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Of all the crazy things I've seen in baseball...

DrungoHazewood

By DrungoHazewood
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DrungoHazewood Hangout Grand Counsel

DrungoHazewood

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...this just might be the craziest. Ever heard of Jason Neighborgall? I hadn't either until his name was mentioned in a BP chat.

I know just about nothing about him outside of his bb-ref and baseball cube pages. From that he looks like Steve Dalkowski on a serious acid trip.

 Year  Age Tm  Lg  Lvl Aff  W   L   W-L%   G   GS  CG SHO  GF  SV   IP     H    R   ER   HR  BB   SO  HBP  WP  BFP  IBB  BK   ERA   WHIP+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+2005   21 MSO PIO Rk  ARI   1   2  .333   15   7   0   0   1   0   22.2   21   40   28   1   45   29   5  23   142   0   0  11.12  2.91 2006   22 MSO PIO Rk  ARI                 20   1   0   0   3   0   13     11   30   30   1   46   15   4  22    99       1  20.77  4.38 2007   23 TOT               0   0         16   0   0   0   2   0    6.2    8   23   23   0   37    4   4  14    69   0   0  31.05  6.75           YAK NWL A-  ARI   0   0         11   0   0   0   2   0    5.2    5   11   11   0   25    2   1   5    47   0   0  17.47  5.29           SBN MWL A   ARI   0   0          5   0   0   0   0   0    1      3   12   12   0   12    2   3   9    22   0   0 108.00 15.00 +----+----+---+---+---+---+---+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+2 Seasons         Rk        1   2  .333   35   8   0   0   4   0   35.2   32   70   58   2   91   44   9  45   241   0   1  14.64  3.45 1 Season          A-        0   0         11   0   0   0   2   0    5.2    5   11   11   0   25    2   1   5    47   0   0  17.47  5.29 1 Season          A         0   0          5   0   0   0   0   0    1      3   12   12   0   12    2   3   9    22   0   0 108.00 15.00 +-----------------+---+-------+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+3 Seasons                   1   2  .333   51   8   0   0   6   0   42.1   40   93   81   2  128   48  13  59   310   0   1  17.22  3.97 +-----------------+-----------+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+

I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like his 2007 line. 6.2 innings, 37 walks(!!), 14 wild pitches(!!), and four hit batsmen. Can you imagine watching that? He averaged almost six walks and two wild pitches per inning. He had 48 strikeouts in 42.1 professional innings, and they left him in games long enough to walk six men an inning, so he must have had a hellacious fastball. Or maybe a curve that broke 12 feet or something.

In his last pro inning, spread over five games, he walked 12 and threw 9 wild pitches. :eek:

He looks like he was ok, although still with some severe control issues at Georgia Tech.

Anybody ever hear of this guy? Anybody know his story? It has to be fascinating, or tragic, or funny, or all of the above.

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Fan4Life Hangout Veteran Council

Fan4Life

Posted
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...this just might be the craziest. Ever heard of Jason Neighborgall? I hadn't either until his name was mentioned in a BP chat.

I know just about nothing about him outside of his bb-ref and baseball cube pages. From that he looks like Steve Dalkowski on a serious acid trip.

 Year  Age Tm  Lg  Lvl Aff  W   L   W-L%   G   GS  CG SHO  GF  SV   IP     H    R   ER   HR  BB   SO  HBP  WP  BFP  IBB  BK   ERA   WHIP+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+2005   21 MSO PIO Rk  ARI   1   2  .333   15   7   0   0   1   0   22.2   21   40   28   1   45   29   5  23   142   0   0  11.12  2.91 2006   22 MSO PIO Rk  ARI                 20   1   0   0   3   0   13     11   30   30   1   46   15   4  22    99       1  20.77  4.38 2007   23 TOT               0   0         16   0   0   0   2   0    6.2    8   23   23   0   37    4   4  14    69   0   0  31.05  6.75           YAK NWL A-  ARI   0   0         11   0   0   0   2   0    5.2    5   11   11   0   25    2   1   5    47   0   0  17.47  5.29           SBN MWL A   ARI   0   0          5   0   0   0   0   0    1      3   12   12   0   12    2   3   9    22   0   0 108.00 15.00 +----+----+---+---+---+---+---+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+2 Seasons         Rk        1   2  .333   35   8   0   0   4   0   35.2   32   70   58   2   91   44   9  45   241   0   1  14.64  3.45 1 Season          A-        0   0         11   0   0   0   2   0    5.2    5   11   11   0   25    2   1   5    47   0   0  17.47  5.29 1 Season          A         0   0          5   0   0   0   0   0    1      3   12   12   0   12    2   3   9    22   0   0 108.00 15.00 +-----------------+---+-------+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+3 Seasons                   1   2  .333   51   8   0   0   6   0   42.1   40   93   81   2  128   48  13  59   310   0   1  17.22  3.97 +-----------------+-----------+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+

I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like his 2007 line. 6.2 innings, 37 walks(!!), 14 wild pitches(!!), and four hit batsmen. Can you imagine watching that? He averaged almost six walks and two wild pitches per inning. He had 48 strikeouts in 42.1 professional innings, and they left him in games long enough to walk six men an inning, so he must have had a hellacious fastball. Or maybe a curve that broke 12 feet or something.

In his last pro inning, spread over five games, he walked 12 and threw 9 wild pitches. :eek:

He looks like he was ok, although still with some severe control issues at Georgia Tech.

Anybody ever hear of this guy? Anybody know his story? It has to be fascinating, or tragic, or funny, or all of the above.

Doesn't life imitate art? Wasn't this guy Rick Vaughn in Major League? :clap3:

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DrungoHazewood Hangout Grand Counsel

DrungoHazewood

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Doesn't life imitate art? Wasn't this guy Rick Vaughn in Major League? :clap3:

I think he was closer to Nook LaLoosh.

And a little like the real-life Braves reliever Mark Wohlers. Remember back in '98-'99 when he completely, inexplicably forgot how to throw strikes? He walked 37 in 13 innings in AAA in 1998. I saw a Richmond Braves game that he pitched when he was trying to get it back together. Unbelievable. He only threw a partial inning, but every other pitch hit 5-10 feet in front of the plate, or made it to the backstop on the fly.

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Flip217 Major Leaguer

Flip217

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Wow! I feel for the kid -- so much raw ability but one rather important part missing.

From the article: "In his five appearances with South Bend, Neighborgall pitched one inning, gave up three hits and 12 earned runs, walked 12, struck out two, threw nine wild pitches, hit three batters and posted a 108.00 earned-run average. "

Jeebus...

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Fan4Life Hangout Veteran Council

Fan4Life

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I think he was closer to Nook LaLoosh.

And a little like the real-life Braves reliever Mark Wohlers. Remember back in '98-'99 when he completely, inexplicably forgot how to throw strikes? He walked 37 in 13 innings in AAA in 1998. I saw a Richmond Braves game that he pitched when he was trying to get it back together. Unbelievable. He only threw a partial inning, but every other pitch hit 5-10 feet in front of the plate, or made it to the backstop on the fly.

Yeah, that was ugly. Sometimes I see signs of him in some of our relievers.. I suppose the only way to get someone straight is to let them continue to pitch, a la Sarfate, but along the way they're going to have some ugly moments.

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Migrant Redbird All-Star

Migrant Redbird

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How did the guy last 3 seasons?

With a fastball like Nolan Ryan's and a curve like Sandy Koufax's, it's surprising that they gave up on him this season -- or that he gave up himself. Still, one can understand the frustration.

I'd find him a really patient pitching coach and focus on teaching him to pitch from the ground up -- no radar guns and no hitters -- just a set of strings for a target. Dial the velocity back halfway to zero and work up gradually, keeping the focus on location instead of speed.

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Ruzious Hangout Grand Counsel

Ruzious

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How did the guy last 3 seasons?

From the Yahoo article:

Only when scouts see the radar gun flash 100 mph on Neighborgall's fastball, or when they see his nose-to-knees curveball break, they blink their eyes just to make sure they actually saw what they think they saw. Scouts have a scale to rate players' attributes. The low end is 20, the high end 80. Joel Zumaya's fastball is an 80. Johan Santana's changeup is an 80. Francisco Liriano's slider is an 80.

Neighborgall's fastball and curveball are 80s.

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Old#5fan Hangout Grand Counsel

Old#5fan

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...this just might be the craziest. Ever heard of Jason Neighborgall? I hadn't either until his name was mentioned in a BP chat.

I know just about nothing about him outside of his bb-ref and baseball cube pages. From that he looks like Steve Dalkowski on a serious acid trip.

 Year  Age Tm  Lg  Lvl Aff  W   L   W-L%   G   GS  CG SHO  GF  SV   IP     H    R   ER   HR  BB   SO  HBP  WP  BFP  IBB  BK   ERA   WHIP+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+2005   21 MSO PIO Rk  ARI   1   2  .333   15   7   0   0   1   0   22.2   21   40   28   1   45   29   5  23   142   0   0  11.12  2.91 2006   22 MSO PIO Rk  ARI                 20   1   0   0   3   0   13     11   30   30   1   46   15   4  22    99       1  20.77  4.38 2007   23 TOT               0   0         16   0   0   0   2   0    6.2    8   23   23   0   37    4   4  14    69   0   0  31.05  6.75           YAK NWL A-  ARI   0   0         11   0   0   0   2   0    5.2    5   11   11   0   25    2   1   5    47   0   0  17.47  5.29           SBN MWL A   ARI   0   0          5   0   0   0   0   0    1      3   12   12   0   12    2   3   9    22   0   0 108.00 15.00 +----+----+---+---+---+---+---+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+2 Seasons         Rk        1   2  .333   35   8   0   0   4   0   35.2   32   70   58   2   91   44   9  45   241   0   1  14.64  3.45 1 Season          A-        0   0         11   0   0   0   2   0    5.2    5   11   11   0   25    2   1   5    47   0   0  17.47  5.29 1 Season          A         0   0          5   0   0   0   0   0    1      3   12   12   0   12    2   3   9    22   0   0 108.00 15.00 +-----------------+---+-------+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+3 Seasons                   1   2  .333   51   8   0   0   6   0   42.1   40   93   81   2  128   48  13  59   310   0   1  17.22  3.97 +-----------------+-----------+---+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+------+-----+

I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like his 2007 line. 6.2 innings, 37 walks(!!), 14 wild pitches(!!), and four hit batsmen. Can you imagine watching that? He averaged almost six walks and two wild pitches per inning. He had 48 strikeouts in 42.1 professional innings, and they left him in games long enough to walk six men an inning, so he must have had a hellacious fastball. Or maybe a curve that broke 12 feet or something.

In his last pro inning, spread over five games, he walked 12 and threw 9 wild pitches. :eek:

He looks like he was ok, although still with some severe control issues at Georgia Tech.

Anybody ever hear of this guy? Anybody know his story? It has to be fascinating, or tragic, or funny, or all of the above.

I have to wonder if those stats are real or fake. :confused:They remind me more of somebody's kid's Little League stats. :o With stats like that the kid probably got demoted to the Minor Little League!:laughlol:

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Migrant Redbird All-Star

Migrant Redbird

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WHat I love is that they kept promoting him. Maybe he was the owner or GM's nephew or something.

He went from the rookie league to short A to A ball. Maybe the promotions had less to do with the quality of his pitching than the desire to give him different pitching instructors of increasing capability, in the hope that one of their pitching coaches might find an answer?

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