MLB Player Profile: Carlos Zambrano
Carlos Zambrano is currently playing for the Chicago Cubs as starting pitcher. He has had a distinguished career thus far with many moments to bask in personal glory. The right-handed starter made his Major League Baseball debut with the Cubs on August 20,
2001 and has since remained loyal with his team.
Renowned as “Big Z”, Zambrano stands tall at 6ft 5in and weighs an imposing 270 pounds. His first two seasons at the professional stage saw him share the duties of a starter as well as a closer and it was not until 2003 that the big man earned his first
complete season as a starter.
Zambrano, who hails from Venezuela, was signed by the Cubs as a free agent in 1997 and after four years of notable performances in the Minor League setup, Big Z earned his call to the Majors in 2001. Barring 2001, where he started just one game in six chances
and lost two games against a solitary win at an ERA of 15.26, Zambrano has impressed everyone on the circuit. His ability as a top-quality all-round baseball player cannot be doubted and he has proved this with instances of brilliancy from the plate as well.
Zambrano, also commonly known as “El Toro”, made the most of his first season as a regular starter in 2003. He exhibited his arm strength with three complete-games including a complete-game shutout along with 168 strike-outs at an impressive ERA of 3.11.
He did not let his growing fame take over his game and he realised that his success was associated to consistency alone. A player becomes big by his performances and not by his name. Zambrano stuck to this philosophy and continued to persistently improve
his numbers.
2004, 2005 and 2006 experienced Zambrano emerge as a true baseball prodigy. The once raw-talent announced his authority on the game when he registered a 16-8 win-loss record in 2004 with 188 strike-outs to his credit. He replicated his complete-game shutout
effort from the previous season to ensure that he has control over his pitching and his achievements are not a fluke.
In 2005 and 2006 combined, Zambrano amassed 412 strike-outs with more than 200 strike-outs in each season. What impressed more was his consistent win-loss record of 14-6 in 2005 and 16-7 in 2006. Zambrano’s ERA also stayed decent at 3.26 and 3.41 for 2005
and 2006 respectively.
His brilliancy has seen him earn three All-Star calls. He was selected to the star-studded rotation for the first time in 2004 followed by 2006 and 2008. Although he has never been given an extended chance to pitch in the All-Star encounters, his presence
among the stars has done wonders to his confidence.
Apart from his brilliant pitching abilities, Zambrano is regarded as one of the best hitting pitcher in the modern-day baseball. He is a switch-hitter and his hitting abilities have won him three Silver Slugger Awards, the first in 2006 followed by two consecutive
wins in 2008 and 2009. His 23 career-home runs are the most by a Cubs’ pitcher.
Having mentioned his batting abilities, it is also worth mentioning that Zambrano is the only National League Pitcher to have won 13 games each season from 2003 to 2008. He led the NL in wins in 2006 and became the first Venezuelan to do so.
Big Z has been sensational this season as well. In his 23 starts for the Cubs thus far, he has bagged 98 strike-outs at an ERA of 4.46. His win-loss record stands positive at 9-6 and with nine more scheduled starts, Zambrano is expected to complete 13 wins
this season as well.
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