The Red Report: Bronson Arroyo

by BK on Mar 2, 2009 9:51 AM EST in Red Reports

Bronson Arroyo

#61 / Pitcher / Cincinnati Reds

Height: 6-5

Weight: 195

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Feb 24, 1977

Fast Facts:

Bronson Anthony Arroyo was born in Key West, FL, and grew up in Brooksville. He attended Hernando High School.
He was drafted in 1995 by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 3rd round. He was the 69th overall pick (which ironically, is the number he chose when he first came up with the Pirates, though his reasoning behind the choice is likely unrelated). He went right after players like Randy Winn and Ryan Dempster, and went just ahead of J.J. Putz, Adam Everett, and Reds pick Mark Corey.
Also in that draft, the Pirates drafted former major leaguer Chad Hermansen, and some guy that Reds fans may remember named Brandon Larson (in the 38th round).

His first 3 years in the minor leagues saw him methodically move up the Pirates system from year to year. He posted solid numbers every year, until reaching AA, where in the 1998 season, he struggled playing for our brand new affiliated Carolina Mudcats in the Southern League. It was the first season he had an ERA over 5 at 5.46, and his WHIP was 1.65, .33 points higher than any other professional season to that point.

The next season, the Pirates changed their AA team to Altoona, and Bronson bounced back. He had another solid season at age 22 and got a quick look in AAA.

Going into the 2000 season, Bronson got on the radar of the baseball public, making it to #9 on Baseball America's prospect list for the Pirates.

He spent most of the 2000 season playing in AAA Nashville. In 13 starts, he went 8-2 with a 3.65 ERA, with a solid 1.21 WHIP. Although his strikout numbers were pretty mediocre, he got the call to the big leagues in early June 2000. He had an unimpressive rookie season, where in 12 starts he went 2-6 with a 6.41 ERA.

In the 2001 and 2002 seasons, Arroyo looked like a classic AAAA pitcher. He was great in his 30 AAA starts in those two years, and mediocre in the 17 big league starts he had.

On February 4, 2003, his career would take an eventful turn for the better. On that day, he was selected off waivers by the Boston Red Sox.

He had a great debut season for Boston's AAA team, the Pawtucket Red Sox. He went 12-6 in 24 starts, with a 3.43 ERA and a staggering K/BB ratio of 155/24.

Among his highlights that season, was a 9 inning perfect game on August 10, 2003. He threw 101 pitches and struck out 9. He struck out 9.3 batters per 9 IP, while walking only 2.1 per 9 IP. Interestingly, the team he threw a perfect game against was the Buffalo Bisons, who had current Indians Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta, and current Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, who was down in AAA following a dismal season with the major league Indians.

In September of that season, he got called up to pitch in the Red Sox bullpen. In the 17 1/3 innings he pitched over 6 appearances, he posted a 2.08 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP. As most baseball fans know (and love), our very own Aaron (f'ing) Boone was partly responsible for Bronson's team not making the World Series that year.

The 2004 season was another eventful one for Bronson. He's well known by now as the pitcher that had the ball batted out of his glove by Alex Rodriguez on the way to first base. He won the World Series that year.

He had another solid season for Boston in 2005, where he went 14-10 with a 4.51 ERA. The most notable event for Bronson in this year, was when he released his debut CD, "Covering the Bases". It receieved

...until he was acquired by the Reds for Wily Mo Pena and cash on March 20, 2006. JD thought it was a pretty good deal at the time.
He pitched well in his first start with the Reds, but it was with the bat where he made Glendon Rusch look silly. He did it again 6 days later. teb7 was present for both occasions.
In his first 15 starts as a Red, Bronson went 9-3, with a 2.47 ERA. He was named to the NL All-Star team that year.
That's when he hit a proverbial wall, and Cornroyo was born. In the next 10 starts after that, he went 0-5 with an ERA over 6.
He finished off 2006 on a better note, with a final line of 14-11, with a 3.29 ERA. His 184 strikeouts that year is still a career high.
On Feb. 8, 2007, Bronson signed a contract extension with the Reds.
He went 9-15 in 2007, with a 4.23 ERA. While the wins didn't come with such a crappy team behind him, he put up solid numbers.
Same in 2008, when he went 15-11 with a 4.77 ERA. He's the one Reds pitcher that Reds fans have come to expect consistency out of in the rotation.
Bronson is known for his high leg kick used in his pitching motion, as evidenced in this video:
Another thing he's known for is being a whore for endorsements and making terrible music. Two of his best known works:

Organizational History

Drafted/Signed: 3rd round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates
Signed by: Scott Lovekamp
GM when acquired by Reds: Wayne Krivsky

Contract Status

MLB Service Time (as of Opening Day 2009): 6.15 years
Current Contract Status: 2 year/$25M deal (2009-10), club option for 2011 ($11M with $2M buyout). Makes $9.5M this season.

Career Stats

(BBRef | FanGraphs | THT)

Batting

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
Bronson Arroyo	202	267	16	35	10	0	4	16	1	0	10	115	.131	.165	.213

Pitching

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
Bronson Arroyo	71-70	229	193	6	1	1	1239.2	1284	672	593	150	385	870	4.31	1.41

Pitch Repertoire

Information courtesy of Josh Kalk's player cards at baseball.bornbybits.com.

Arroyo throws 4 pitches: a fastball, curveball, slider, and change-up. He throws his fastball most often, and it has a decent amount of movement coming in at about 89 MPH. While his fastball is his go-to pitch, he mixes in the slider almost as often with 2-strike counts. His curveball is used predominantly against LHB, and almost always when he's ahead in the count. The speed difference between his change and his fastball is around 10 MPH, and he uses it more often against LHB as well. His fastball is easily his best pitch, and it's especially tough on righties, so he throws it a lot agains them. When facing lefties, he tends to mix it up a bit between the four pitches, and can get into trouble that way, as shown by his higher average against and HR rate against LHB.

2009 Projections

Pitching

	W-L-Sv	IP	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
CHONE	10-11	188	24	62	143	4.40	1.37
ZiPS	11-14	202.2	30	64	161	4.62	1.38
Marcel	11-11	181	24	60	142	4.43	1.39
Bill James	11-12	212	27	64	152	4.25	1.35

RR Projected Wins Above Replacement: 2.2

Graphs

Not done yet.

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Comments

6-5, that's a tall drink of water

Interesting that he struggled in Carolina but pitched better when the team moved to Altoona. Do the Mudcats play in a hitter’s park? It might be good practice for GABP, but should we expect inflated (deflated?) numbers from our AA pitchers?

Also, a little surprising to hear that Bronson’s fastball is his main pitch. I normally associate him with his big curve.

Good stuff, BK.

by Brendanukkah on Mar 2, 2009 10:10 AM EST reply actions

Yeah, the first thing I thought was..

“Great, so he’ll be league average once his best pitch loses a lil’ giddyup in two or three years.”\

But maybe that’s just the Chicken Little Blogger in me.

"Dr. Two-Brains has a strange name because he does have two brains but he's not really a doctor. He just steals cheese."

by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 2, 2009 10:17 AM EST up reply actions

I was really surprised by that too

He throws the fastball way more than any other pitch against left-handers, and I was under the impression that his curve was his out pitch too. He doesn’t throw it nearly as often as you’d think, and with 2 strikes, it’s usually the fastball.

"Sometimes I listen for Griffey’s infectious laugh or Dunn’s humor and wit. But they’re gone." - Dusty

by BK on Mar 2, 2009 10:18 AM EST up reply actions

Echoing the curveball sentiment

maybe Brantley can’t tell the difference from the radio booth?

"You never pass up an opportunity to talk to a woman in a red dress." -- Buck O'Neil (1911-2006)

by "Red" Moskau on Mar 2, 2009 10:42 AM EST up reply actions

Never forget

Brandon’s 2004 season also including beaning A-Rod and inciting a bench-clearing brawl. I was fortunate enough to have witnessed that glorious event in person, and clairvoyant enough to have predicted it. My Red Sox friends still credit me for breaking the curse, saying that my prediction caused the brawl, which in turn caused the comeback in that game, which in turn caused the comeback in the ALCS. I’m not going to disagree with them.

Brandon will always have a place deep in my heart and ego. Let’s hope that his walks are more like 50-55 than 60-65.

by teb7 on Mar 2, 2009 10:27 AM EST reply actions

Commercials

For as awesome as the outtake on the car commercial is, that JTM bit is awful.

Youth wins games; veteran presence wins championships!

by ben nevis on Mar 2, 2009 11:09 AM EST reply actions

TACO FILLLLLLLLING

"Oedipus ruined a great sex life by asking too many questions!"- Dr. Stephen T. Colbert DFA.

by justin007000 on Mar 2, 2009 11:21 AM EST up reply actions

great work, BK

now im anxiously awaiting the next installment of how-to-use-the-internet so i can voice my praise for the “Top of page” link

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Mar 2, 2009 11:48 AM EST reply actions

Bronson

has big balls.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Mar 2, 2009 12:26 PM EST reply actions

Although wins are not the most telling stat for pitchers...

14 wins from Bronson is not out of his reach
190-200 Innings
130 WHIP
4.2 ERA
AND the guy has to hit a at least 2 dingers this year
I’m a Bronson fan..esp good bronson
Maybe this is the year he spend a little less time on extra activities like drinking and playing muzak

肏你祖宗十八代 - and your sister too !

by Madville on Mar 2, 2009 12:54 PM EST reply actions

my grandmother is convinced that he hurt himself playing guitar

she was like, “Now that they aren’t making new comercials he is pitching better.” PS my grandmother is a less rich Marge Schott.

"Oedipus ruined a great sex life by asking too many questions!"- Dr. Stephen T. Colbert DFA.

by justin007000 on Mar 2, 2009 12:59 PM EST up reply actions

my condolences on her passing

Made from 100% recycled awesome,

by chandrathan on Mar 2, 2009 1:13 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

gas?

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Mar 2, 2009 1:14 PM EST up reply actions

You used to own this place and now you sit back, lurking and waiting..

..to drop a grandma fart joke on us?

Are you Eddie Murphy?

"Dr. Two-Brains has a strange name because he does have two brains but he's not really a doctor. He just steals cheese."

by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 2, 2009 2:14 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs

?

she is alive

"Oedipus ruined a great sex life by asking too many questions!"- Dr. Stephen T. Colbert DFA.

by justin007000 on Mar 2, 2009 4:01 PM EST up reply actions

then there are more differences than money between her and marge

Made from 100% recycled awesome,

by chandrathan on Mar 2, 2009 4:05 PM EST up reply actions

My Mom is (as you know) 98 and a rabid Red's fan.

She thinks that Bronson should get a haircut…she says is look is ‘not in vogue’ and that his facial hair makes him look effeminate. Everyone knows that effeminate pitchers don’t ‘scare’ the batters.

Which brings to mind the tragic life of Glenn Burke, an effeminate hitter -

http://www.outsports.com/baseball/2003/0617glennburke.htm

And there’s our buddy Dusty making history with Glenn

It was late in the 1977 season. Dusty Baker of the Dodgers was rounding third, heading for home, having just hit his 30th home run. And the Dodgers were heading for a National League pennant. The on-deck hitter was Glenn Burke, enjoying his second season in the big leagues. As Baker crossed the plate Burke raised his hand. Baker responded by raising his. The two hands slapped together and a bit of history was made. The first high-five in baseball.

肏你祖宗十八代 - and your sister too !

by Madville on Mar 2, 2009 1:18 PM EST reply actions

facial hair makes him look effeminate?

I am not going to let your mom matchmake for me, let it be known.

...because there's already someone posing as Jacob Brumfield

by Cy Schourek on Mar 2, 2009 1:20 PM EST up reply actions

ha

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Mar 2, 2009 1:22 PM EST up reply actions

Mom's not agisnst facial hair at all she just thinks that Bronson's choice of a beard is really wimpy.

She remembers back in the day…before the BRM, before BTB No-Hitters, before the Babe…when baseball was baseball

肏你祖宗十八代 - and your sister too !

by Madville on Mar 2, 2009 1:44 PM EST up reply actions

She should start up Red Stockings Reporter

"Sometimes I listen for Griffey’s infectious laugh or Dunn’s humor and wit. But they’re gone." - Dusty

by BK on Mar 2, 2009 2:21 PM EST up reply actions

Baker went on to

slap something against Corey Patterson’s chin thus ensuring a lasting love affair.

Wear something sexy to my funeral.

by Pops Daniels on Mar 2, 2009 1:34 PM EST up reply actions

Yes Pops I believe it was the sound of one cayhuna slapping

Not to get religious

肏你祖宗十八代 - and your sister too !

by Madville on Mar 2, 2009 1:45 PM EST up reply actions

Baker, not Armstrong.

...because there's already someone posing as Jacob Brumfield

by Cy Schourek on Mar 2, 2009 6:50 PM EST up reply actions

You forgot about the season that he wore cornrows and looked like a 12 year old girl who just got back from a Caribbean cruise.

…and this incriminating photo taken in a Northeastern dorm with an alleged freshman

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Mar 4, 2009 12:56 AM EST reply actions

my hero!

Made from 100% recycled awesome,

by chandrathan on Mar 4, 2009 8:36 AM EST up reply actions

I mentioned Cornroyo

but you’re right, I didn’t mention that Bronson also has a tendency to go out and skank it up on occasion, as that clearly is an vitally important piece of information about his career and his reputation

"Sometimes I listen for Griffey’s infectious laugh or Dunn’s humor and wit. But they’re gone." - Dusty

by BK on Mar 4, 2009 8:43 AM EST up reply actions