Dan Wheeler, Joel Zumaya To Retire
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/02/dan-wheeler-joel-zumaya-to-retire.html
By Jeff Todd [February 7, 2014 at 6:27pm CST]
Relievers Dan Wheeler and Joel Zumaya have officially retired from the game,
reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com . The pair of 6'3" righties each
saw their share of success at the MLB level.
Wheeler, 36, had far the lengthier career of the two. Over 13 big league
seasons, Wheeler posted a cumulative 3.98 ERA over 640 2/3 innings, most all of
them in relief. He was a sturdy presence in the pen for the Rays and Astros
over much of the first decade of the 21st century, and also had stints with the
Mets, Red Sox, and Indians. He ended his MLB career with a disappointing run in
Cleveland in 2012, and likewise struggled last year with the Royals' Triple-A
affiliate.
Zumaya, who just turned 29 in November, showed flashes of excellence in his
short career. Over five seasons with the Tigers, the fireballer posted a
3.05 ERA in 209 2/3 innings pitched. (Somewhat oddly, he notched exactly one
save in each of those campaigns.) His lifetime rate stats stand at 9.0 K/9 and
4.9 BB/9. Zumaya's best season was his first: in 83 1/3 innings in 2006, he
allowed just 1.94 earned runs per nine innings. A series of elbow surgeries
led to an untimely end to Zumaya's playing days.