Daniel Lee Kolb (born March 29, 1975) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Kolb has played for the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves,

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

, and

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. He bats and throws right-handed.

Career

Kolb was drafted by the Texas Rangers in and made his major league debut with Texas in 1999. He spent that season and the next three being shuttled between the Rangers and their

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

system. Released before the season, he signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he became the closer, converting 60 of 67 save opportunities in 2003 and 2004 and making the 2004 NL All-Star team. Before the 2005 season, the Atlanta Braves returned closer John Smoltz to his original starter role to compensate for several losses in their pitching rotation. The Braves traded pitchers José Capellán and

Alec Zumwalt Sean Alexander Zumwalt (born January 20, 1981) is an American professional baseball hitting coach for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. Zumwalt attended East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, North Carolina, and played for the ...

to the Brewers for Kolb to replace Smoltz in the bullpen. However, Kolb endured a poor season with the Braves, going 3-8 with a 5.93 ERA while recording only 11 saves before being replaced in the closer role by Chris Reitsma. He admitted following the '05 season that the pressure of replacing a legend like Smoltz played a big part in his ineffectiveness. At the 2005 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings, Kolb was traded back to Milwaukee in exchange for reliever Wes Obermueller. He signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Brewers on January 4, 2006 to serve as a setup man to Derrick Turnbow. He finished the year with a 2-2 record and a 4.84 ERA in 53 games. He declared free agency on November 1, 2006 and signed a minor league contract with the

on February 3, . On March 29, he was told he would not be added to the major league roster to start the season. On June 12, the Pirates recalled Kolb from Triple-A Indianapolis. Kolb was designated for assignment and was released from the Pirates after he declined the option to go to the minor leagues. Kolb signed a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training with the Boston Red Sox on January 22, 2008. He was released on April 26, 2008. Kolb graduated from Walnut High School in

Walnut, Illinois Walnut is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. People from Walnut are identified as “Walnutties” as a unique response to the demonym. The population was 1,311 at the 2020 census, down from 1,416 at the 2010 census and 1,461 at ...

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolb, Dan 1975 births Living people Baseball players from Illinois Major League Baseball pitchers Texas Rangers players Milwaukee Brewers players Atlanta Braves players Pittsburgh Pirates players National League All-Stars Gulf Coast Rangers players Charleston RiverDogs players Charlotte Rangers players Tulsa Drillers players Oklahoma RedHawks players Indianapolis Indians players Pawtucket Red Sox players Illinois State Redbirds baseball players People from Sterling, Illinois

Career

See also

References

External links