Carlos Mármol

Infobox MLB player


width = 150
name = Carlos Mármol
team = Chicago Cubs
number = 49
position = Relief pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1982|10|14
birthplace = Bonao, Dominican Republic
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = June 4
debutyear = 2006
debutteam = Chicago Cubs
statyear = September 30, 2008
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value = 12-12
stat2label = Earned run average
stat2value = 3.43
stat3label = Strikeouts
stat3value = 269
teams =
*Chicago Cubs (by|2006-present)
awards =
* 1x All-Star selection by|2008

Carlos Agustín Mármol (born October 14, 1982 in Bonao, Dominican Republic) is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Chicago Cubs. He is primarily used as a 7th and 8th inning setup man.

Pitching Style

Mármol delivers with a sidearm motion from the stretch and is noted for his excellent ability to hide the ball. He throws two pitches, a hard tailing fastball from 90 to 96 mph and a slider. The slider is his most effective pitch, and he can throw it such that it is effectively three different pitches - a straight slider, a curveball, and a sweeping breaking ball that moves sharply down and away from right-handed hitters. While Mármol occasionally struggles with command of his fastball, it has excellent late movement when he is able to throw it potently.

Major League Career

Before Mármol became a pitcher for the Cubs, he started his career as a catcher/outfielder. After batting .273 in 14 minor league games, he converted to a pitcher. He went 26-19 with a 3.41 ERA before being called up to the majors and being added to the roster in 2005.

2006 Season

Mármol made his major league debut on June 4, 2006 against the St. Louis Cardinals in a relief appearance. He pitched two scoreless innings and gave up only one hit while striking out three. He made his second appearance of his career against the Houston Astros where he again pitched two innings and struck out three batters.

After Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood was placed on the disabled list for the second time of the season, Mármol was called on to make a spot start due to his efforts against the Cardinals and Astros. He joined Rich Hill, Ángel Guzmán, Sean Marshall, and Jae Kuk Ryu as one of the five Cubs rookies to make a start for the 2006 Chicago Cubs campaign. On June 11, against the Cincinnati Reds, he had an excellent outing in his first Major League start. He allowed just one run on two hits, struck out seven and walked three in an eventual 9-3 Cubs victory. He went on to make 19 appearances and 13 starts in the 2006 season. It was an up and down first season and he scuffled down the stretch posting a 6.08 ERA in 77 innings.

2007 Season

Mármol returned to the major leagues in 2007 as a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. Due to an injury to Cubs closer Ryan Dempster, Mármol was called upon to pitch in the ninth inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies on June 27, 2007 [Gano, Rick, [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=270627116 Chi Cubs 6, Colorado 4] , Yahoo! Sports, Retrieved on August 17, 2007] . He pitched a scoreless frame, recording two strikeouts, for his first major league save. In his second season, he flourished in the bullpen as a setup 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 only Seattle Mariners closer J. J. Putz and Los Angeles Dodgers closer Takashi Saito.

2008-Present

Entering the 2008 season, Mármol was in a tight battle for the Cubs closer spot that was now vacant with former closer Ryan Dempster moving to the starting rotation. He competed with Kerry Wood and Bob Howry for the spot, and while both he and Wood had solid numbers in the spring, manager Lou Piniella opted for the veteran Wood to close and kept Marmol in the setup role he excelled at in 2007. With Wood suffering from a blister, Marmol was selected to replace him at the All-Star Game and pitched a scoreless 13th inning of relief in an eventual 15-inning American League victory.

References

External links

* [http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/player.jsp?player_id=461791 Cubs.com Profile]
* [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7789 Yahoo! Sports Profile]