Barry Zito

Full Name: Barry William Zito	Primary Position: P
Height/Weight: 6' 4"/205	First Game: July 22, 2000
Birthdate: May 13, 1978	MLB Experience: 7 years
Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada
Bat/Throw: Left/Left

Biography

Barry William Zito was born on May 13, 1978 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Barry attended the University of San Diego High School in San Diego, a Catholic school, where he began surfing. He attend both the University of California, Santa Barbara and, subsequently, the USC, where he was a member of the 1998 NCAA baseball championship team.

In 2002, Zito won the Cy Young Award for outstanding pitcher in the American League, narrowly defeating Pedro Martinez in the voting. He was named to the American League All-Star team in 2002 and 2003. He is a durable pitcher, starting 34 or more games in each of his five full major league seasons, leading the league in games started three times.

Most people believe that Barry Zito's best season was 2002, when he posted a 2.75 ERA, won 23 games and struck out 182 batters.

Zito is entering the last year of his contract in 2006 and is widely regarded as one of the more sought-after free agents in that class.

Pitching style

A left hander, Zito throws an 89-90 mph four-seam fastball, a changeup and an excellent curveball (whose nicknames include "Captain Hook", "Rip-Curl", and "Bert") that has drawn comparisons to those of Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax. In mid-2004, Zito started throwing a two-seam fastball, and in 2005, he added a strong slider, or "slurve," to his pitch arsenal.

Personal life

Zito — whose hobbies include yoga, rock guitar and surfing. His personality has made him a media favorite. He once made it a practice to buy his own autographed baseball cards on eBay; when asked why he bought them at auction for high prices rather than acquiring unsigned cards and signing them himself, Zito replied, "Because they're authenticated." In addition, Zito carries satin pillows on the road, collects stuffed animals, and burns incense to relax. Many Oakland fans first became aware of Zito when, early in his career, he dyed his hair blue. He has since earned the nickname "Planet Zito."

In 2005, Zito had a streak of 14 consecutive starts and 20 out of 21 in which he gave up fewer hits than innings pitched.

Zito created the charity Strikeouts For Troops, to which he donates $100 for every strikeout he throws. The charity benefits hospitals for soldiers wounded in military operations.

Zito is the nephew of actor Patrick Duffy. In 2004, he dated actress Alyssa Milano.

Scouting Report

Statistics

Pitching Stats

Year	Team		G	GS	W	L	ERA	K	R	ER	CG	SHO	IP	H	HR	BB	IB	WP	HBP
2000	OAK	A	14	14	7	4	2.72	78	30	28	1	1	92.2	64	6	45	2	2	2
2001	OAK	A	35	35	17	8	3.49	205	92	83	3	2	214.1	184	18	80	0	6	13
2002	OAK	A	35	35	23	5	2.75	182	79	70	1	0	229.1	182	24	78	2	2	9
2003	OAK	A	35	35	14	12	3.30	146	98	85	4	1	231.2	186	19	88	3	4	6
2004	OAK	A	34	34	11	11	4.48	163	116	106	0	0	213	216	28	81	2	4	9
2005	OAK	A	35	35	14	13	3.86	171	106	98	0	0	228.1	185	26	89	0	4	13
2006	OAK	A	34	34	16	10	3.83	151	99	94	0	0	221	211	27	99	5	4	13
2007	SF	N	34	33	11	13	4.53	131	105	99	0	0	196.2	182	24	83	4	5	4
Total		NL	34	33	11	13	4.53	131	105	99	0	0	196.2	182	24	83	4	5	4
Total		AL	222	222	102	63	3.55	1096	620	564	9	4	1430.1	1228	148	560	14	26	65
Total			256	255	113	76	3.67	1227	725	663	9	4	1627	1410	172	643	18	31	69

Fielding Stats

Year	Team		POS	G	GS	INN	PO	A	ERR	DP	PB	SB	CS	PkO	AVG
2000	OAK	A	P	14	14	92.2	4	9	0	0	1	3	4	2	1.000
2001	OAK	A	P	35	35	214.1	9	25	2	3	0	23	11	2	.944
2002	OAK	A	P	35	35	229.1	11	31	3	3	2	10	9	4	.933
2003	OAK	A	P	35	35	231.2	12	28	1	1	0	13	7	1	.976
2004	OAK	A	P	34	34	213	5	31	2	1	2	15	8	4	.947
2005	OAK	A	P	35	35	228.1	12	34	0	1	0	22	4	2	1.000
2006	OAK	A	P	34	34	221	7	18	1	3	1	8	12	2	.962
2007	SF	N	P	34	33	196.2	3	21	0	1	0	5	1	1	1.000
Total			P	256	255	1627	63	197	9	13	6	99	56	18	.967

Batting Stats

Year	Team		G	AB	R	H	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG	BB	SO	SH
2000	OAK	A	14	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0
2001	OAK	A	35	5	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	4	0
2002	OAK	A	35	4	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	3	2
2003	OAK	A	35	6	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	1	0
2004	OAK	A	34	4	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	3	0
2005	OAK	A	35	7	0	1	0	.143	.143	.143	0	2	0
2006	OAK	A	34	3	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	2	1
2007	SF	N	34	62	2	7	3	.113	.141	.113	2	16	4
Total		NL	34	62	2	7	3	.113	.141	.113	2	16	4
Total		AL	222	29	0	1	0	.034	.034	.034	0	15	3
Total			256	91	2	8	0	.088	.108	.088	2	31	7

Transactions

Selected by Seattle Mariners in the 59th round of the free-agent draft - did not sign (June 4, 1996).
Selected by Texas Rangers in the 3rd round of the free-agent draft - did not sign (June 2, 1998).
Selected by Oakland Athletics in the 1st round (9th pick overall) of the free-agent draft (June 2, 1999 - signed June 12, 1999).
Granted free agency (November 1, 2006).
Signed by San Francisco Giants (December 29, 2006).