John Bale
| IP | 173 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.682 |
| WHIP | 1.491 |
| BB/9 | 3.902 |
| SO/9 | 7.699 |
- Full name John Robert Bale
- Born 05/22/1974 in Cheverly, MD
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Southern Mississippi
- Debut 09/30/1999
- Drafted in the 5th round (129th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1996.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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After coming over from the Blue Jays in a trade for Jayson Werth following the 2000 season, Bale played winter ball in Venezuela, where he and a teammate were held up on New Year's Eve. A man pointed a sawed-off shotgun at Bale's head but ran off when a car came around the corner. Even with the scare, Bale posted a 1.21 ERA in 22 innings of relief for Lara and had a good spring to win a spot in the Baltimore bullpen. He was sent down after three weeks, then battled elbow tendinitis, a strained forearm and a strained oblique muscle the rest of the season. Bale was impressive when he did pitch, mixing a fastball that sits in the low 90s and touches 94 with a changeup and a plus curveball. When healthy, he has good command and can pile up big strikeout numbers. He performed well in a September callup and should make the Baltimore staff in 2002 as at least a swingman.
