Bronson Anthony Arroyo
(born February 24, 1977, in Key West, Florida), is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and a rock musician. He has previously played for the Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2005, and the Pittsburgh Pirates between 2000 and 2002. Bronson grew up in Brooksville, Florida and pitched for Hernando High School, graduating in 1995.
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BRONSON ARROYO BAND TICKETS
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Professional career
As of the end of the
2008 season, Arroyo has compiled a 71-70 record with 870
strikeouts and a 4.31
Earned Run Average in 1239.2
innings pitched in nine seasons. He has one career save.
Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the 1995 draft, Arroyo made his major league debut with Pittsburgh in 2000. He came to the Boston Red Sox after being selected off waivers before the 2003 season.
Arroyo improved in 2004, while jumping from
middle relief to
starting, to strengthen his role as the Red Sox No. 5 starter. He compiled a 10-9 mark with a 4.03 ERA in 178.2 innings, while posting a very respectable 3.02
strikeout-to-walk ratio (142-to-47). His most productive season came in 2005, when he posted career-highs in
wins (14), starts (32), innings (205.1) and
pitching appearances (35). He also excelled at holding runners, as he only gave up five
stolen bases. Arroyo made 2 starts and 4 relief appearances in the playoffs, compiling a 0-0 record with 2
holds and a 7.82 ERA for the eventual
2004 World Series champion Red Sox. During Game 6 of the
2004 American League Championship Series,
Alex Rodriguez illegally knocked away the ball from Arroyo's glove. The umpires met and reversed the on-field ruling that Rodriguez was safe, forcing
Derek Jeter to return to 1st base, and calling Rodríguez automatically out on the play.
Before the 2006 season, Arroyo signed a three year $11.2 million contract with the Red Sox. Arroyo said the deal was a "hometown discount" and agreed to the terms against the advice of his agent. Arroyo was later traded during spring training of the 2006 season for
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Wily Mo Peña.
[1]
The year 2006 was a high point in Arroyo's career. Highlights of the season included a major-league leading 3,852 pitches, league-leading 240 2/3 innings pitched, his first selection to an All-Star game, as well as his first career shutout in the major leagues.
In
February 2007, Arroyo signed a contract extension with the Cincinnati Reds which will keep him with the organization through the 2010 season, with an option for the year 2011.
Use of performance enhancing drugs
A day after reports claimed former Red Sox teammate
David Ortiz was among 104 Major League players to have failed drug tests in 2003, Arroyo revealed he had used
androstenedione and
amphetamines in his career. Bronson Arroyo remarked that he would not be surprised if he was among the 104 players that failed tests, as he suspected the adrostenedione he was taking may have been tainted with steroids, which is why he stopped taking the substance.
[2]
Pitching style
Arroyo's
fastball is in the 87-92
miles per hour range. While it's considered average among major league pitchers, it has excellent movement and Arroyo is adept at "spotting" it. He also throws a hard
slider that moves away from right-handed batters, and a straight
changeup as well. Arroyo's best pitch is his curveball. He throws the pitch from multiple arm angles and is known to throw it in any count. The angle of the curveball itself can vary from a straight 12-6 to a sweeping 1-7. Arroyo's delivery is somewhat unique; he incorporates a leg kick in his pitching motion, extending his front leg completely straight and lifting it up to a level above his waist before delivering the ball. His kick often appears to reach head level and deceives hitters with its exaggerated motion. From the set position, his leg-kick is much less pronounced and his delivery to home plate is very quick by major league standards. As a result, Arroyo is one of the better pitchers at holding runners on base.
Music
In 2005, Bronson Arroyo released his debut album,
Covering the Bases
. It included covers from bands such as
Alice in Chains,
Stone Temple Pilots and
Foo Fighters. The album also includes the Red Sox victory song
Dirty Water by
The Standells, in which Arroyo is accompanied by
Johnny Damon,
Lenny DiNardo, and
Kevin Youkilis. He also taught
Kevin Millar how to play
guitar and performed vocals for the song "
Tessie" as covered by the
Dropkick Murphys.
In 2008, commercials for
JTM Food Group featuring a 'music video' by Arroyo; also featuring
FSN Ohio color analyst and former
Cincinnati Reds player
Chris Welsh began airing during
Cincinnati Reds games.
Bronson appears as a vocalist on the song "Since You" on
Chad Perrone's album,
Wake
.
[3]
Bronson made his public debut on stage in January 2004 at the Hot Stove Cool Music fundraiser at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. He performed a cover of Pearl Jam's "Black" with teammate Kevin Millar. He later performed full sets at four other Hot Stove Cool Music events with a full band that featured saxophonist Elan Trotman and two members of Gnarls Barkley (drummer Eric Gardner and guitarist Clint Walsh).
References
- [1]
- Bronson Arroyo says he used andro, stopped due to rumors it was tainted with steroids
- [1]