Alex Cobb

Alex Cobb

Cobb with the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays – No. 53
Starting pitcher
Born: (1987-10-07) October 7, 1987
Boston, Massachusetts
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 1, 2011, for the Tampa Bay Rays
MLB statistics
(through 2014 season)
Win–loss record 35-23
Earned run average 3.21
Strikeouts 426
Teams

Alexander Miller "Alex" Cobb (born October 7, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2011.

Early life

Cobb was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He lived in North Reading, Massachusetts, for the first two years of his life, when his family relocated to Vero Beach, Florida, due to employment.[1][2][3] He graduated from Vero Beach High School in 2006.

Professional career

The Tampa Bay Rays selected Cobb in the fourth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft.[4]

Tampa Bay Rays

2011 season

Cobb was called up to the majors for the first time on May 1, 2011, and he made his major league debut that day. He was optioned back to the minors after the game.[5] On May 31, Cobb was recalled back to the majors.[6] On June 7, Cobb earned his first major league victory while starting for the Rays. Cobb pitched for 61⁄3 innings and the Rays defeated the Angels 4–1.[7] In late July, Cobb began to experience numbness and swelling in his right arm. After an August 5 start, he required surgery to repair a blood clot in his chest and remove one of his ribs, which had caused the blood clot. The two surgeries ended his 2011 season.[8]

2012 season

Cobb was invited to spring training in 2012, but sent to minor league camp to begin the season.[9] Cobb was called up to fill in for Jeff Niemann while Niemann was injured.[2] On August 23, 2012, Cobb pitched his first career complete game shutout against the Oakland Athletics.[10] He did not lose in his first seven starts, and ended the season with a 3-2 record and a 3.42 ERA in nine games started at the major league level.[4]

2013 season

Cobb being lifted onto a stretcher after being struck by a line drive, June 15, 2013.

On May 10, 2013, Cobb struck out all four batters in one inning.[11] He also gave up one run in that inning after the batter stole second base, third base, and was then balked home for the first time in recorded baseball.[12]

Cobb was struck in the head by a line drive off the bat of Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer on June 15, 2013. Cobb left the field on a stretcher, and was transported to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was reported that Cobb suffered a mild concussion and had a cut on his right ear, while all other scans and tests came back normal, and he would be released the next day.[13] Cobb would miss two months, making his return on August 15.[14] In 22 starts of 2013, Cobb finished the year 11-3 with a 2.76 ERA.

2014 season

One year later, Cobb endorsed a product designed to help protect young ball players from similar injuries: the isoBLOX padded cap insert. The insert, a skull cap which fits underneath adjustable or stretch caps, is based on the same technology Major League Baseball approved for on-field use in January 2014.[15]

"If boys and girls start wearing protective inserts, it will become second nature for them when they’re older," Cobb said. "I want to be a part of the evolution toward introducing this successfully at the big league level and I think the best way to do it is by starting at youth ages," he said. "My optimism is through the roof. The biggest thing is to further the process for technology to catch up, where we can wear it without altering mechanics or comfort—this is the best step."[16] In 2014, Cobb went 10-9 with a 2.87 ERA in 27 starts.

2015 season

To begin the 2015 season, Cobb was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to right forearm tendinitis.[17] On May 5, 2015, it was revealed that his elbow was diagnosed with a partial tear of the UCL.[18] Three days later it was announced that he would undergo Tommy John surgery.[19]

Pitching style

Cobb throws four pitches: a four-seam fastball and sinker (baseball) averaging about 93 mph, a knuckle curve in the low 80s, and a splitter in the high 80s. More than half of his pitches with 2 strikes are splitters. He tends to throw more four-seamers and splitters to right-handed hitters, but batters from both sides of the plate see a fair amount of all of his pitches.[20]

Personal life

Cobb proposed to his girlfriend, Kelly Reynolds, in February 2014 at the Discovery Cove in Orlando.[21]

Cobb's brother, R. J., is a U. S. Army captain.[2] R. J. is four years older than Alex. Their mother, a nurse practitioner, died in December 2005 as the result of two strokes.[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Cobb: 'Really cool' pitching against hometown Sox". Comcast SportsNet – CSNNE.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Alex Cobb grows into a Tampa Bay Ray despite his Red Sox upbringing". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Smitty on Baseball » Blog Archive » Ex-North Reading resident and Tampa pitcher Alex Cobb grew up through tragedy". eagletribune.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Boston Red Sox – Hometown winner Alex Cobb lost in Red Sox-Rays scuffle". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  5. ↑ Chastain, Bill (May 30, 2011). "Rays option Cobb back to Durham". raysbaseball.com Notebook. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  6. ↑ Chastain, Bill; Chiang, Anthony (May 30, 2011). "Rays call up Cobb for Tuesday start". raysbaseball.com Notebook. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  7. ↑ Marc Topkin, St. Petersburg Times. "Vero Beach's Alex Cobb gets first major league win". TCP. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  8. ↑ http://www.tcpalm.com/sports/rays-alex-cobb-says-rehab-is-ahead-of-schedule
  9. ↑ "Cobb 'bit surprised' to be among first cuts". MLB.com. March 12, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Alex Cobb tosses four-hit shutout, leads Rays past Athletics". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 23, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  11. ↑ AP (May 10, 2013). "Alex Cobb fans 13 in 4 2/3 innings, Rays top Padres". usatoday.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Alex Cobb makes strikeout history twice in unique outing". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  13. ↑ Marc Topkin (June 15, 2013). "Rays' Cobb hit in head by line drive, taken off on stretcher". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  14. ↑ Marc Topkin (August 15, 2013). "Rays rout Mariners in Cobb's return". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  15. ↑ William Weinbaum (January 28, 2014). "Pitchers' protective caps approved". ESPN. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  16. ↑ William Weinbaum (June 9, 2014). "Alex Cobb to endorse padded insert". ESPN. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Cobb, other Rays players begin 2015 season on DL.". http://espn.go.com. ESPN. Retrieved April 5, 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  18. ↑ Chastain, Bill. "Cobb has partially torn UCL in right elbow.". MLB.com. MLB.com. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Rays pitcher Alex Cobb to have season-ending elbow surgery". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Brooks Baseball · Home of the PitchFX Tool – Player Card: Alexander Cobb". Brooks Baseball. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Alex Cobb getting married!". February 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Difficult times have made Rays' Alex Cobb stronger". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 8, 2014.

External links

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