Jeremy Allen Bonderman (born October 28, 1982) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
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 ...
. Bonderman batted and threw
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
.
High school
Bonderman attended
Pasco High School in
Pasco, Washington
Pasco ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 59,781 at the 2010 census, and 75,432 as of the July 1, 2019 Census Bureau estimate.
Pasco is one of three cities (the others b ...
. In his last year of high school
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
, he went 5–2 and recorded a 3.60
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA). He is the only high school junior ever to be
drafted with a first round pick in baseball history. He had passed his
GED
The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...
tests and successfully petitioned
Major League Baseball (MLB) to become draft-eligible.
Professional career
Draft
Bonderman was drafted by the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
out of high school with the 26th pick in the
2001 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2001 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 5 and 6.
First round selections
Supplemental First Round Selections
Compensation Picks
Background
On June 1, 2001, Rolando Viera, a Cuban ba ...
, a selection that, according to Michael Lewis's ''
Moneyball'', caused Athletics general manager
Billy Beane
William Lamar Beane III (born March 29, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and current front office executive. He is the executive vice president of baseball operations and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics of Majo ...
to throw a chair through a wall in fury.
Traded from Oakland to Detroit
On July 6, 2002, Bonderman was involved in a three-team deal. The Athletics had sent
Carlos Peña
Carlos Felipe Peña (born May 17, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, C ...
, a player to be named later (who later became Bonderman), and
Franklyn Germán
Franklyn Miguel Germán Madé (born January 20, 1980) is a Dominican former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, and Texas Rangers over parts of six seasons.
Ca ...
to the Detroit Tigers. The
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
sent
Ted Lilly
Theodore Roosevelt Lilly III (born January 4, 1976) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Lilly attended Yosemite High School in Oakhurst, California, and Fresno City College. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Mont ...
,
John-Ford Griffin
John-Ford David Griffin (born November 19, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Early life
An All-State athlete at Sarasota High School, was part of a s ...
, and Jason Arnold to the Athletics. The Tigers sent
Jeff Weaver
Jeffrey Charles Weaver (born August 22, 1976) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. During his career, he pitched for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, St. Louis Cardinal ...
to the Yankees and cash to the Athletics.
Detroit Tigers
Bonderman debuted in the major leagues when he was 20 years old. His major league debut came against the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
, who scored six
runs in four innings. In his rookie campaign of
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
, the Tigers finished with the second-worst record in MLB history at 43–119 and came close to being the first team with two pitchers who each lost 20 games in a season since
Wilbur Wood
Wilbur Forrester Wood Jr. (born October 22, 1941) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In a 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he pitched for the Boston Red Sox (1961–64), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1964–65), and the Chi ...
and
Stan Bahnsen with the
1973 Chicago White Sox.
["Twins close in on title; Tigers close in on infamy," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Friday, September 19, 2003.](_blank)
Retrieved May 10, 2020 With a 6–18 record, he was removed from the starting rotation by manager
Alan Trammell on September 3. One night after
Mike Maroth
Michael Warren Maroth (born August 17, 1977) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) starting pitcher and current pitching coach for the UCF Knights. Born in Orlando, Florida, and after attending the University of Central Florida, th ...
lost his 21st of the year, Bonderman was reinstated into the rotation but cemented a 6–19 record as the losing pitcher in his last decision of the season in a 6–2 defeat to the Twins at the
Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League' ...
on September 19.
The next season, Bonderman went 11–13 with a 4.89 ERA. In 2005, he had a 14–13 record and a 4.57 ERA. Bonderman was the Tigers
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
starter for the 2005 season.
In 2006 Bonderman finished with a 14–8 record, his career best and posted a 4.08 ERA. He started game four of the
2006 American League Division Series
The 2006 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2006 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Saturday, October 7, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a " wild card" teamâ ...
against the Yankees. He pitched five perfect innings before giving up a
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
. He then pitched 3 more innings, surrendering only one run. Bonderman was the
winning
Winning may refer to:
* Victory
Film
* ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman
* '' Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams
Music
* ''Winning'', an album by Ten Foot Pole, 2022 ...
pitcher in the game that gave the Tigers the series. He pitched again in game four of the
2006 American League Championship Series
The 2006 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2006 American League playoffs, began on October 10 and ended on October 14. The wild card Detroit Tigers swept the West Division champion Oakland Athletics 4 games to ...
, pitching six innings and giving up three runs. The Tigers would go on to win the game and series for the
American League Pennant. In the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
, he pitched six innings giving up two runs. He left the game with the Tigers in the lead. However, the Tigers would ultimately lose the game, as well as the series the following day.
In 2007, Bonderman had the best start of his career, but after the all-star break he struggled only winning four games, finishing 11–9 with a 5.01 ERA. He finished second in the 2007 All-Star Game Final vote.
Bonderman missed most of the 2008 season because he had procedures done to remove a
blood clot
A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of c ...
in his
axillary vein
In human anatomy, the axillary vein is a large blood vessel that conveys blood from the lateral aspect of the thorax, axilla (armpit) and upper limb toward the heart. There is one axillary vein on each side of the body.
Structure
Its origin i ...
.
On June 13, 2009, five days after his only start of the season, Bonderman was placed on the disabled list indefinitely because of recurring pain in his pitching shoulder.
Bonderman started 29 games for the Tigers in 2010, going 8–10 with a league-worst 5.53 ERA. Following the season, he was granted free agency. ''
The Plain Dealer
''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday.
As of Ma ...
'' reported that the Indians had interest in Bonderman, but for only a minor league contract. Bonderman remained unsigned through the 2011 season.
Seattle Mariners
On December 21, 2012, Bonderman signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners. The deal included an invitation to spring training. He made his first start for the major league club on June 2, and took the loss in a 10–0 win by the Twins. On June 7, in his second start, he pitched three-hit ball for six innings to beat the New York Yankees and earn his first win since 2010. He was designated for assignment on July 8, 2013, following consecutive poor starts.
Return to Detroit
On July 14, 2013, Bonderman was signed to a minor league deal bringing him back to Detroit, playing for the
Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...
. On August 5, 2013, Bonderman was recalled from the Mud Hens, to join the Tigers bullpen.
In his first appearance back with Detroit, Bonderman pitched three innings of scoreless relief in the Tigers 6–5 victory over the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
, to earn his first career victory in relief.
Pitching style
Bonderman threw four pitches, relying primarily on a
two-seam fastball
A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...
at 89–93 mph. His other pitches included a
slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* ...
at 80–82 mph, a
four-seam fastball
A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ca ...
at 89–92 mph, a
changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball.
The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...
at 85–88 mph, and rarely a
cutter at 86 mph.
Personal life
Bonderman resides in Pasco, Washington with wife Amber and two children, Mailee Blaize (born June 1, 2006) and Tripp Allen (born December 28, 2009). He also has 3 brothers, 3 nieces and 2 nephews.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonderman, Jeremy
1982 births
Living people
Detroit Tigers players
Seattle Mariners players
Baseball players from Washington (state)
Major League Baseball pitchers
People from Pasco, Washington
People from Kennewick, Washington
Modesto A's players
Lakeland Tigers players
West Michigan Whitecaps players
Toledo Mud Hens players
Tacoma Rainiers players