Daniel Ray Herrera (born October 21, 1984) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

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

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. Herrera became well known among baseball fans both for his small stature and for his unique pitch repertoire. He was one of the smallest pitchers in recent

history at 5' 6", and one of the few to throw a true

screwball A screwball is a baseball and fastpitch softball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action. The pitch is sometimes known a ...

Playing career

Herrera attended Permian High School in Odessa, Texas. Undrafted out of high school, he was chosen by the Texas Rangers in the 45th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft out of the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

, where he played for the

New Mexico Lobos baseball New Mexico Lobos baseball is a college baseball program of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Lobos have won three conference tournaments, finished first in regular season conference play eight times, and appeared in the ...

team. It was in college that Herrera developed his screwball (out of dissatisfaction with his changeup). DSC06147 Daniel Ray Herrera

Cincinnati Reds

On December 21, , Herrera was traded by the Rangers along with Edinson Vólquez to the

for Josh Hamilton. He made his Major League debut on June 3, , pitching a scoreless inning. Entering the game with men on base and no outs, he induced Shane Victorino to ground out, and after an intentional walk to Chase Utley he

struck out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denot ...

both

Ryan Howard Ryan James Howard (born November 19, 1979), nicknamed "the Big Piece", is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Howard spent his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, from to . He is ...

and Pat Burrell. Two days after his debut, he was optioned back to AAA Louisville to make room on the roster for starting pitcher Homer Bailey. He was briefly recalled again on June 10, 2008; however, he was sent down just four days later when pitcher

Gary Majewski Gary Wayne Majewski (; born February 26, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, and Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Career Majewski gradua ...

returned from the

bereavement list Major League Baseball transactions are changes made to the roster of a major league team during or after the season. They may include waiving, releasing, and trading players, as well as assigning players to minor league teams. Active, expanded, a ...

. He made just one appearance during his second stint, pitching two innings while giving up three runs on four hits, striking out two. In 2009, Herrera made the Reds out of spring training. He recorded his first victory of his career on June 16, 2009 after relieving

Aaron Harang Aaron Michael Harang (born May 9, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariner ...

in the top of the third inning following an extended rain delay. He pitched three scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out two.

Milwaukee Brewers

On May 23, 2011, Herrera was claimed off waivers by the

and optioned to the

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

. He was designated for assignment on June 17, after making two appearances with Milwaukee.

New York Mets

On September 1, 2011, Herrera was named as one of the

players to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

that completed the July 12, 2011 trade for Francisco Rodríguez. On January 9, 2012, the Mets placed Herrera on waivers. On April 3, 2012 he was optioned to the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. The Mets released Herrera in March 2013.

Camden Riversharks

Herrera signed with the

Camden Riversharks The Camden Riversharks were an American professional baseball team based in Camden, New Jersey, from 2001 to 2015. They were a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not at that time affiliat ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

for the 2014 season. He became a free agent after the 2015 season.

Pitching style

Herrera threw six pitches. He had three fastballs — a four-seamer (83–86 mph, topped out at 88), a two-seamer (82–85), and a cutter (81–84) — as well as a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

(75–78), a changeup (75–77), and a screwball (67–70). Herrera threw all of his pitches to hitters from both sides of the plate, with the exception of the changeup (which was only used against right-handed hitters). The screwball was his most common pitch in 2-strike counts, especially to righties. His most common pitch against left-handers as a whole was his curveball.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herrera, Daniel 1984 births Living people Cincinnati Reds players Milwaukee Brewers players New York Mets players Baseball players from Texas People from Odessa, Texas Major League Baseball pitchers Arizona League Rangers players Bakersfield Blaze players Frisco RoughRiders players Surprise Rafters players Chattanooga Lookouts players Louisville Bats players Nashville Sounds players New Mexico Lobos baseball players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Screwball pitchers Long Island Ducks players Somerset Patriots players Águilas de Mexicali players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Camden Riversharks players La Crosse Loggers players