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Craig Allen Dingman (born March 12, 1974 in Wichita, Kansas) is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed.

[edit] College career

Dingman attended Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.

[edit] Professional career

He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 36th round of the 1993 Major League Baseball draft and made his debut on June 30, 2000. On March 30, 2001, he was traded to the Colorado Rockies for Jorge DePaula. From 2002-2003, Dingman played in the Reds, Yankees, and Cubs organizations, and in Mexico.

Dingman signed with the Detroit Tigers organization as a minor league free agent before the start of the 2004 season. He earned a place in their bullpen that year, then took a large step forward in 2005, finishing with a 2-3 record and a 3.66 Earned run average. While playing catch with a teammate on February 4, 2006, however, his throwing hand spontaneously became pale and his arm lost all circulation from the elbow down.^[1] After being placed on blood-thinning medication, he was diagnosed with a torn artery in his right shoulder, which led to arterial bypass surgery later that month. The operation removed an artery from his right and transplanted it into the injured shoulder, re-routing blood around the damaged vessel. It was the first procedure of its kind in the history of Major League Baseball.^[2] He is expected to make a full recovery and return to pitching in 2007.^[3]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube