Joe Saunders, baseball player, 2005-2014

Joe Saunders

Born: 6/16/1981 in Falls Church, VA, USA

MLB Debut: 2005-08-16 | Final Game: 2014-09-26

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: Joseph Francis Saunders

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Biography

Joe Saunders, born in 1981, was a professional baseball pitcher who enjoyed a career spanning nearly a decade from 2005 to 2014. He was known for his consistency on the mound, finishing his career with a record of 89 wins and 86 losses, accompanied by an earned run average (ERA) of 4.37. Throughout his time in Major League Baseball, Saunders struck out 792 batters, showcasing his ability to overpower hitters while maintaining a competitive edge in games. He was selected as an All-Star once during his career, a testament to his performance and recognition among peers. Saunders played for several teams, including the Los Angeles Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Baltimore Orioles, and he was particularly noted for his durability and ability to pitch deep into games. His style was characterized by a solid mix of pitches that kept hitters off balance, earning him a reputation as a reliable starter in a league that was increasingly trending towards power pitching. Active during an era marked by both offensive explosions and the evolution of pitching strategies, Saunders contributed to his teams with a blend of experience and skill, leaving a lasting impact on the franchises he represented before retiring in 2014.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
89 86 235 229 9 3 0 1387.3 1533 674 179 439 792 4.37 0

Career ERA 4.37 vs. league average 4.16 across their career seasons — 5.2% worse 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
2005 LAA AL 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 9.3 10 8 4 4 7.71 4.29 (-80%) 0.0
2006 LAA AL 7 3 13 13 0 0 0 70.7 71 37 29 51 4.71 4.53 (-4%) 799.6
2007 LAA AL 8 5 18 18 0 0 0 107.3 129 53 34 69 4.44 4.47 (+1%) 572.2
2008 LAA AL 17 7 31 31 1 0 0 198.0 187 75 53 103 3.41 4.32 (+21%) -208.8
2009 LAA AL 16 7 31 31 1 1 0 186.0 202 95 64 101 4.60 4.32 (-6%) -4080.7
2010 LAA AL 6 10 20 20 2 1 0 120.7 135 62 45 64 4.62 4.08 (-13%) -1825.3
2010 AZ NL 3 7 13 13 1 0 0 82.7 97 39 19 50 4.25 4.08 (-4%) -
2011 AZ NL 12 13 33 33 1 0 0 212.0 210 87 67 108 3.69 3.94 (+6%) -
2012 AZ NL 6 10 21 21 1 1 0 130.0 146 61 31 89 4.22 4.01 (-5%) -
2012 BAL AL 3 3 7 7 0 0 0 44.7 49 18 8 23 3.63 4.01 (+10%) 279.8
2013 SEA AL 11 16 32 32 2 0 0 183.0 232 107 61 107 5.26 3.87 (-36%) -4056.6
2014 TEX AL 0 5 8 8 0 0 0 39.7 62 27 20 22 6.13 3.74 (-64%) -2491.9
2014 BAL AL 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 3.3 3 5 4 1 13.50 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
236 128 3 17 1 0 0 6 1 6 34 0.133 0.170 0.141 0.311 -399.5

Career AVG .133 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 48.9% below league average.

Career OBP .170 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 47.8% below league average.

Career SLG .141 vs. league average .410 across their career seasons — 65.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.311 vs. league average 0.736 across their career seasons — 57.8% 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
2005 LAA AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2006 LAA AL 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2007 LAA AL 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 LAA AL 31 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2009 LAA AL 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2010 LAA AL 20 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2010 AZ NL 13 23 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 8 0.087 — — — — 0.0
2011 AZ NL 33 61 2 12 1 0 0 4 0 2 15 0.197 .255 (-23%) .320 (-31%) .399 (-47%) .719 (-40%) -399.5
2012 AZ NL 21 35 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 7 0.086 — — — — 0.0
2012 BAL AL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2013 SEA AL 33 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2014 TEX AL 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2014 BAL AL 6 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
6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2012 ALDS1 BAL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2012 ALWC BAL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2011 NLDS2 ARI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
2009 ALCS LAA 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2008 ALDS1 LAA 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
1 1 6 6 0 29.3 32 14 17 17 4.30

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2012 ALDS1 BAL 0 0 1 1 0 5.7 3 1 4 5 1.59
2012 ALWC BAL 1 0 1 1 0 5.7 6 1 1 4 1.59
2011 NLDS2 ARI 0 0 1 1 0 3.0 5 3 2 1 9.00
2009 ALCS LAA 0 1 2 2 0 10.3 13 5 6 5 4.35
2008 ALDS1 LAA 0 0 1 1 0 4.7 5 4 4 2 7.71

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 235 229 60 227 5 18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2005 LAA P 2 2 0 0 0 0
2006 LAA P 13 13 1 10 0 3
2007 LAA P 18 18 3 14 0 0
2008 LAA P 31 31 8 33 0 3
2009 LAA P 31 31 7 24 1 3
2010 LAA P 20 20 2 35 1 1
2010 ARI P 13 13 4 11 0 0
2011 ARI P 33 33 13 36 0 2
2012 ARI P 21 21 11 17 1 1
2012 BAL P 7 7 1 6 0 1
2013 SEA P 32 32 8 35 1 3
2014 TEX P 8 8 2 5 1 1
2014 BAL P 6 0 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 235

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2013 SEA AL $6,000,000
2012 ARI NL $6,000,000
2011 ARI NL $5,500,000
2010 LAA AL $3,700,000
2009 LAA AL $475,000
2008 LAA AL $425,000
2007 LAA AL $380,000
Total Career Earnings $22,480,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg VA 2000, 2001, 2002