Cy Young Profile: David Price, 2012

Pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays

 

Age:  27 (Aug. 26)

4^th season with Rays

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 6’5”    Weight: 215

Prior to 2012:

A native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Price received Rutherford County Male Athlete of the Year recognition three times while a student at Blackman High School. Moving on to Vanderbilt University, he had a 2.86 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 69.1 innings pitched as a freshman. He was 9-5 as a sophomore and led the Southeastern Conference with 110 strikeouts in 110 innings. 11-0 as a junior in 2007 he was named SEC Pitcher of the Year and won the Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s best amateur baseball player. Chosen first overall by Tampa Bay in the 2007 amateur draft, he signed for six years and $11.25 million. An elbow strain delayed the start of his 2008 season with Vero Beach of the Class A Florida State League, but he rapidly advanced through Class AA and AAA, producing a combined record of 12-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 109.2 innings. He received a September call-up to Tampa Bay and earned a spot on the postseason roster, contributing a solid relief performance in the Rays’ only win against Philadelphia in the World Series. With command of a fastball and slider, Price started the 2009 season in Class AAA but moved into the Rays’ starting rotation in short order, starting 23 games and compiling a 10-7 tally with a 4.42 ERA and 102 strikeouts over 128.1 innings. He broke out in 2010 by going 19-6 with a 2.72 ERA and 188 strikeouts in 208.2 innings pitched. He was an All-Star for the first time and finished second in league Cy Young voting, although he lost both of his starts in the ALDS matchup with Texas. Price was an All-Star once again in 2011, although his record dipped to 12-13 along with a 3.49 ERA and 218 strikeouts.   

2012 Season Summary

Appeared in 31 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 31

Games Started – 31 [17, tied with six others]

Complete Games – 2 [10, tied with seven others]

Wins – 20 [1, tied with Jered Weaver]

Losses – 5

PCT - .800 [1, tied with Jered Weaver]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 1 [7, tied with seventeen others]

Innings Pitched – 211 [8]

Hits – 173

Runs – 63

Earned Runs – 60

Home Runs – 16

Bases on Balls – 59 [17, tied with Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Harrison & Luis Mendoza]

Strikeouts – 205 [6]

ERA – 2.56 [1]

Hit Batters – 5

Balks – 1 [20, tied with many others]

Wild Pitches – 8 [12, tied with six others]

League-leading ERA was -0.08 lower than runner-up Justin Verlander

Midseason Snapshot: 11-4, ERA – 2.82, SO - 105 in 111.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 13 (in 9 IP) at Boston 9/25

10+ strikeout games – 4

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 8 IP) vs. Baltimore 8/5, (in 7IP) vs. Cleveland 7/19

Most strikeouts, game – 13 (in 9 IP) at Boston 9/25

10+ strikeout games – 4

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 8 IP) vs. Baltimore 8/5, (in 7IP) vs. Cleveland 7/19

Batting

PA – 5, AB – 4, R – 0, H – 0, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 1, SO – 2, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .000, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 37

Put Outs – 6

Assists – 28

Errors – 3

DP – 4

Pct. - .919

Awards & Honors:

AL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

AL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star

12^th in AL MVP voting (26 points, 7% share)

AL Cy Young voting (top 5):

David Price, TB: 153 points – 14 of 28 first place votes, 78% share

Justin Verlander, Det.: 149 points – 13 first place votes, 76% share

Jered Weaver, LAA: 70 points – 36% share

Felix Hernandez, Sea.: 41 points – 21% share

Fernando Rodney, TB: 38 points – 1 first place vote, 19% share

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Rays went 90-72 to finish third in the AL Eastern Division, 5 games behind the division-winning New York Yankees. The pitching staff led the league in ERA (3.19), strikeouts (1383), fewest hits allowed (1233), and fewest runs allowed (577). The Rays started fast with a three-game sweep of the Yankees at home, on their way to a 15-8 April that had them briefly leading the AL East. They remained in contention through a 14-14 May but dropped to third during June after being swept by the New York Mets in a three-game series and were 10.5 games back by July 18. A 17-11 August pulled them back into contention but a 17-10 September that included an 8-game winning streak was not enough to catch the Yankees or secure a Wild Card slot.  

Aftermath of 2012:

Price got off to a slow start in 2013 and a triceps strain put him on the disabled list for 47 days and upon his return he relied less on his fastball and finished with a 10-8 record, including 4 complete games over 27 starts with a 3.33 ERA and 151 strikeouts. Back in good form in 2014, although the Rays struggled, Price was 11-8 with a 3.11 ERA when he was dealt to Detroit at the trade deadline. He ended up with a combined tally of 15-12 with a 3.26 ERA and led the American League with 271 strikeouts and 248.1 innings pitched. Price started out strong with a mediocre Detroit club in 2015 and was again traded just prior to the end-of-July deadline, this time to the Toronto Blue Jays for three players. 9-4 at the time of the deal, he went 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA for the Blue Jays to finish with a combined record of 18-5 and a league-leading 2.45 ERA with 225 strikeouts. Less dominant in the postseason, he departed the Blue Jays as a free agent and signed with the Boston Red Sox for seven years and $217 million. With the first-place Red Sox in 2016, Price produced a 17-9 record with a relatively high 3.99 ERA over an AL-best 230 innings. He also topped the circuit by allowing 227 hits and struggled in the postseason as Boston was swept by Cleveland in the ALDS. Pain in his elbow caused Price to not make his first 2017 appearance until May and, limited to 74.2 innings, he finished at 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA. He rebounded in 2018 with a 16-7 tally and 3.58 ERA with 177 strikeouts in 176 innings pitched. Boston won the AL pennant and, overcoming years of disappointment in the postseason, Price was at his best in the World Series against the Dodgers, going 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA, including the decisive victory in Game 5. In 2019, elbow tendinitis limited him to 22 starts and a 7-5 mark and 4.28 ERA. In the offseason, he and outfielder Mookie Betts were dealt to the Dodgers in a blockbuster trade. Price chose to opt out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Returning to action in 2021, he was utilized primarily out of the bullpen and went 5-2 over the course of 39 appearances and 73.2 innings with a 4.03 ERA. Used exclusively as a reliever by the Dodgers in 2022 and beset by injuries, he appeared in 40 games and went 2-0 with 2 saves and a 2.45 ERA. As a free agent, he made clear his intention to not pitch in 2023, putting the future of his playing career in doubt. For his major league career through 2022, Price has compiled a 157-82 record with a 3.32 ERA, 17 complete games, 3 shutouts, and 2076 strikeouts in 2143.2 innings. With the Rays he went 82-47 with a 3.18 ERA, 10 complete games, 2 shutouts, and 1065 strikeouts in 1143.2 innings. Often experiencing problems in the postseason, Price pitched in a total of 23 games and was 5-9 with a 4.62 ERA and 91 strikeouts over 99.1 innings pitched. A five-time All-Star, he won two ERA titles and topped the AL in innings pitched twice.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.