Zach Putnam Stats | Baseball Prospectus

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Zach Putnam PRed Sox

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2019 Projections (Preseason PECOTA - seasonal age 31)

IP	ERA	WHIP	SO	W	L	SV	WARP
34.7	4.07	1.36	37	2	1	0	0.3

Birth Date	7-3-1987
Height	6' 2"
Weight	220 lbs

Age	37 years, 8 months, 30 days
Bats	R
Throws	R

: 1.22015
: 0.72016
: 0.32017
: 2018
: 0.32019
proj

WARP Summary

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MLB Statistics

Historical (past-seasons) WARP is now based on DRA..
cFIP and DRA are not available on a by-team basis and display as zeroes(0). See TOT line for season totals of these stats.
Multiple stints are are currently shown —Click to hide.

YEAR	Team	G	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	HR	PPF	H/9	BB/9	HR/9	K/9	GB%	BABIP	WHIP	FIP	ERA	cFIP	DRA	DRA-	WARP
2011	CLE	8	7.3	1	1	0	10	0	9	1	109	12.3	0.0	1.2	11.0	0%	.409	1.36	3.19	6.14	98	3.79	88.1	0.1
2012	COL	2	2.0	0	0	0	3	1	0	0	116	13.5	4.5	0.0	0.0	0%	.375	2.00	4.63	0.00	76	2.47	56.6	0.1
2013	CHN	5	3.3	0	0	0	9	0	4	1	108	24.3	0.0	2.7	10.8	0%	.571	2.70	4.52	18.90	74	2.15	51.4	0.1
2014	CHA	49	54.7	5	3	6	39	20	46	2	101	6.4	3.3	0.3	7.6	0%	.257	1.08	3.10	1.98	97	3.54	86.8	0.6
2015	CHA	49	48.7	3	3	0	42	24	64	7	105	7.8	4.4	1.3	11.8	0%	.310	1.36	4.06	4.07	80	2.68	62.6	1.2
2016	CHA	25	27.3	1	0	0	25	11	30	2	101	8.2	3.6	0.7	9.9	41%	.324	1.32	3.06	2.30	82	2.86	63.4	0.7
2017	CHA	7	8.7	0	0	0	2	1	9	0		2.1	1.0	0.0	9.3	56%	.111	0.35	1.41	1.04	72	2.52	53.7	0.3
Career		145	152.0	10	7	6	130	57	162	13	97	7.7	3.4	0.8	9.6	50%	.296	1.23	3.36	3.20	86	3.05	71.8	3.0

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.

YEAR	Team	Lg	LG	G	GS	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	HR	PPF	H/9	BB/9	HR/9	K/9	GB%	BABIP	WHIP	FIP	ERA	cFIP	DRA	DRA-
2008	MHV	A-	NYP	3	3	9.7	0	1	0	7	5	8	0	99	6.5	4.6	0.0	7.4	0%	.259	1.24	3.50	3.71	104	4.05	83.0
2009	KIN	A+	CRL	5	5	24.0	2	0	0	22	5	23	1	97	8.3	1.9	0.4	8.6	0%	.313	1.13	2.60	4.13	81	3.61	76.0
2009	AKR	AA	EAS	33	0	56.7	4	2	2	59	18	57	2	99	9.4	2.9	0.3	9.0	0%	.341	1.36	2.58	4.13	77	4.15	87.3
2009	PES	Wnt	AFL	5	5	12.3	0	1	0	18	3	18	0		13.2	2.2	0.0	13.2	0%	.500	1.71	2.04	8.78	0	0.00	0.0
2010	AKR	AA	EAS	20	7	51.3	4	1	3	58	9	41	2	102	10.2	1.6	0.4	7.2	0%	.339	1.31	2.79	3.86	0	0.00	0.0
2010	COH	AAA	INT	17	0	24.3	0	1	0	20	7	24	2		7.4	2.6	0.7	8.9	0%	.273	1.11	3.24	3.33	0	0.00	0.0
2011	CLE	MLB	AL	8	0	7.3	1	1	0	10	0	9	1	109	12.3	0.0	1.2	11.0	0%	.409	1.36	3.19	6.14	98	3.79	88.1
2011	COH	AAA	INT	44	0	69.0	6	3	9	61	23	68	6		8.0	3.0	0.8	8.9	0%	.284	1.22	3.43	3.65	84	3.22	65.7
2012	COL	MLB	NL	2	0	2.0	0	0	0	3	1	0	0	116	13.5	4.5	0.0	0.0	0%	.375	2.00	4.63	0.00	76	2.47	56.6
2012	CSP	AAA	PCL	49	0	60.7	3	4	12	73	27	49	5		10.8	4.0	0.7	7.3	0%	.351	1.65	4.50	4.15	100	4.91	102.3
2013	CHN	MLB	NL	5	0	3.3	0	0	0	9	0	4	1	108	24.3	0.0	2.7	10.8	0%	.571	2.70	4.52	18.90	74	2.15	51.4
2013	IOW	AAA	PCL	17	0	19.3	1	1	4	20	6	22	0		9.3	2.8	0.0	10.2	0%	.364	1.34	2.22	3.26	71	3.05	66.2
2014	CHA	MLB	AL	49	0	54.7	5	3	6	39	20	46	2	101	6.4	3.3	0.3	7.6	0%	.257	1.08	3.10	1.98	97	3.54	86.8
2014	CHR	AAA	INT	5	0	7.0	1	0	0	4	1	12	0		5.1	1.3	0.0	15.4	0%	.308	0.71	0.34	0.00	39	1.87	39.5
2015	CHA	MLB	AL	49	0	48.7	3	3	0	42	24	64	7	105	7.8	4.4	1.3	11.8	0%	.310	1.36	4.06	4.07	80	2.68	62.6
2016	CHA	MLB	AL	25	0	27.3	1	0	0	25	11	30	2	101	8.2	3.6	0.7	9.9	41%	.324	1.32	3.06	2.30	82	2.86	63.4
2017	CHA	MLB	AL	7	0	8.7	0	0	0	2	1	9	0		2.1	1.0	0.0	9.3	56%	.111	0.35	1.41	1.04	72	2.52	53.7

Plate Discipline

YEAR	Pits	Zone%	Swing%	Contact%	Z-Swing%	O-Swing%	Z-Contact%	O-Contact%	SwStr%
2011	114	0.5965	0.5000	0.7368	0.6324	0.3043	0.9070	0.2143	0.2632
2012	30	0.5333	0.5000	0.6000	0.5625	0.4286	0.6667	0.5000	0.4000
2013	70	0.4714	0.5143	0.7778	0.6364	0.4054	0.9524	0.5333	0.2222
2014	847	0.3601	0.4640	0.6768	0.6164	0.3782	0.8404	0.5268	0.3232
2015	803	0.3263	0.4770	0.6240	0.6221	0.4067	0.8344	0.4682	0.3760
2016	444	0.3514	0.4910	0.6239	0.6923	0.3819	0.7685	0.4818	0.3761
2017	103	0.4175	0.5437	0.6429	0.6744	0.4500	0.9310	0.3333	0.3571
Career	2411	0.3663	0.4803	0.6528	0.6354	0.3894	0.8333	0.4758	0.3472

Injury History — No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On	Date Off	Transaction	Days	Games	Side	Body Part	Injury	Severity	Surgery Date	Reaggravation
2014-07-24	2014-08-08	15-DL	15	14	Right	Shoulder	Inflammation		-
2013-06-12	2013-09-30	60-DL	110	100	Right	Elbow	Surgery	Bone Chips	2013-08-02	-
2012-03-10	2012-03-17	Camp	7	0	Right	Elbow	Soreness		-	-
2010-05-27	2010-06-23	Minors	27	0	Right	Mid Back	Tightness	Rhomboid	-

Compensation

Years	Description	Salary
3 yr	Previous	$2,617,500
3 yr	Total	$2,617,500

Service Time	Agent	Contract Status
4 y 135 d	ISE Baseball	1 year (2020)

Details

1 year (2020). Signed by Chicago White Sox as a free agent 3/3/20 (minor-league contract).
1 year (2019). Signed by Boston as a free agent 12/18/18 (minor-league contract).
2018. Injured, did not play.
1 year/$1.1175M (2017). Re-signed by Chicago White Sox 1/13/17 (avoided arbitration). Non-tendered by Chicago White Sox 12/1/17.
1 year/$0.975M (2016). Re-signed by Chicago White Sox 1/15/16 (avoided arbitration).
1 year/$0.525M (2015). Re-signed by Chicago White Sox 3/3/15.
1 year (2014). Signed by Chicago White Sox as a free agent 11/13 (minor-league contract). Contract selected by Chicago White Sox 4/17/14.
1 year (2013). Re-signed by Chicago Cubs 12/21/12 (minor-league contract). Contract selected by Chicago Cubs 5/30/13. Sent outright to Triple-A by Chicago Cubs 10/9/13.
1 year (2012). Acquired by Colorado in trade from Cleveland 1/20/12. Claimed by Chicago Cubs off waivers from Colorado 11/2/12. Non-tendered by Chicago Cubs 11/30/12.
1 year (2011). Contract purchased by Cleveland 9/13/11.
Drafted by Cleveland 2008 (5-171) (Michigan) $0.6M signing bonus.

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT	W	SV	G	IP	H	BB	SO	HR	BABIP	WHIP	ERA	DRA	VORP	WARP
90^o	7.7	0.8	51	52.8	37	20	56	5	.248	1.07	2.74	2.99	0.0	0.0
80^o	6.6	0.6	44	46.4	35	19	50	4	.264	1.16	3.12	3.41	-2.0	-0.2
70^o	5.9	0.6	40	41.9	34	18	45	4	.276	1.24	3.41	3.72	-3.2	-0.3
60^o	5.3	0.5	37	38.2	32	17	41	4	.287	1.30	3.66	3.99	-4.0	-0.4
50^o	4.7	0.4	33	34.8	31	16	37	4	.296	1.36	3.90	4.25	-4.6	-0.5
40^o	4.2	0.4	30	31.5	29	16	34	4	.306	1.43	4.14	4.51	-5.0	-0.5
30^o	3.7	0.3	27	28.0	27	15	30	3	.316	1.50	4.40	4.8	-5.3	-0.6
20^o	3.1	0.3	23	24.1	25	13	26	3	.328	1.59	4.72	5.14	-5.4	-0.6
10^o	2.4	0.2	18	18.9	21	11	20	3	.345	1.71	5.17	5.63	-5.2	-0.6
Weighted Mean	4.6	0.4	33	34.0	30	16	36	4	.293	1.35	3.86	4.21	-4.3	-0.5

Preseason Long-Term Forecast (Beyond the 2019 Projections)

Playing time estimates are based on performance, not Depth Charts.

Year	Age	W	L	SV	G	IP	H	BB	SO	HR	GB%	BABIP	WHIP	ERA	DRA	H/9	BB/9	K/9	HR/9	WARP
2020	32	3	1	1	53	56	48	27	60	6	45	.290	1.34	4.06	4.28	7.7	4.3	9.6	1.0	0.5
2021	33	2	1	1	47	49	44	24	52	5	45	.296	1.38	4.13	4.36	8.0	4.4	9.5	0.9	0.4
2022	34	2	1	0	37	39	35	20	41	5	45	.296	1.41	4.31	4.55	8.1	4.6	9.5	1.2	0.2
2023	35	2	1	0	36	38	34	18	40	4	45	.298	1.38	4.25	4.48	8.1	4.3	9.6	1.0	0.2
2024	36	2	1	0	34	35	32	17	37	4	45	.296	1.39	4.28	4.51	8.2	4.3	9.4	1.0	0.2
2025	37	2	1	0	30	32	29	16	33	4	45	.303	1.42	4.30	4.53	8.2	4.5	9.4	1.1	0.2
2026	38	2	1	0	33	35	32	17	36	4	45	.299	1.41	4.33	4.57	8.3	4.4	9.3	1.0	0.2
2027	39	2	1	0	33	34	32	17	35	4	45	.300	1.44	4.36	4.60	8.5	4.5	9.3	1.1	0.2
2028	40	2	1	0	33	35	32	17	36	4	45	.298	1.40	4.36	4.60	8.2	4.4	9.3	1.0	0.2

Comparable Players (Similarity Index 79)

Rank	Score	Name	Year	Run Average	Trend
1	88	Pedro Feliciano	2008	4.05
2	88	Jesse Crain	2013	1.47
3	88	Steve Cishek	2017	2.01
4	88	Nick Masset	2013	0.00	DNP
5	87	Adam Ottavino	2017	5.06
6	87	Fernando Rodney	2008	4.91
7	87	Bobby Jenks	2012	0.00	DNP
8	86	Jeremy Affeldt	2010	4.50
9	85	Jim Kern	1980	5.54
10	84	Mike MacDougal	2008	2.12

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BP Annual Player Comments

Year		Comment
2018		What if we told you the White Sox had claimed a 26-year-old Triple-A right-handed reliever off waivers whose repertoire consisted of spamming a mid-80s splitter? What if we told you this pitcher would then strike out 149 batters over 139 innings with an ERA of 2.71 across the next few seasons? Well, it’s true, and that’s Putnam. Unfortunately, whether you believe it or not, Tommy John surgery meant a second straight season cut short by injury, and his durability is now a serious question.
2017		Zach Putnam missed yet another half-season, this time due to bone spurs. The good news for this split-finger reliever is that, according to his punch card, his next elbow operation is 50 percent off.
2016		Putnam doesn't throw overwhelmingly hard, but since arriving on the South Side in early 2014 he's gone to extremely heavy splitter usage, and batters haven't solved that pitch yet. In 2015, he threw the splitter over 63 percent of the time, and nearly a quarter of those offerings (not just the ones batters swung at) resulted in swings and misses. There's nothing else he does especially well, but if he can even maintain this skill he's a good middle reliever.
2015		In a season that could have been the sweeps-week episode of When Buildings Collapse, this minor-league free agent stood out for sturdiness. Putnam used a heavy splitter to generate groundballs, and while lefties hit him hard, he was tougher on righties than Dellin Betances. Even the .260 BABIP can regress a good long way before he stops being useful, assuming health: Putnam has been plagued by arm injuries for much of his career, having missed time in 2012 and 2013 with elbow trouble and in 2014 with shoulder inflammation.
2014		Bone spurs resulting in August elbow surgery cut short Zach Putnam�s season, but his sinker/splitter combo generates enough strikeouts and groundballs to work in a bullpen.
2013		Putnam, Cleveland's fifth-round pick in 2008, went to the Rockies in a January 2012 trade for Kevin Slowey. He started strong but struggled to throw strikes from June to season's end, walking 21 batters over his final 40 1/3 innings at Triple-A. He works with a low-90s fastball and a splitter that generates grounders. The University of Michigan product made a few starts earlier in his career but has spent the last two seasons working exclusively out of the bullpen, which is where his future lies. The Cubs picked him up on waivers in early November, then promptly non-tendered him.
2012		Taking a big step forward in his first full season at Triple-A, Putnam will compete for a spot in Cleveland's bullpen this spring and should be a mainstay for years to come. Already possessing a true knockout pitch in a brutal splitter that drops off the table, Putnam changed the grip on his slider this season to give him a second big-league-quality off-speed pitch. That slider complements a 92-93 mph fastball that touches 96. Putnam also improved his fastball command last season and has little left to learn in the minors. An athletic player who could have been drafted as a hitter, Putnam bounced between the rotation and bullpen before finally settling into a relief role in 2011. Shoulder issues hampered his effectiveness in the middle of the season, but he bounced back well and should be fine.
2011		When Putnam was a high-school star in Michigan, he was generally seen as one of the top players in the country. His stock slipped after three years at his home state's university, and while he'll never be a star, he should at least provide some relief help. His 92-94 mph fastball played better out of the pen, and he pounds the strike zone with it before throwing hitters off-balance with an average slider and an impressive split/change that produces some ugly swings. Putnam's ceiling is that of a seventh- or eighth-inning arm, but he's close to being ready.
2010		The Tribe's bullpen woes created some panic down below, as they briefly converted Zach Putnam to relief work in 2009; he'll be back to starting at Double-A, and has the stuff to fit in the back end of a good rotation.

BP Articles

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BP Chats

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Date	Question	Answer
2017-07-19 17:00:00 (link to chat)	White Sox closer? Clippard? Any chance that works? (tomhauck from NJ)	Probably not. 52% fly ball rate in Guaranteed Rate Field? ABORT ABORT ABORT. The sad thing is, they probably don't have a better option. Nate Jones and Zach Putnam are both done for the year, and Anthony Swarzak is probably going to get some save opportunities as well. It's a mess. (Brett Cowett)
2014-08-25 13:00:00 (link to chat)	When it comes to saves in 2015, can you please rank the following. Vic Black, Josh Fields, Zach Putnam, Junichi Tazawa. Thanks dude. (Corey from San Jacinto)	Putnam, Fields, and Black, Tazawa with the caveat that anything can happen between now and ST 2015. If you're looking for fluidity, Chicago and Houston are better place to go than Boston (sounds like they might bring back Koji Uehara) and New York (Mejia is OK if he's healthy, and Familia looks like a solid back-up plan). (Mike Gianella)
2012-05-17 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Who are some prospects at RP that you like (are there any)? (McPaine from St. Paul)	There's rarely such a thing as a RP "prospect." The good pitching prospects generally start out in the rotation, and if they can't hack it, they move into the bullpen. That said, there are certainly some relievers in Triple-A that could prove valuable to an AL or NL-only team. Don't count on them for saves anytime soon, but they could provide good ratios. A few off the top of my head: Eduardo Sanchez was just recalled by St. Louis and has good stuff. Juan Abreu is interesting in Houston if he can improve his control. I like Zach Putnam for Colorado. Nick Hagadone's been up and down for Cleveland this year. Jose Ceda is out for 2012 (Tommy John) but is interesting next year, perhaps even getting in the saves mix at some point. (Derek Carty)

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PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile

A Collaboration between BrooksBaseball.net and Baseball Prospectus - Pitch classifications provided by Pitch Info LLC

Although he has not thrown an MLB pitch in 2025, Zach Putnam threw 2,551 pitches that were tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2011 and 2017, all of them occuring in Spring Training. In 2017, he relied primarily on his Splitter (84mph) and Fourseam Fastball (91mph), also mixing in a Cutter (91mph). He also rarely threw a Slider (90mph).