Carlos Zambrano

Born: 6/1/1981 in Puerto Cabello, Carabobo, Venezuela

MLB Debut: 2001-08-20 | Final Game: 2012-09-21

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 275 lbs

Full name: Carlos Alberto Zambrano

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Carlos Zambrano, born in 1981, was a prominent Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 2001 to 2012. Primarily known for his powerful right arm and intense competitive spirit, Zambrano made a significant impact during his tenure, particularly with the Chicago Cubs. He finished his career with a record of 132 wins and 91 losses, complemented by a 3.66 earned run average (ERA) and an impressive 1,637 strikeouts. Despite his effectiveness on the mound, Zambrano never recorded a save, as he typically served as a starting pitcher, where he thrived for much of his career. Zambrano was selected to the All-Star Game three times, showcasing his status as one of the premier pitchers in the league during the 2000s. His ability to dominate games was often marked by his fierce demeanor and passion, making him a fan favorite and a key figure in Cubs history. Playing through an era that emphasized power hitting, Zambrano's contributions as a strikeout pitcher and his durability helped solidify his legacy in the game. His career, which concluded in 2012, left an indelible mark on baseball, particularly for those who followed the Cubs and witnessed his electrifying performances on the mound.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
132	91	354	302	10	5	0	1959.0	1709	797	161	898	1637	3.66	0

Career ERA 3.66 vs. league average 4.29 across their career seasons — 14.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
2001	CHC	NL	1	2	6	1	0	0	7.7	11	13	8	4	15.26	—	-
2002	CHC	NL	4	8	32	16	0	0	108.3	94	44	63	93	3.66	4.28 (+15%)	-
2003	CHC	NL	13	11	32	32	3	1	214.0	188	74	94	168	3.11	4.40 (+29%)	-
2004	CHC	NL	16	8	31	31	1	1	209.7	174	64	81	188	2.75	4.46 (+38%)	-
2005	CHC	NL	14	6	33	33	2	0	223.3	170	81	86	202	3.26	4.29 (+24%)	-
2006	CHC	NL	16	7	33	33	0	0	214.0	162	81	115	210	3.41	4.53 (+25%)	-
2007	CHC	NL	18	13	34	34	1	0	216.3	187	95	101	177	3.95	4.47 (+12%)	-
2008	CHC	NL	14	6	30	30	1	1	188.7	172	82	72	130	3.91	4.32 (+10%)	-
2009	CHC	NL	9	7	28	28	1	1	169.3	155	71	78	152	3.77	4.32 (+13%)	-
2010	CHC	NL	11	6	36	20	0	0	129.7	119	48	69	117	3.33	4.08 (+18%)	-
2011	CHC	NL	9	7	24	24	0	0	145.7	154	78	56	101	4.82	3.94 (-22%)	-
2012	MIA	NL	7	10	35	20	1	1	132.3	123	66	75	95	4.49	4.01 (-12%)	-1547.7

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
384	693	75	165	26	3	24	71	1	10	240	0.238	0.248	0.388	0.636	-1477.7

Career AVG .238 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 9.3% below league average.

Career OBP .248 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 25.1% below league average.

Career SLG .388 vs. league average .417 across their career seasons — 7.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.636 vs. league average 0.748 across their career seasons — 15.0% 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
2001	CHC	NL	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2002	CHC	NL	32	30	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	15	0.033	—	—	—	—	0.0
2003	CHC	NL	32	75	9	18	5	0	2	6	0	1	26	0.240	.264 (-9%)	.332 (-25%)	.422 (-8%)	.754 (-16%)	-226.2
2004	CHC	NL	31	70	8	16	1	0	1	5	0	3	29	0.229	.266 (-14%)	.335 (-23%)	.427 (-33%)	.762 (-29%)	-363.7
2005	CHC	NL	34	80	8	24	6	2	1	6	0	0	25	0.300	.264 (+13%)	.330 (-9%)	.418 (+10%)	.749 (+2%)	-15.4
2006	CHC	NL	37	73	9	11	0	0	6	11	1	1	27	0.151	.269 (-44%)	.336 (-52%)	.431 (-8%)	.768 (-27%)	-400.7
2007	CHC	NL	37	81	9	20	2	0	2	5	0	0	29	0.247	.268 (-8%)	.335 (-26%)	.422 (-18%)	.758 (-22%)	-323.5
2008	CHC	NL	38	83	9	28	4	1	4	14	0	0	24	0.337	.263 (+28%)	.333 (+1%)	.416 (+33%)	.749 (+19%)	236.0
2009	CHC	NL	35	69	7	15	5	0	4	11	0	1	28	0.217	.262 (-17%)	.332 (-32%)	.417 (+11%)	.750 (-8%)	-147.7
2010	CHC	NL	42	52	5	12	0	0	1	6	0	2	15	0.231	.257 (-10%)	.325 (-22%)	.402 (-28%)	.728 (-25%)	-236.4
2011	CHC	NL	25	44	8	14	2	0	2	5	0	2	14	0.318	—	—	—	—	0.0
2012	MIA	NL	35	34	3	6	0	0	1	2	0	0	8	0.176	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
5	10	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	6	0.100

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	H	2B	BB	SO	AVG
2008	NLDS1	CHN	1	1	0	0	1	0	0.000
2007	NLDS1	CHN	1	3	1	1	0	1	0.333
2003	NLCS	CHN	2	3	0	0	0	3	0.000
2003	NLDS2	CHN	1	3	0	0	0	2	0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	2	5	5	0	29.0	35	14	8	27	4.34

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2008	NLDS1	CHN	1	1	1	6.3	6	3	2	7	4.26
2007	NLDS1	CHN	0	1	1	6.0	4	1	1	8	1.50
2003	NLCS	CHN	1	2	2	11.0	14	7	5	8	5.73
2003	NLDS2	CHN	0	1	1	5.7	11	3	0	4	4.76

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	354	302	168	290	25	29

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2001	CHN	P	6	1	0	2	0	1
2002	CHN	P	32	16	8	26	0	4
2003	CHN	P	32	32	19	46	4	2
2004	CHN	P	31	31	18	29	2	2
2005	CHN	P	33	33	21	34	2	4
2006	CHN	P	33	33	12	33	4	4
2007	CHN	P	34	34	20	28	1	1
2008	CHN	P	30	30	21	20	3	1
2009	CHN	P	28	28	19	23	3	2
2010	CHN	P	36	20	10	19	3	1
2011	CHN	P	24	24	8	12	1	5
2012	MIA	P	35	20	12	18	2	2

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Pitcher	354

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
2009	Silver Slugger	P
2008	Player of the Week	Week of 2008-09-13
2008	Silver Slugger	P
2007	Pitcher of the Month	July
2006	Pitcher of the Month	July
2006	Silver Slugger	P
2004	Pitcher of the Month	September

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
2012	MIA	NL	$19,000,000
2011	CHN	NL	$18,875,000
2010	CHN	NL	$18,875,000
2009	CHN	NL	$18,750,000
2008	CHN	NL	$16,000,000
2007	CHN	NL	$12,400,000
2006	CHN	NL	$6,500,000
2005	CHN	NL	$3,760,000
2004	CHN	NL	$450,000
2003	CHN	NL	$340,000
Total Career Earnings			$114,950,000