Tim Lahey
Encyclopedia
Timothy William "Tim" Lahey ('leːhiː; born February 7, 1982 in Worcester, Massachusetts
) is a minor league baseball
relief pitcher
who is currently a free agent
. He is officially listed as standing 6 in 5 in (195.58 cm) tall and weighing 250 pounds (113.4 kg). Lahey is an example of a "phantom ballplayer
": one who has spent time on a major league roster but never appeared in any games.
. Growing up in Massachusetts, his favorite Major League Baseball
team was the Boston Red Sox
. He made the varsity team in his first season at St. John's High School
, located in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
—the first freshman since Ron Darling
to be named a member of the senior squad. In addition to baseball, he played golf and basketball in high school.
After graduating, Lahey attended Princeton University
, where he was a four-year member of the Tigers
baseball team. In his first two seasons, Lahey saw limited playing time as a catcher
and hit a total of five home run
s over those two years. As a junior, however, he hit 11 home runs, the Tigers' second-best single-season total, and was named to the all-regional team in that year's NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
. In his final season, he was named to the all-Ivy League
second team, batting in
31 runs that year and "[solidifying] his status as one of the greatest catchers in recent Princeton history". After graduating with a degree in politics, Lahey was selected by the Minnesota Twins
in the 20th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft
, the 601st overall pick.
for the 2004 season, when they finished in second place in the Appalachian League
's West Division. He played 26 games for Elizabethton, leading the team's four catchers in assists
and errors
during his 22 games in the field. For the season, he compiled a .202 batting average
(17 hits
in 84 at bat
s), hitting 3 home runs and batting in 11 runs. At the beginning of the 2005 season, the Twins kept Lahey in extended spring training
; after a discussion with Joe Vavra
and Jim Rantz
, Lahey notified the team that he was willing to convert to pitching
. He spent the entire 2005 season in Elizabethton refining his pitching skills, leading the team in saves (15) and games played
(26) and allowing no home runs. On the year, he did not win
any games, but lost his first decision and amassed a 3.55 earned run average
(ERA).
for the 2006 season. He earned his first victory that year, one of seven on the season. He finished with a 7–1 win–loss record, with his .875 winning percentage
the highest mark of his career. In the field, Lahey led the team's pitchers in assists, with 17, and made no errors. On the mound, he collected a 4.33 ERA; he was second on the team in games played (45) and notched the club's third-highest save total, with nine. The following year found Lahey promoted again, beginning the 2007 season with the double-A New Britain Rock Cats
. Making a team-high 50 relief appearances, he led the Rock Cats with 13 saves and collected an 8–4 record and a 3.45 ERA. On August 29, he was promoted to the triple-A Rochester Red Wings
, where he finished the season, pitching in two games and saving one.
with the first overall pick in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft
on December 6; thereafter, he was immediately traded to the Chicago Cubs
for cash considerations. He was waived by the Cubs in March, in favor of Jon Lieber
, and subsequently claimed by the Philadelphia Phillies
. Lahey opened the 2008 season in the Phillies bullpen. but was designated for assignment
April 5 after not appearing in a game due to the activation of closer Brad Lidge
from the disabled list
. As a Rule 5 draft pick, Lahey was offered back to the Twins, returned to them on April 11, 2008, and was assigned to Fort Myers. He appeared in two games for the Miracle, pitching three scoreless innings, but was quickly called up to Rochester, where he faced the farm team of the club he had just left. He defeated the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
, the Phillies' triple-A affiliate, on April 23 by pitching scoreless innings and striking out two. For the 2008 season, Lahey won five games and lost five, striking out 53 and serving as the setup man to Bobby Korecky
, earning eight saves. On the field, he compiled yet another errorless season.
. He throws two breaking pitches: a slider
, his "out pitch" to right-handed batters, and a split-finger fastball
, more effective against left-handers. He credits baseball statistics and "numbers" for helping him improve the way he pitches; in a 2010 interview, Lahey claimed that his view of the game since the advent of Moneyball and advanced statistics has not changed, although he said that it has changed the way the public views the game.
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
) is a minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He is officially listed as standing 6 in 5 in (195.58 cm) tall and weighing 250 pounds (113.4 kg). Lahey is an example of a "phantom ballplayer
Phantom ballplayer
A phantom ballplayer is can be one of two things:*a) Someone who is incorrectly listed in source materials as playing in a Major League Baseball game, often the result of typographical or clerical errors...
": one who has spent time on a major league roster but never appeared in any games.
High school and college
Lahey was born February 7, 1982, in Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
. Growing up in Massachusetts, his favorite Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
team was the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. He made the varsity team in his first season at St. John's High School
St. John's High School (Massachusetts)
Saint John's High School is a private Catholic boys' high school located in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester...
, located in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,640 people, 12,366 households, and 8,693 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 12,696 housing units at an average density of...
—the first freshman since Ron Darling
Ron Darling
Ronald Maurice Darling, Jr. is an American former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics and Montreal Expos...
to be named a member of the senior squad. In addition to baseball, he played golf and basketball in high school.
After graduating, Lahey attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, where he was a four-year member of the Tigers
Princeton Tigers
The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 31 varsity sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, six in men's lacrosse, three in women's lacrosse, and eight in men's golf...
baseball team. In his first two seasons, Lahey saw limited playing time as a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
and hit a total of five home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s over those two years. As a junior, however, he hit 11 home runs, the Tigers' second-best single-season total, and was named to the all-regional team in that year's NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the College World Series....
. In his final season, he was named to the all-Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
second team, batting in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
31 runs that year and "[solidifying] his status as one of the greatest catchers in recent Princeton history". After graduating with a degree in politics, Lahey was selected by the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
in the 20th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft
2004 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...
, the 601st overall pick.
2004–05
After signing with the Twins, Lahey was assigned to the rookie-level Elizabethton TwinsElizabethton Twins
The Elizabethton Twins are a minor league baseball team in Elizabethton, Tennessee, USA. They are a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League, and have been a farm team of the Minnesota Twins since 1974. The Twins play home games at Joe O'Brien Field...
for the 2004 season, when they finished in second place in the Appalachian League
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee...
's West Division. He played 26 games for Elizabethton, leading the team's four catchers in assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
and errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
during his 22 games in the field. For the season, he compiled a .202 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
(17 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in 84 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s), hitting 3 home runs and batting in 11 runs. At the beginning of the 2005 season, the Twins kept Lahey in extended spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is 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 existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
; after a discussion with Joe Vavra
Joe Vavra
Joseph Alan Vavra is a Major League Baseball hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins.-Playing career:...
and Jim Rantz
Jim Rantz
James John Rantz is an American front-office executive in Major League Baseball. Rantz has been the Minnesota Twins' farm system director since , holding the title of "Director of Minor Leagues." As of , his 25th consecutive season in the post, Rantz is one of the longest-tenured farm system...
, Lahey notified the team that he was willing to convert to pitching
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. He spent the entire 2005 season in Elizabethton refining his pitching skills, leading the team in saves (15) and games played
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
(26) and allowing no home runs. On the year, he did not win
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
any games, but lost his first decision and amassed a 3.55 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(ERA).
2006–07
Lahey was promoted to the high-A Fort Myers MiracleFort Myers Miracle
The Fort Myers Miracle is the Class A Advanced minor league baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball club, currently managed by Jake Mauer. Home games are played at the Lee County Sports Complex in Hammond Stadium, which has a capacity of 7,500, and opened in...
for the 2006 season. He earned his first victory that year, one of seven on the season. He finished with a 7–1 win–loss record, with his .875 winning percentage
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
the highest mark of his career. In the field, Lahey led the team's pitchers in assists, with 17, and made no errors. On the mound, he collected a 4.33 ERA; he was second on the team in games played (45) and notched the club's third-highest save total, with nine. The following year found Lahey promoted again, beginning the 2007 season with the double-A New Britain Rock Cats
New Britain Rock Cats
The New Britain Rock Cats are the Double-A minor league baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball club. They compete in the Eastern League and play their home games at New Britain Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut.-History:...
. Making a team-high 50 relief appearances, he led the Rock Cats with 13 saves and collected an 8–4 record and a 3.45 ERA. On August 29, he was promoted to the triple-A Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
, where he finished the season, pitching in two games and saving one.
2008
After the 2007 season, Lahey was selected by the Tampa Bay RaysTampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
with the first overall pick in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
on December 6; thereafter, he was immediately traded to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
for cash considerations. He was waived by the Cubs in March, in favor of Jon Lieber
Jon Lieber
Jonathan Ray Lieber is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago Cubs , New York Yankees , Philadelphia Phillies . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
, and subsequently claimed by the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Lahey opened the 2008 season in the Phillies bullpen. but was designated for assignment
Designated for assignment
Designated for assignment is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball. When a player is designated for assignment, he is immediately removed from the club's 40-man roster. This gives the club 10 days to decide what to do with the player while freeing up a roster spot for another...
April 5 after not appearing in a game due to the activation of closer Brad Lidge
Brad Lidge
Bradley Thomas "Brad" Lidge is a reliever who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "Lights Out", he is the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings among pitchers with at least 200 appearances in their career...
from the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
. As a Rule 5 draft pick, Lahey was offered back to the Twins, returned to them on April 11, 2008, and was assigned to Fort Myers. He appeared in two games for the Miracle, pitching three scoreless innings, but was quickly called up to Rochester, where he faced the farm team of the club he had just left. He defeated the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team that plays in the International League. The IronPigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team plays their home games at Coca-Cola Park, which is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
, the Phillies' triple-A affiliate, on April 23 by pitching scoreless innings and striking out two. For the 2008 season, Lahey won five games and lost five, striking out 53 and serving as the setup man to Bobby Korecky
Bobby Korecky
Robert John Korecky is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently in the Toronto Blue Jays organization...
, earning eight saves. On the field, he compiled yet another errorless season.
2009–10
Lahey began 2009 with Rochester, but his innings pitched on the season were his lowest total since 2005, the season of his conversion to the pitcher's mound. He earned a single save, striking out 44 batters, and compiled a career-high 5.72 ERA. His 41 appearances were second-most among Red Wings pitchers, and he committed no errors on the season while notching 12 assists. The following season, Lahey improved his win–loss record to 5–3, lowered his ERA to 5.08, pitched the second-most innings of his career , and struck out 13 more batters than the previous year in only four more contests, but was released by the Twins at the end of 2010.Pitching style
Lahey commands three pitches; his standard is a two-seam sinking fastballSinker (baseball)
In baseball, a sinker , is a type of fastball pitch which has significant downward and horizontal movement. The sinker is known for inducing a lot of ground balls...
. He throws two breaking pitches: a slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....
, his "out pitch" to right-handed batters, and a split-finger fastball
Split-finger fastball
A split-finger fastball or splitter is a pitch in baseball. It is named after the technique of putting the index and middle finger on different sides of the ball, or "splitting" them. When thrown hard, it appears to be a fastball to the batter, but suddenly "drops off the table" towards home...
, more effective against left-handers. He credits baseball statistics and "numbers" for helping him improve the way he pitches; in a 2010 interview, Lahey claimed that his view of the game since the advent of Moneyball and advanced statistics has not changed, although he said that it has changed the way the public views the game.