Carlos Mármol
Chicago Cubs — No. 49
Closer
Born: October 14, 1982 (1982-10-14) (age 27) Bonao, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 4, 2006 Marmol is currently 27 years old. for the Chicago Cubs
Career statistics (through September 17, 2009)
Win-Loss	14-15
Earned run average	3.42
Strikeouts	354
Saves	21
Teams
Chicago Cubs (2006-present)
Career highlights and awards
Midwest League All-Star (2004) Florida State League All-Star (2005) All-Star selection (2008)

Carlos Marmol pitching for the Chicago Cubs in 2009.

Carlos Agustín Mármol (born October 14, 1982, in Bonao, Dominican Republic) is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs. As of August 24, Mármol is the Cubs closer.

[edit] Minor league career

Mármol started his career as a catcher/outfielder. In his last season as a hitter, in 2002, he batted .258 with a .271 OBP for the Arizona Cubs in the Rookie League, and .149 with a .167 OBP for Lansing in the Low A League.

After batting .273 in 14 minor league games, Mármol converted to become a pitcher. He went 26-19 with a 3.41 ERA before being called up to the majors and being added to the major league roster in November 2005.^[1]

[edit] Major league career

[edit] 2006

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 one hit while striking out three.

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. He joined Rich Hill, Ángel Guzmán, Sean Marshall, Juan Mateo, Ryan O'Malley, and Jae Kuk Ryu as one of seven rookies to make a start for the 2006 Cubs. On June 11, against the Cincinnati Reds, 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, and walked 6.9 batters per 9 innings.

[edit] 2007

Mármol returned to the major leagues in 2007 as a relief pitcher for the 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.^[2] 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. He received one 10th place vote and came in 26th in the MVP award voting.

[edit] 2008

Entering the 2008 season, Mármol was in a tight battle for the Cubs closer spot that was now vacant with former closer Ryan Dempster having moved 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 Mármol in the setup role he excelled at in 2007. With Wood suffering from a blister, Mármol was selected to replace him at the All-Star Game, and pitched a scoreless 13th inning of relief in an eventual 15-inning National League loss.

[edit] 2009

Mármol competed with Kevin Gregg for the closer's role after the departure of Kerry Wood before the 2009 MLB season, but lost the role to Gregg.^[3]

In spring training in 2009 he led all pitchers in hit batsmen, with 5 (in 10.1 innings).[1] As of August 18, 2009, he was leading all NL pitchers in hbp in the regular season, with 11 (in 56.1 innings), and his 52 walks averaged over 8 walks per 9 innings.

However, after a series of disappointing appearances by Gregg in August, and after Gregg allowed 12 homers in 56⅓ innings (the most in the majors for a reliever), Piniella announced on August 18 that Mármol would replace Gregg as closer.^[4]

[edit] 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 90-96 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. Marmol is known to get himself in a jam by walking a batter or two, but he has a tendency to get out of it.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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