Jon Rauch Bio
Jon Erich Rauch ,born September 27, 1978 in Louisville, Kentucky,is a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball with the Arizona Diamondbacks. At 6′11″ (2.11 m), he is the tallest player in the history of the major leagues.
Early years
He attended and graduated from Oldham County High School.
College career
Rauch played baseball in college at Morehead State University where he was double majoring in physics and business. He was also a member of the social fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Professional career
Chicago White Sox
He was drafted in the third round of the 1999 amateur draft by the Chicago White Sox. He debuted with the White Sox on April 2, 2002.
In 2002, Rauch’s first stint in the big leagues resulted in a 6.59 ERA in eight games and six starts. He would not play in the majors in 2003, then returned to the majors in 2004 after a strong AAA campaign. However, against major league batters he again posted a high ERA of 6.23. In July 2004, Rauch was traded to the Montréal Expos along with AAA reliever Gary Majewski for Carl Everett.
Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals
Despite a strong finish to the season in Montréal, Rauch was sent to the minors when the Expos moved to Washington. After putting up better numbers in the minors, Rauch finished the 2005 season with the Nationals, used mostly as a reliever, and going 2-4 with a 3.60 ERA. On August 13, 2004, while playing with the Montreal Expos, Rauch hit a home run against the Houston Astros off of Roger Clemens, making him the tallest man ever to hit a home run in Major League Baseball.
In 2006, Rauch had his best season, posted a 4-5 record, a 3.35 ERA, and appearing in 85 games, second most in the NL. He was Washington’s most reliable reliever on a team that finished last in the NL in ERA. He finished highest in the bullpen in games, innings pitched, strikeouts, and batters faced. He finished second only to closer Chad Cordero in saves, ERA, and ERA+.
In 2007, Rauch led the Major Leagues in appearances with 88. He finished the year with a 8-4 record, four saves, and a 3.61 ERA. His eight victories led the team in wins, a rarity in baseball.
On February 2, 2008, Rauch signed a two-year contract with the Nationals, worth a total of $3.2 million.[2] He has served as closer in the stead of Cordero for the 2008 season.
Arizona Diamondbacks
On July 22, 2008, Rauch was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for second base prospect Emilio Bonifacio.
Leave a Reply