James McDonald, baseball player, 2008-2013

James McDonald

Born: 10/19/1984 in Long Beach, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 2008-09-17 | Final Game: 2013-05-01

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: James Zell McDonald

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Biography

James McDonald was a professional baseball pitcher born in 1984, who played in Major League Baseball from 2008 until his retirement in 2013. He made his mark primarily as a starting pitcher and was known for his powerful arm and ability to generate strikeouts. Over the course of his career, McDonald compiled a record of 32 wins and 30 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.2. He struck out a total of 442 batters, showcasing his effectiveness on the mound during his tenure in a highly competitive era of baseball. McDonald’s career spanned a period marked by a transition in pitching styles and strategies, where power pitchers began to dominate the game. While he did not record any saves, his contributions to his teams were significant, especially in the starting rotation. His performances were characterized by a mix of fastballs and breaking pitches that made him a challenging opponent for hitters. McDonald's journey through the majors reflects the challenges and triumphs faced by many pitchers of his time, and he remains a notable figure in the discussion of pitchers from the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
32 30 131 82 1 0 0 512.3 487 239 56 231 442 4.20 0

Career ERA 4.20 vs. league average 4.09 across their career seasons — near 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
2008 LAD NL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6.0 5 0 1 2 0.00 — -
2009 LAD NL 5 5 45 4 0 0 0 63.0 60 28 34 54 4.00 4.32 (+7%) -
2010 LAD NL 0 1 4 1 0 0 0 7.7 11 7 5 7 8.22 — -
2010 PIT NL 4 5 11 11 0 0 0 64.0 59 25 24 61 3.52 4.08 (+14%) 1900.9
2011 PIT NL 9 9 31 31 0 0 0 171.0 176 80 78 142 4.21 3.94 (-7%) -3265.7
2012 PIT NL 12 8 30 29 1 0 0 171.0 147 80 69 151 4.21 4.01 (-5%) -846.1
2013 PIT NL 2 2 6 6 0 0 0 29.7 29 19 20 25 5.76 3.87 (-49%) -194.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
136 145 15 16 2 0 0 4 0 13 75 0.110 0.184 0.124 0.308 -940.7

Career AVG .110 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 57.2% below league average.

Career OBP .184 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 43.5% below league average.

Career SLG .124 vs. league average .406 across their career seasons — 69.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.308 vs. league average 0.731 across their career seasons — 57.9% 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
2008 LAD NL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2009 LAD NL 45 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2010 LAD NL 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2010 PIT NL 11 20 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 11 0.050 — — — — 0.0
2011 PIT NL 31 55 3 5 1 0 0 3 0 3 29 0.091 .255 (-64%) .320 (-57%) .399 (-73%) .719 (-66%) -604.1
2012 PIT NL 33 49 8 7 0 0 0 1 0 8 23 0.143 — — — — -336.6
2013 PIT NL 8 11 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.273 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 1 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
2008 NLCS LAN 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 2 0 0 5.3 3 0 2 7 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2008 NLCS LAN 0 0 2 0 0 5.3 3 0 2 7 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 131 82 34 47 4 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2008 LAN P 4 0 1 1 0 0
2009 LAN P 45 4 3 3 0 1
2010 LAN P 4 1 1 1 0 0
2010 PIT P 11 11 5 7 1 1
2011 PIT P 31 31 8 19 1 0
2012 PIT P 30 29 14 15 1 1
2013 PIT P 6 6 2 1 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 131

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2013 PIT NL $3,025,000
2012 PIT NL $502,500
2011 PIT NL $443,000
2009 LAN NL $400,750
Total Career Earnings $4,371,250

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Golden West College Huntington Beach CA 2003