Casey Paul Fossum (born January 6, 1978) is a former professional pitcher. Previously, he played for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

(2001–2003),

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

(2004),

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

(2005–2007),

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(2008), 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 lea ...

(2009) of

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 (A ...

, and the

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...

(2010) of

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

. He bats and throws

left-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 subject ...

Personal life

Casey Fossum is currently retired from playing Big League baseball and resides in his hometown, Waco, Texas. Casey is married to Kadette Cooper Fossum, a '97 Midway graduate and an '01 Texas Tech Alumna. Casey is involved in his community in helping youth baseball players through the Little League and Select Baseball teams. He lives in Waco, TX, with his wife and their indoor mini horses Duey, Houdini, and Lieuy. He also helps his wife, Kadette, rescue and retrain retired thoroughbred racehorses.

Early years and college

Fossum was born in

Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a population of 74,553, which reflected an increase of 3,508 (+4.94%) from the 71,045 counted in the 2010 census.< ...

. He attended

Midway High School Midway High School is a public high school located in the city of Waco, Texas, USA and classified as a 6A school by the UIL. It is part of the Midway Independent School District, which serves the Waco, Texas area. Although the school is located ...

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...

where he was a two time Central Texas Player of the Year, 1st team all state in '95 and '96, Baseball America High School second team All American in '96 with 210 strikeouts in 105 innings. Casey then attended

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M Unive ...

where he was also a Freshman All American and still holds the all-time career strikeout record in a single season and career. He also helped lead the Aggies to the 1999 College World Series in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

. He earned All-Big 12 honors in both 1998 and 1999, highlighted by a 12–7 record and 3.64

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 numb ...

(ERA) during his junior campaign, establishing a single-season school mark with 162

strikeout 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 den ...

s. Fossum also won the C. E. "Pat" Olsen Outstanding Pitcher Award in 1999 and was a second team All-American in 1998.

Major League Baseball career

1999-2003, Boston Red Sox

Fossum was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 1999 June draft as the 18th pick in the first supplemental round (48th overall), and started his major league career in 2001. During three years with Boston, Fossum moved between the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

and the rotation, compiling 14 victories with two saves in 75

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...

. (Coincidentally, both of Fossum's major league saves preserved wins for John Burkett (May 29, 2002 and July 21, 2003)). After a recurrence of tendinitis in his pitching shoulder, he underwent surgery in September 2003. Two months after the surgery, he was sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the trade that brought

Curt Schilling Curtis Montague Schilling (born November 14, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who is a commentator for conservative media outlet BlazeTV. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series appearance ...

to the Red Sox.

2004, Arizona Diamondbacks

In 2004, Fossum played for the Arizona Diamondbacks and, for the first time in his career, was used exclusively as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

. He missed the first weeks to recover from surgery, but finished third on the Diamondbacks staff in starts (27), innings pitched (142) and strikeouts (117).

2005-07, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Before the 2005 season, Fossum was traded to the

for

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

José Cruz Jr. In 2006, Fossum was 6-6, with a 5.33 ERA in 25 starts. On August 10, 2007, the Devil Rays released Fossum. At the time of his release, his ERA was 7.70 in 40 games.

2007, San Diego Padres

He signed a minor league contract with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

on August 22, but never pitched for them.

2008, Detroit Tigers

On January 24, 2008, Fossum signed a minor-league contract with an invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

with the

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 ...

. At the end of spring training, he declined his assignment to the minor leagues and elected to become a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

. On April 9, 2008, Fossum signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. On June 3, his contract was purchased by the Tigers, after the DFA of right-handed pitcher Francisco Cruceta, and he was added to the active roster.

2009, New York Mets

On January 16, 2009, Fossum signed a minor league contract with the

. He pitched three innings for the Mets, allowing one run, and was then designated for assignment.

2009, New York Yankees

On May 2, 2009, Fossum signed a minor league contract with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

, making his first start for the AAA

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

that day. On June 24, Fossum opted out of his contract and became a free agent.

2009, Chicago Cubs

On July 3, 2009, Fossum signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

2011, New York Mets

On February 9, 2011, Fossum signed a contract with the

2012, Baltimore Orioles

On February 2, 2012, Fossum signed a minor league contract with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. He was released on April 16.

Pitching style

Fossum throws three different overhand

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 curv ...

s. The first curveball is a tight-rotating 1–7 curveball that has a velocity in the low to mid 70s, but a pitch that Fossum struggles to throw effectively over the plate for strikes and at times remains too flat. The second curveball is also a 1–7 pitch, has a moderate break while clocking in between 65 and 70 MPH, and can effectively throw for strikes. The third curveball is a 12–6 curveball with a large break, making it difficult to hit. While the pitch has been a very effective pitch for him to use, often landing for strikes or causing popouts, he regulates the pitch as a change-of-pace pitch to prevent batters from becoming used to it. Fossum dubbed this pitch the "Fossum flip", and it is essentially a form of the

eephus pitch An eephus pitch (also spelled ephus) in baseball is a very high-arcing off-speed pitch. The delivery from the pitcher has very low velocity and often catches the hitter off-guard. The eephus pitch is thrown overhand like most pitches, but is char ...

. He also has a decent

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...

in the 88–92 mph range and 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 ...

that while effective, does not drop as well as the average changeup. Fossum is also a good fielder and has an above-average pickoff move. Fossum's biggest knock is his stamina. Weighing in at 160 lbs, Fossum has a somewhat violent throwing style and has been injured a few times in his career. In 2004, he missed the first five weeks of the season with a sore elbow, and near the end of the 2005 season his effectiveness was reduced to what he and Lou Piniella attributed to lower back pain. For a relief pitcher, Fossum is also very good at holding runners on base. In 2004, baserunners managed to steal 15 bases out of 23 attempts (a 65.2% success rate), and in 2005, only 10 basestealers out of 14 attempts were successful (a 71.4% rate). The league averages in those seasons were 69% and 70% respectively, but relievers tend to allow higher rates than starters.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fossum, Casey 1978 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Boston Red Sox players Detroit Tigers players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from New Jersey New York Mets players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Cherry Hill, New Jersey People from Waco, Texas Portland Beavers players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players Toledo Mud Hens players Tucson Sidewinders players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Hanshin Tigers players Sportspeople from Camden County, New Jersey Lancaster Barnstormers players