Chad Patrick Cordero (born March 18, 1982) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. Cordero played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. Cordero's best season was in 2005, when he was an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

and won the Rolaids Relief Man Award. During the period of 2005–2007, he recorded 113 saves, second most in the National League behind

Trevor Hoffman Trevor William Hoffman (born October 13, 1967) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 2010. A long-time closer, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, ...

's 131.

Biography

College years

At age 18, Cordero was drafted by 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

in the 26th round of the 2000 MLB draft, but he chose to enroll at

Cal State Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public research university in Fullerton, California, United States. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the California State ...

, where he was a standout reliever. With an

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

of under 1.83 he made the 1st team All-America Freshman team and was selected to the Big West All-Conference team, the latter of which he repeated in each of his next two years. In , he was the Fullerton Regional MVP (College World Series), and then was drafted by the Expos in the 1st round (20th overall).

Pro career

Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals

First two years

Cordero pitched briefly in 2003, and then appeared in 69 games for the Expos in , compiling an ERA of 2.94, usually appearing as a closer. He earned a save in the last Montreal Expo victory in Hiram Bithorn Stadium on July 11, 2004. He also threw the final pitch for the Expos at Olympic Stadium on September 29, 2004, and the final pitch for a win on October 2 against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. Chad Cordero2

The Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2005, and Cordero had a career-best season. In June 2005, Cordero tied the major league record for saves in one month with 15. He shares the record with Lee Smith and John Wetteland. He also converted his 24th consecutive save, breaking the club record held by

Mel Rojas Melquíades Rojas Medrano (born December 10, 1966) is a Dominican former Major League Baseball (MLB) relief pitcher. From 1990 to 1999, he played for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers of the National Leagu ...

. On September 9, 2005, Cordero's 44th save broke the franchise record. He completed the 2005 season with 47 saves, leading the major leagues, and was selected to the National League pitching staff for the 2005 MLB All-Star game, facing one batter,

Iván Rodríguez Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Ran ...

, and striking him out. He was the 2005 Washington Nationals Player of the Year, and won the National League

Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award The Rolaids Relief Man Award was an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given from 1976 to 2012 to the top relief pitchers of the regular season, one in the American League (AL) and one in the National League (NL). Relief pitchers enter th ...

2006

In February , Cordero and his teammate

Brian Schneider Brian Duncan Schneider (born November 26, 1976), nicknamed "Hoops", is an American former professional baseball catcher and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, New York Mets, and Philade ...

were chosen to play for Team USA in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC), also referred to as the Classic, is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the sport's global governing body, and organized in World Baseball Clas ...

. During the season, however, his production tailed off. While he still got 29 saves (8th best in the league), his ERA went from 1.82 to 3.19.

2007

In the beginning of the season, Cordero faced a tough time against batters. By May 6, his ERA was 4.70. Cordero admitted he was distracted by the illness of his ailing grandmother, and missed six games for personal bereavement leave. He came back a changed man, and starting May 16 made 12 consecutive appearances without allowing a

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

. On June 13, Cordero (at age 25 years and 86 days) became the second youngest player in baseball history to reach 100 saves in a career. ( Francisco Rodríguez is the youngest at 24 years and 246 days old.) Echoing his final pitches at Olympic Stadium and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in 2004 Cordero closed out the final Nationals game at RFK stadium getting a save on September 23, 2007. He is likely the only pitcher in major league history to throw the final pitch at three different home stadiums for the same franchise.

2008

Cordero missed almost all of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a labrum tear, an injury he suffered in April. On October 30, 2008, the Nationals sent him outright to AAA

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, and he rejected the assignment, becoming a free agent. Among other reasons for Cordero's rejection was that he was displeased with how he found out that he would be "non-tendered" by the Nationals at the end of the season—via an impromptu comment made by Nationals' GM Jim Bowden on a radio show in July.

Seattle Mariners

On March 12, 2009, Cordero signed a minor league contract with the

with an invitation to spring training. He was to compete for the closer role once he fully recovered from surgery, but was unable to make a minor league appearance until July. He was called up to the Mariners on June 3, 2010, taking the spot of the retired Ken Griffey Jr. On July 15, 2010, he refused a minor league assignment from the Seattle Mariners and became a free agent.

New York Mets

On July 22, 2010, Cordero agreed on a minor league deal with the

and was assigned to Triple A Buffalo. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Toronto Blue Jays

On January 4, 2011, Cordero signed a minor league contract with an invite to spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was released on May 15.

St. Paul Saints

On June 3, 2011, Cordero signed with the St. Paul Saints of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. with the St. Paul Saints of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

, but retired on June 20, 2011. In 7 games 6 innings of relief he struggled mightily going 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA with 5 strikeouts.

Los Angeles Angels

On February 13, 2013, Cordero signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

due to his desire to play again. He was assigned to the Inland Empire 66ers of the California League, the (high) Class-A affiliate of the Angels, to begin the season. He elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Personal life

Cordero has three children: Riley, Cooper, and Tehya. Tehya died of

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sometimes known as cot death or crib death, is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and ...

in 2010. He was married to Jamie Cordero but the couple is now separated. Chad has no relation to Francisco Cordero, another MLB closer sharing his last name and playing at the same time as him.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordero, Chad 1982 births Living people American baseball players of Mexican descent American expatriate baseball players in Canada Arizona League Mariners players Brevard County Manatees players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players California State University, Fullerton alumni Everett AquaSox players Inland Empire 66ers players Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball pitchers Montreal Expos players National League All-Stars National League (baseball) saves champions Baseball players from Upland, California Potomac Nationals players Salt Lake Bees players Seattle Mariners players St. Paul Saints players Tacoma Rainiers players Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen World Baseball Classic players of the United States 2006 World Baseball Classic players