defensive gem
• "Warming up for the Jewish Boys of Summer," 3/5/08