Jewogle - Craig Breslow

Biography:

Craig Andrew Breslow (born August 8, 1980, in New Haven, Connecticut) is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who pitches in the Boston Red Sox organization. He is on the Red Sox 2008 40-man roster.

He pitches left handed, and is considered a lefty specialist.

Through 2007, he held major league batters to a .154 Batting Average with Runners in Scoring Position (and .059 with 2 outs and Runners in Scoring Position), and lefties have hit .200 against him, with a .314 slugging percentage.

High School:

Breslow attended Trumbull High School in Trumbull, Connecticut, graduating in 1998, and was a standout in soccer and baseball.

In baseball, he was the winning pitcher in the LL State Baseball championship game, playing with teammate and future 2nd round draft pick (Arizona Diamondbacks) Jamie D'Antona.

Breslow played in the Connecticut/Massachusetts All Star game at Fenway Park later that year, a foreshadowing of his days as a Red Sox pitcher.

In soccer, he helped lead the Trumbull High soccer team to their first-ever state tournament victory. He was known for having an uncanny ability to score from very difficult and wide angles, and ranks among the school's all-time scorers.

College:

Breslow was captain of the Yale University baseball team. As a junior, he led Yale in victories (3) and ERA (2.61; 3rd in the Ivy League), striking out 66 batters in 51.2 innings (ranking 13th in the nation in strikeouts per 9 innings). He earned All-Ivy honors that season, which included a 16-strikeout performance vs. Cornell and a 1-hit shutout at Harvard. He graduated in 2002 with a B.A. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry.

He was drafted in the 26th round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002.

Professional career:

Minor & Independent leagues:

Milwaukee Brewers organization (2002-04):

In 2002, Breslow ranked 5th in the Pioneer League with 6 wins, going 6-2 with a 1.82 ERA (54.1 IP) in 23 appearances out of the pen for the Rookie-level Ogden Raptors. He struck out 56 in 54.1 innings, and limited the opposition to a .218 average.

In 2003 he averaged 11.1 strikeouts per 9 innings for the Single-A Beloit Snappers, fanning 80 batters in 65.0 innings.

In 2004 Breslow played 79 games in the Brewers system, reaching the Class A California League High Desert Mavericks.

The Brewers released Breslow during the 2004 season.

Independent League (2004):

He then latched on with the New Jersey Jackals of the Northeast League, where he finished his 2004 season. He held batters to a .204 average, and recorded 37 strikeouts in 26.1 innings, an average of 12.6 K's per 9 innings.

San Diego Padres organization (2005):

Signed by the San Diego Padres in 2005 for $1, he excelled, playing for the Class AA Southern League Mobile BayBears, allowing a .212 average in 52 innings over 40 outings while striking out 47 and walking 17 with a 2.75 ERA, earning his first big league callup on July 23, 2005. He became the 24th Yalie to play in Major League Baseball

Breslow then split the rest of the season between San Diego, for whom he had a 2.20 ERA, and the Class AAA Pacific Coast League Portland Beavers.

The Padres non-tendered Breslow in December 2005.

Boston Red Sox organization (2006-present):

2006:

He was signed by the Red Sox, as a minor league free agent, to a minor league contract in January 2006.

In 2006, Breslow was named an International League (AAA) All-Star while with the Pawtucket Red Sox. In 67 innings of work for the season, he was 7-1 with a 2.69 ERA, and struck out an average of 10.3 batters per 9 innings. He was selected by his teammates as the PawSox Most Valuable Pitcher.

2007:

Breslow earned a trip to the Triple-A All-Star game in July for the second straight season for the Pawtucket Red Sox. At the end of June, Breslow’s ERA was a sparkling 1.55. But in his final numbers for 2007 were 2-3, 4.06 ERA, 25 walks, 73 strikeouts in 68 innings. He was promoted to Boston for a few days in September

He no longer has minor-league options. That means that if Breslow is on a 40-man roster (as he is with Boston right now), he can’t be continuously sent back and forth from the majors to the minors throughout a season. If a team wanted to send him down, they’d first have to expose him to waivers and risk losing him. "For three years I’ve been up for two days and sent back down, up three days and back down," Breslow said. "There’s no question it’s always exciting getting called up, but the novelty has kind of worn off to the point where I want to go up and stay."

2008:

Breslow is on the Red Sox 2008 40-man roster. He is out of options; if Breslow does not make the big league team to start 2008, the Red Sox can only send him back to the minors if he clears waivers.

Major leagues:

San Diego Padres (2005):

In 2005 he appeared in 14 games for the San Diego Padres, posting an ERA of 2.20.

Boston Red Sox (2006-present):

On July 13, 2006, he was called up to the Red Sox.

His promotion made him the 4th Jewish player (in addition to Kevin Youkilis, Gabe Kapler, and Adam Stern) to play for the Red Sox that year.

Breslow was sent down to AAA after only 1.2 innings of work. He was called up for a 2nd time on August 15th, 2006.

In 12 innings with the Red Sox in 2006, he posted a 3.75 ERA and had 12 strikeouts.

Off the field, he helped Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett win a bet against catcher Doug Mirabelli. Breslow calculated how many times a baseball spins when it's thrown 90 miles an hour from the pitcher's mound to the home plate.

Breslow had a split contract for 2007 ( $400,000 in the big leagues, $130,000 in the minors). Breslow was in the Red Sox 2007 spring training camp, and pitched 3 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts. On March 17, 2007, he was optioned to the Red Sox AAA Pawtucket team, where he played for the rest of the season.

Pitches:

His fastball tops out at 90 mph, but generally sits in high 80s, and he has added a cut fastball. He also has a plus overhand curveball (60-65 mph), an average to above-average changeup, and a 78 mph slider/slurve.

Awards:

2005 Southern League All-Star
2006 International League All-Star
2006 SoxProspects.com All-Star
2006 Pawtucket Red Sox Most Valuable Pitcher
2007 International League All-Star