Armando Benitez, baseball player, 1994-2008

Armando Benitez

Born: 11/3/1972 in Ramon Santana, San Pedro de Macorís, D.R.

MLB Debut: 1994-07-28 | Final Game: 2008-06-06

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Armando German Benitez

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Biography

Armando Benitez, born in 1972, was a prominent relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who made a significant impact during his career from 1994 to 2008. Known for his overpowering fastball and a slider that left many batters off-balance, Benitez became a key figure in the late-inning situations for several teams, most notably the New York Mets, Florida Marlins, and Baltimore Orioles. Over his 14-year career, he recorded a win-loss record of 40-47 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.13, showcasing his ability to dominate batters while often being called upon to close out games. Benitez was recognized for his contributions to the game with two All-Star selections, highlighting his status among the top relievers of his era. He amassed a total of 946 strikeouts and secured 289 saves, solidifying his reputation as one of the more effective closers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. His performances were integral in the evolution of the closer role, as teams increasingly relied on specialized relief pitchers during this period. Benitez’s career spanned the transition from the deadball era into a more modern style of play, characterized by powerful hitters and specialized bullpens, making his achievements particularly noteworthy within that context.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
40 47 762 0 0 0 289 779.0 545 271 95 403 946 3.13 0

Career ERA 3.13 vs. league average 4.47 across their career seasons — 29.9% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1994 BAL AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 10.0 8 1 4 14 0.90 4.51 (+80%) 671.5
1995 BAL AL 1 5 44 0 0 0 2 47.7 37 30 37 56 5.66 4.45 (-27%) -1357.0
1996 BAL AL 1 0 18 0 0 0 4 14.3 7 6 6 20 3.77 4.61 (+18%) 417.0
1997 BAL AL 4 5 71 0 0 0 9 73.3 49 20 43 106 2.45 4.39 (+44%) 2103.4
1998 BAL AL 5 6 71 0 0 0 22 68.3 48 29 39 87 3.82 4.43 (+14%) 84.2
1999 NYN NL 4 3 77 0 0 0 22 78.0 40 16 41 128 1.85 4.71 (+61%) 5177.0
2000 NYN NL 4 4 76 0 0 0 41 76.0 39 22 38 106 2.61 4.77 (+45%) 2343.3
2001 NYN NL 6 4 73 0 0 0 43 76.3 59 32 40 93 3.77 4.42 (+15%) 290.8
2002 NYN NL 1 0 62 0 0 0 33 67.3 46 17 25 79 2.27 4.28 (+47%) 1485.6
2003 NYN NL 3 3 45 0 0 0 21 49.3 41 17 24 50 3.10 4.40 (+30%) 770.2
2003 NYY AL 1 1 9 0 0 0 0 9.3 8 2 6 10 1.93 4.40 (+56%) -
2003 SEA AL 0 0 15 0 0 0 0 14.3 10 5 11 15 3.14 4.40 (+29%) 90.5
2004 MIA NL 2 2 64 0 0 0 47 69.7 36 10 21 62 1.29 4.46 (+71%) -
2005 SFG NL 2 3 30 0 0 0 19 30.0 25 15 16 23 4.50 4.29 (-5%) -
2006 SFG NL 4 2 41 0 0 0 17 38.3 39 15 21 31 3.52 4.53 (+22%) -
2007 SFG NL 0 3 19 0 0 0 9 17.3 17 9 9 18 4.67 4.47 (-4%) -
2007 MIA NL 2 5 36 0 0 0 0 33.0 32 21 20 39 5.73 4.47 (-28%) -
2008 TOR AL 0 1 8 0 0 0 0 6.3 4 4 2 9 5.68 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
762 8 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .000 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .424 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.000 vs. league average 0.760 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1994 BAL AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 BAL AL 44 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 BAL AL 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1997 BAL AL 71 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1998 BAL AL 71 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1999 NYN NL 77 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2000 NYN NL 76 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2001 NYN NL 73 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2002 NYN NL 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2003 NYN NL 45 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2003 NYY AL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2003 SEA AL 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2004 MIA NL 64 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2005 SFG NL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2006 SFG NL 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2007 SFG NL 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2007 MIA NL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 TOR AL 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2000 NLCS NYN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2000 NLDS2 NYN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2000 WS NYN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1999 NLCS NYN 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1999 NLDS2 NYN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1997 ALCS BAL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1997 ALDS2 BAL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1996 ALCS BAL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1996 ALDS1 BAL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 2 28 0 4 30.3 25 12 19 36 3.56

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2000 NLCS NYN 0 0 3 0 1 3.0 3 0 2 2 0.00
2000 NLDS2 NYN 1 0 2 0 0 3.0 4 2 1 3 6.00
2000 WS NYN 0 0 3 0 1 3.0 3 1 2 2 3.00
1999 NLCS NYN 0 0 5 0 1 6.7 3 1 2 9 1.35
1999 NLDS2 NYN 0 0 2 0 0 2.3 2 0 1 2 0.00
1997 ALCS BAL 0 2 4 0 0 3.0 3 4 4 6 12.00
1997 ALDS2 BAL 0 0 3 0 0 3.0 3 1 2 4 3.00
1996 ALCS BAL 0 0 3 0 1 2.3 3 2 3 2 7.71
1996 ALDS1 BAL 2 0 3 0 0 4.0 1 1 2 6 2.25

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 762 0 31 40 7 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1994 BAL P 3 0 0 1 0 0
1995 BAL P 44 0 1 0 1 1
1996 BAL P 18 0 1 1 1 0
1997 BAL P 71 0 1 3 0 0
1998 BAL P 71 0 3 5 0 0
1999 NYN P 77 0 2 6 0 0
2000 NYN P 76 0 2 2 0 0
2001 NYN P 73 0 4 4 0 0
2002 NYN P 62 0 2 8 2 0
2003 NYN P 45 0 3 1 0 0
2003 NYA P 9 0 1 0 0 0
2003 SEA P 15 0 2 0 0 0
2004 FLO P 64 0 4 3 1 0
2005 SFN P 30 0 2 2 1 0
2006 SFN P 41 0 1 2 0 0
2007 SFN P 19 0 1 1 0 0
2007 FLO P 36 0 1 1 1 0
2008 TOR P 8 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 762

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2001 Reliever of the Year Award
2001 TSN Reliever of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2007 SFN NL $9,866,219
2006 SFN NL $6,271,206
2005 SFN NL $4,966,667
2004 FLO NL $3,500,000
2003 NYN NL $6,937,500
2002 NYN NL $5,812,500
2001 NYN NL $5,812,500
2000 NYN NL $3,437,500
1999 NYN NL $2,037,500
1998 BAL AL $1,100,000
1997 BAL AL $275,000
1996 BAL AL $155,000
1995 BAL AL $125,000
1994 BAL AL $109,000
Total Career Earnings $50,405,592

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2004 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 3.0 448 0