Biographical

Portrait of Randy Choate

Randy Choate PDodgers

Dodgers Player Cards | Dodgers Team Audit | Dodgers Depth Chart

2019 Projections (Preseason PECOTA - seasonal age 43)
IP ERA WHIP SO W L SV WARP
35.0 4.63 1.41 32 2 1 1 0.0
Birth Date9-5-1975
Height6' 1"
Weight210 lbs
Age48 years, 7 months, 21 days
BatsL
ThrowsL
-0.22015
2016
2017
2018
0.02019
proj
WARP Summary

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 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- WARP
2000 NYA MLB 22 0 17.0 0 1 0 14 8 12 3 85 7.4 4.2 1.6 6.4 0% .216 1.29 5.69 4.76 112 5.33 102.6 0.1
2001 NYA MLB 37 0 48.3 3 1 0 34 27 35 0 94 6.3 5.0 0.0 6.5 0% .250 1.26 3.88 3.35 105 5.64 116.8 -0.1
2002 NYA MLB 18 0 22.3 0 0 0 18 15 17 1 100 7.3 6.0 0.4 6.9 0% .262 1.48 4.53 6.04 112 5.51 118.2 0.0
2003 NYA MLB 5 0 3.7 0 0 0 7 1 0 0 103 17.2 2.5 0.0 0.0 0% .467 2.18 3.91 7.36 110 6.11 128.1 0.0
2004 ARI MLB 74 0 50.7 2 4 0 52 28 49 1 100 9.2 5.0 0.2 8.7 0% .342 1.58 3.22 4.62 88 3.83 79.0 1.0
2005 ARI MLB 8 0 7.0 0 0 0 8 5 4 0 94 10.3 6.4 0.0 5.1 0% .320 1.86 4.41 9.00 91 3.34 71.9 0.2
2006 ARI MLB 30 0 16.0 0 1 0 21 3 12 0 99 11.8 1.7 0.0 6.8 0% .368 1.50 2.73 3.94 83 3.65 74.3 0.4
2007 ARI MLB 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 107 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0% 1.000 0.00 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 0.0 0.0
2009 TBA MLB 61 0 36.3 1 0 5 28 11 28 4 105 6.9 2.7 1.0 6.9 0% .242 1.07 3.93 3.47 110 5.55 118.9 -0.1
2010 TBA MLB 85 0 44.7 4 3 0 41 17 40 3 106 8.3 3.4 0.6 8.1 0% .306 1.30 3.47 4.23 108 4.55 102.8 0.2
2011 FLO MLB 54 0 24.7 1 1 0 13 13 31 3 94 4.7 4.7 1.1 11.3 0% .185 1.05 3.88 1.82 108 4.63 107.7 0.0
2012 LAN 0 36 0 13.3 0 0 0 13 9 11 1 92 8.8 6.1 0.7 7.4 0% .293 1.65 4.93 4.05 98 4.32 99.0 0.1
2012 MIA 0 44 0 25.3 0 0 1 16 9 27 0 93 5.7 3.2 0.0 9.6 0% .246 0.99 2.42 2.49 107 4.90 112.4 0.0
2013 SLN MLB 64 0 35.3 2 1 0 26 11 28 0 100 6.6 2.8 0.0 7.1 0% .260 1.05 2.54 2.29 98 4.08 97.8 0.2
2014 SLN MLB 61 0 36.0 2 2 0 27 13 32 2 103 6.8 3.3 0.5 8.0 0% .260 1.11 3.54 4.50 123 5.65 138.7 -0.5
2015 SLN MLB 71 0 27.3 1 0 1 29 5 22 2 93 9.5 1.6 0.7 7.2 0% .329 1.24 3.70 3.95 112 5.42 126.7 -0.2
2012 TOT MLB 80 0 38.7 0 0 1 29 18 38 1 93 6.8 4.2 0.2 8.8 0% .000 1.22 3.28 3.03 104 4.70 107.8 0.0
CareerMLB6720408.01614735017534820987.73.90.47.760%.2811.283.623.901044.86107.51.0

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-
1997 ONE A- NYP 10 10 62.3 5 1 0 49 12 61 1 7.1 1.7 0.1 8.8 0% .289 0.98 2.44 1.73 0 0.00 0.0
1998 GRB A SAL 8 8 39.0 1 5 0 46 7 32 1 10.6 1.6 0.2 7.4 0% -1.125 1.36 2.91 3.00 0 0.00 0.0
1998 TAM A+ FSL 13 13 70.0 1 8 0 83 22 55 6 10.7 2.8 0.8 7.1 0% -.906 1.50 4.03 5.27 0 0.00 0.0
1999 TAM A+ FSL 47 0 50.0 2 2 1 51 24 62 4 9.2 4.3 0.7 11.2 0% -.495 1.50 3.72 4.50 0 0.00 0.0
2000 NYA MLB AL 22 0 17.0 0 1 0 14 8 12 3 85 7.4 4.2 1.6 6.4 0% .216 1.29 5.69 4.76 112 5.33 102.6
2000 COH AAA INT 33 0 35.3 2 0 1 34 14 37 2 8.7 3.6 0.5 9.4 0% -.571 1.36 3.22 2.04 0 0.00 0.0
2001 NYA MLB AL 37 0 48.3 3 1 0 34 27 35 0 94 6.3 5.0 0.0 6.5 0% .250 1.26 3.88 3.35 105 5.64 116.8
2001 COH AAA INT 4 0 4.3 1 1 0 7 3 4 0 14.7 6.3 0.0 8.4 0% -1.000 2.33 3.39 2.09 0 0.00 0.0
2002 NYA MLB AL 18 0 22.3 0 0 0 18 15 17 1 100 7.3 6.0 0.4 6.9 0% .262 1.48 4.53 6.04 112 5.51 118.2
2002 COH AAA INT 31 0 36.7 3 2 1 25 15 32 0 6.1 3.7 0.0 7.8 0% .248 1.09 2.73 1.72 0 0.00 0.0
2003 NYA MLB AL 5 0 3.7 0 0 0 7 1 0 0 103 17.2 2.5 0.0 0.0 0% .467 2.18 3.91 7.36 110 6.11 128.1
2003 COH AAA INT 54 3 71.3 3 5 1 75 24 56 4 9.5 3.0 0.5 7.1 0% .316 1.39 3.58 3.91 0 0.00 0.0
2003 lic Wnt DWL 1 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0.0 18.0 0.0 0.0 0% .000 2.00 9.11 0.00 0 0.00 0.0
2004 ARI MLB NL 74 0 50.7 2 4 0 52 28 49 1 100 9.2 5.0 0.2 8.7 0% .342 1.58 3.22 4.62 88 3.83 79.0
2004 TUC AAA PCL 15 0 12.7 0 0 1 10 8 7 1 7.1 5.7 0.7 5.0 0% .243 1.42 5.55 5.67 0 0.00 0.0
2005 ARI MLB NL 8 0 7.0 0 0 0 8 5 4 0 94 10.3 6.4 0.0 5.1 0% .320 1.86 4.41 9.00 91 3.34 71.9
2005 TUC AAA PCL 47 0 40.0 1 1 3 44 22 20 4 88 9.9 5.0 0.9 4.5 0% -.833 1.65 5.61 3.38 114 4.91 96.8
2006 ARI MLB NL 30 0 16.0 0 1 0 21 3 12 0 99 11.8 1.7 0.0 6.8 0% .368 1.50 2.73 3.94 83 3.65 74.3
2006 TUC AAA PCL 43 1 45.1 6 0 8 39 10 44 0 101 7.8 2.0 0.0 8.8 0% .302 1.09 2.11 2.20 67 2.65 55.6
2007 ARI MLB NL 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 107 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0% 1.000 0.00 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 0.0
2007 TUC AAA PCL 55 0 63.3 3 1 3 68 16 61 3 109 9.7 2.3 0.4 8.7 0% .339 1.33 3.21 2.99 73 3.43 70.3
2007 AGU Wnt DWL 12 0 10.7 0 0 3 7 3 8 1 5.9 2.5 0.8 6.7 0% .240 0.93 3.62 1.68 0 0.00 0.0
2007 AGU Wnt DWL 17 0 15.7 0 1 1 12 2 14 0 6.9 1.1 0.0 8.0 0% .286 0.89 1.65 1.15 0 0.00 0.0
2007 AGU Wnt DWL 5 0 4.3 0 0 1 5 0 4 0 10.5 0.0 0.0 8.4 0% .333 1.16 1.20 0.00 0 0.00 0.0
2008 BRV A+ FSL 1 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 102 0.0 0.0 0.0 9.0 0% .000 0.00 1.20 0.00 87 3.75 76.7
2008 NAS AAA PCL 26 2 39.0 0 4 2 42 20 31 4 96 9.7 4.6 0.9 7.2 0% .314 1.59 4.84 5.08 102 5.28 108.0
2009 TBA MLB AL 61 0 36.3 1 0 5 28 11 28 4 105 6.9 2.7 1.0 6.9 0% .242 1.07 3.93 3.47 110 5.55 118.9
2009 DUR AAA INT 21 0 19.3 3 0 0 16 9 15 0 113 7.5 4.2 0.0 7.0 0% .271 1.30 2.99 3.73 96 3.45 72.5
2010 TBA MLB AL 85 0 44.7 4 3 0 41 17 40 3 106 8.3 3.4 0.6 8.1 0% .306 1.30 3.47 4.23 108 4.55 102.8
2011 FLO MLB NL 54 0 24.7 1 1 0 13 13 31 3 94 4.7 4.7 1.1 11.3 0% .185 1.05 3.88 1.82 108 4.63 107.7
2012 LAN MLB NL 36 0 13.3 0 0 0 13 9 11 1 92 8.8 6.1 0.7 7.4 0% .293 1.65 4.93 4.05 98 4.32 99.0
2012 MIA MLB NL 44 0 25.3 0 0 1 16 9 27 0 93 5.7 3.2 0.0 9.6 0% .246 0.99 2.42 2.49 107 4.90 112.4
2013 SLN MLB NL 64 0 35.3 2 1 0 26 11 28 0 100 6.6 2.8 0.0 7.1 0% .260 1.05 2.54 2.29 98 4.08 97.8
2014 SLN MLB NL 61 0 36.0 2 2 0 27 13 32 2 103 6.8 3.3 0.5 8.0 0% .260 1.11 3.54 4.50 123 5.65 138.7
2015 SLN MLB NL 71 0 27.3 1 0 1 29 5 22 2 93 9.5 1.6 0.7 7.2 0% .329 1.24 3.70 3.95 112 5.42 126.7
2016 TUL AA TEX 3 0 0.3 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 81.0 27.0 0.0 0.0 50% .750 12.00 12.17 54.00 119 0.00 0.0
2016 OKL AAA PCL 24 0 11.3 1 0 0 10 6 10 1 7.9 4.8 0.8 7.9 56% .290 1.41 4.95 5.56 113 4.73 104.5
2016 DOD Rk AZL 7 5 6.0 0 0 0 10 1 10 0 103 15.0 1.5 0.0 15.0 71% .588 1.83 2.27 7.50 76 6.31 139.3

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr%
2009 565 0.5416 0.4531 0.8125 0.6078 0.2703 0.9032 0.5714 0.1875
2010 685 0.5314 0.4350 0.7248 0.5962 0.2523 0.7880 0.5556 0.2752
2011 400 0.4425 0.4050 0.6914 0.6215 0.2332 0.8000 0.4615 0.3086
2012 628 0.4745 0.3933 0.7206 0.5503 0.2515 0.8171 0.5301 0.2794
2013 487 0.4723 0.4497 0.7260 0.6348 0.2840 0.8151 0.5479 0.2740
2014 576 0.4635 0.4462 0.7471 0.6105 0.3042 0.8650 0.5426 0.2529
2015 406 0.4335 0.4360 0.7232 0.6193 0.2957 0.8257 0.5588 0.2768
Career37470.48520.43130.73720.60270.26960.83100.54100.2628

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
2012-09-04 2012-09-04 DTD 0 0 Left Hand Contusion Batted Ball - -
2012-03-01 2012-03-26 Camp 25 0 Right Trunk Strain Side - -
2011-08-16 2011-09-29 60-DL 44 41 Left Elbow Inflammation - -
2008-03-20 2008-07-10 15-DL 112 91 Left Fingers Fracture Ring Finger -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2015 SLN $3,000,000
2014 SLN $3,000,000
2013 SLN $1,500,000
2012 MIA $1,500,000
2011 FLO $1,000,000
2010 TBA $700,000
2008 TBA $500,000
2005 ARI $550,000
2004 ARI $325,750
2002 NYA $223,350
2001 NYA $200,000
2000 NYA $200,000
YearsDescriptionSalary
12 yrPrevious$12,699,100
12 yrTotal$12,699,100

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
11 y 73 dACES1 year (2016)

Details
  • 1 year (2016). Signed by Toronto as a free agent 3/11/16 (minor-league contract). Exercised opt-out clause, released by Toronto 3/29/16. Signed by LA Dodgers as a free agent 6/12/16 (minor-league contract). Retired 2/17.
  • 3 years/$7.5M (2013-15). Signed by St. Louis as a free agent 12/5/12. 13:$1.5M, 14:$3M, 15:$3M. Performance bonuses: $50,000 for 70 relief appearances. $75,000 for 75 relief appearances. $0.125M for 80 relief appearances.
  • 2 years/$2.5M (2011-12). Signed by Florida as a free agent 12/15/10. 11:$1M, 12:$1.5M. $0.15M in performance bonuses based on games. Acquired by LA Dodgers in trade from Miami 7/25/12.
  • 1 year/$0.7M (2010). Re-signed by Tampa Bay 12/11/09 (avoided arbitration).
  • 1 year (2009). Signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent 1/6/09 (minor-league contract). Contract purchased by Tampa Bay 5/25/09.
  • 1 year/$0.5M (2008). Signed as a free agent by Milwaukee 11/14/07 (split contract).
  • 1 year (2007). Re-signed by Arizona (minor-league contract).
  • 2 years/$1.3M (2005-06). Signed extension with Arizona 1/05. 05:$0.55M, 06:$0.75M. Sent outright to Triple-A by Arizona 5/05. Contract purchased 6/06, DFA 8/06. Contract purchased 9/06, DFA 11/06.
  • 1 year/$325,750 (2004). Acquired by Montreal in trade from NY Yankees 12/03. Acquired by Arizona in trade from Montreal 3/04. Signed by Arizona 3/04.
  • Drafted by NY Yankees 1997 (5-169) (Florida State).

2019 Preseason Forecast

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

PCT W L SV G GS IP H BB SO HR BABIP WHIP ERA DRA VORP WARP
90o 16.8 0 5.5 119 1 53.1 40 21 47 5 .243 1.14 3.53 3.74 -6.3 -0.7
80o 14.3 0 4.5 104 1 46.1 38 20 41 5 .260 1.25 3.97 4.21 -8.7 -1.0
70o 12.5 0 3.9 93 1 41.2 36 19 37 5 .272 1.33 4.29 4.56 -10.0 -1.1
60o 11.1 0 3.4 84 1 37.2 34 18 33 5 .283 1.40 4.57 4.86 -10.8 -1.2
50o 9.8 0 3 75 1 33.5 32 17 30 4 .293 1.47 4.84 5.15 -11.2 -1.2
40o 8.6 0 2.6 67 1 29.9 30 16 27 4 .303 1.54 5.12 5.45 -11.3 -1.2
30o 7.4 0 2.2 59 1 26.2 28 15 23 4 .313 1.63 5.42 5.77 -11.2 -1.2
20o 6.1 0 1.8 50 1 22.1 25 13 20 3 .326 1.72 5.79 6.17 -10.8 -1.2
10o 4.4 0 1.2 37 0 16.6 20 11 15 3 .344 1.87 6.31 6.73 -9.6 -1.0
Weighted Mean9.602.973132.63116294.2901.454.805.1-10.6-1.2

Preseason Long-Term Forecast (Beyond the 2019 Projections)

Playing time estimates are based on performance, not Depth Charts.
Year Age W L SV G GS IP H BB SO HR GB% BABIP WHIP ERA DRA H/9 BB/9 K/9 HR/9 WARP
202044625130158552852750.3111.434.795.378.54.38.11.1-0.4
202145625134160562952850.3071.424.855.448.44.47.81.2-0.5
202246625131158552851750.3091.424.905.508.54.37.91.1-0.5
202347625129158552850850.3101.444.995.608.64.47.81.2-0.6
202448625121154522647750.3091.445.025.638.74.37.81.2-0.6
202549625121154522746750.3091.455.035.648.64.57.61.2-0.6
202650625122154522746750.3101.455.065.688.64.57.61.2-0.7
202751625121154522746750.3101.475.105.728.74.57.71.2-0.7
202852624120154522745750.3101.475.125.758.74.57.51.2-0.7

Comparable Players (Similarity Index 56)

Rank Score Name Year Run Average Trend
1 81 Doug Brocail 2010 0.00 DNP
2 81 Roberto Hernandez 2008 0.00 DNP
3 79 Mike Timlin 2009 0.00 DNP
4 79 Jeff Fassero 2006 7.80
5 76 Rick Honeycutt 1997 13.50
6 75 Joe Nathan 2018 0.00 DNP
7 74 Trevor Hoffman 2011 0.00 DNP
8 74 LaTroy Hawkins 2016 0.00 DNP
9 73 Woodie Fryman 1983 18.00
10 72 Don McMahon 1973 1.48
11 72 John Franco 2004 5.48
12 71 Darren Oliver 2014 0.00 DNP
13 68 Dutch Leonard 1952 2.79
14 68 Kent Tekulve 1990 0.00 DNP
15 67 Takashi Saito 2013 0.00 DNP
16 66 Hoyt Wilhelm 1966 2.32
17 66 Jesse Orosco 2000 11.57
18 65 Andy Pettitte 2015 0.00 DNP
19 63 Doug Jones 2000 4.17
20 63 Miguel Batista 2014 0.00 DNP
21 62 Jack Quinn 1927 3.84
22 61 David Wells 2006 4.90
23 59 Jerry Koosman 1986 0.00 DNP
24 59 Jesse Haines 1937 4.82
25 59 Phil Niekro 1982 4.07
26 59 R.A. Dickey 2018 0.00 DNP
27 59 Tim Wakefield 2010 5.91
28 58 Kenny Rogers 2008 6.12
29 58 Tom Seaver 1988 0.00 DNP
30 58 Earl Caldwell 1948 8.92
31 57 Tom Glavine 2009 0.00 DNP
32 57 Jamie Moyer 2006 4.68
33 57 Terry Mulholland 2006 9.00
34 57 Curt Davis 1947 0.00 DNP
35 56 Johnny Niggeling 1947 0.00 DNP
36 56 John Smoltz 2010 0.00 DNP
37 56 Roger Clemens 2006 2.70
38 55 Bartolo Colon 2016 3.80
39 55 Rip Sewell 1950 0.00 DNP
40 55 Randy Johnson 2007 4.13
41 55 Connie Marrero 1954 5.02
42 55 Gaylord Perry 1982 4.86
43 55 Greg Maddux 2009 0.00 DNP
44 55 Lefty Grove 1943 0.00 DNP
45 55 Red Faber 1932 5.00
46 54 Rick Reuschel 1992 0.00 DNP
47 54 Murry Dickson 1960 0.00 DNP
48 54 Satchel Paige 1950 0.00 DNP
49 53 Dennis Martinez 1997 8.45
50 53 Orlando Hernandez 2009 0.00 DNP
51 53 Early Wynn 1963 2.28
52 52 Warren Spahn 1964 5.70
53 52 Dolf Luque 1934 3.76
54 52 Koji Uehara 2018 0.00 DNP
55 52 Bert Blyleven 1994 0.00 DNP
56 51 Babe Adams 1925 6.04
57 50 Grover Alexander 1930 11.30
58 50 Mike Ryba 1946 2.16
59 50 Rich Gossage 1995 0.00 DNP
60 50 Red Ruffing 1948 0.00 DNP
61 50 Joe Heving 1944 4.01
62 47 Don Sutton 1988 4.53
63 46 Charlie Root 1942 0.00 DNP
64 46 Dennis Eckersley 1998 4.76
65 45 Eppa Rixey 1934 0.00 DNP
66 44 Dazzy Vance 1934 6.44
67 44 Sad Sam Jones 1936 0.00 DNP
68 43 Ted Lyons 1944 0.00 DNP
69 43 Nolan Ryan 1990 3.79
70 42 Tommy John 1986 3.44
71 40 Steve Carlton 1988 17.69
72 39 Mike Morgan 2003 0.00 DNP
73 37 Joe Niekro 1988 10.03
74 34 Charlie Hough 1991 4.42
75 34 Bob Smith 1938 0.00 DNP
76 30 Jim Kaat 1982 4.92
77 29 Danny Darwin 1999 0.00 DNP
78 22 Lou Polli 1945 0.00 DNP

BP Annual Player Comments

YearComment
2016 Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me
—Randol Doyle Choate

Or maybe it was John Donne. But hey, put Choate in a cabin for a few days with a legal pad and some pencils and who knows what he'd come up with. Choate had a historic 2015. He became the game's all-time and single-season leader in fewest innings per appearance, thereby cementing his status as the Barry Bonds of LOOGYs. It was odd, then, that he accomplished those historic feats—okay, certain people's concept of historic feats—during one of the worst seasons of his career. He allowed lefties to post an OPS more than 150 points higher than they had in any season since his rebirth in 2009—a bad development, considering he was used as true to the definition as any LOOGY in history. Seeing as how he celebrated his 40th birthday in September, it's time to ponder: Does the lefty to end all lefties have anything left...y?

2015 Choate is more than just a LOOGY. He's the LOOGY to end all LOOGYs, a LOOGY Supreme complete with sour cream, tangy red sauce and a ridiculous .160 TAv against lefties last year. When he faces righties, however, disaster on a level usually reserved for Russian dashboard camera footage frequently ensues. Choate is an old dog who isn't about to learn any new tricks, so in this, the last year of his contract, the Cardinals had best continue to spot him wisely or suffer the painful consequences.
2014 It's no exaggeration to say that, if he threw right-handed, Randy Choate would be selling chili pepper seeds by mail order out of a garage in Brownsville. (Or something.) Since reinventing himself as a LOOGY in 2009, Choate has logged 180 innings in 344 appearances while earning $5.1 million; he's got at least $3 million more coming on his current contract. Only Aroldis Chapman and Craig Kimbrel have been tougher against lefties in that time, by OPS, so if the Cardinals find he's superfluous in a lefty-packed bullpen they'll find plenty of takers around the league.
2013 After missing six weeks in 2011 with elbow inflammation, Choate bounced back to tie for the NL lead in appearances, the second time in three years he's claimed a share of the lead. To their credit, both Ozzie Guillen and Don Mattingly did better jobs last year of picking Choate's spots than managers usually do when it comes to LOOGYs: Choate faced lefties 69 percent of the time and dominated them (.158/.243/.218), thereby minimizing his struggles against righties (.325/.471/.350). The Cardinals, well known for their lefty love, signed him to a three-year deal, during which Choate may be asked to retire Joey Votto about 40 times.
2012 In the first year of a two-year, $2.5 million contract that lured him from cross-state “natural rivals” Tampa Bay, Choate did for the Marlins what he has done for more than a decade: neutralize left-handed hitters. His 1.82 ERA and 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings were both career bests. Choate missed the final month and a half of the season with left elbow inflammation but should be ready to go for the start of the season.
2011 Other than leading the AL in appearances, Choate's season wasn't particularly distinguished. Lefties hit just .202/.263/.266 against him in 138 plate appearances, a bit better than his career numbers, and while righties raked him at a .410/.521/.641 clip, it was only 49 PA, so kudos to Joe Maddon for keeping his LOOGY out of harm's way. Still, he was 5.2 runs below average in terms of preventing inherited runners from scoring. Having worked year-to-year for less than $1 million his entire career, he declined arbitration and netted a two-year, $2.5-million deal from the Marlins.
2010 Virtually absent from the major-league scene since 2006—how'd you like two appearances in which you failed to retire a hitter hanging over your head for two years?—Choate resurfaced in late May when Brian Shouse went down, and did his typical LOOGY act. Righties hit a robust .321/.390/.491 against him, lefties a bare .141/.193/.192; to Joe Maddon's credit, Choate held the platoon advantage 60 percent of the time. With Shouse's departure, he's likely to be the team's primary lefty specialist in 2010, though with J.P. Howell working the high-leverage road and Lance Cormier the low one, that means limited engagements for Choate.
2008 Your classic "have left arm, will travel" specialist side-armer Randy Choate has already drifted to the Brewers' 40-man roster, reflecting his better chance to stick there.
2007 Randy Choate is your basic wandering LOOGY: something less than a Seinfeld gag, and something more persistent than a cough.
2005 Choate's that LOOGY floatballer, sporting the telltale 3:2ish ratio of games to innings pitched. In 2004, he actually was tougher on righties than lefties, to the tune of about 80 points of OPS. He throws left-handed and can get people out on his good days, so he'll be around for years to come.
2004 The other guy in the Javier Vazquez trade, Choate was never able to establish himself under Joe Torre. He struggles to locate his stuff, which makes him prone to walking guys, not a good quality in a specialist. The Expos' trade of Scott Stewart clears space for him in Montreal, and if allowed to throw complete innings and multiple innings, he could be valuable.
2003 For whatever reason, Torre just doesn’t seem to like Choate, which is unfortunate. He has value as a situational lefty, but Torre wouldn’t use him as one regularly enough to keep him fresh, and then would do things like leave him out there to absorb a beating on a getaway day. Over the last three years, he’s limited lefties to .168/.288/.248, which is the sort of thing that usually makes a situational reliever very wealthy. He might get taken a little more seriously now that Mike Stanton is gone. Or not, with Chris Hammond now on board.
2002 Choate is fun to watch, a Todd Frohwirth or Mark Eichhorn from the left side. He's a promising lefty specialist, and he'll probably spend the next ten to 12 years being asked to retire some nasty lefty bomber or forcing the opposing manager to pinch-hit for one.
2001 Randy Choate is a lefty specialist who looks the part, coming from the side with average stuff. He did his job in September with the Yankees, so he should be back as the second left-hander in the pen this year. Choate isn't $3 million worse than Rheal Cormier or Graeme Lloyd.

BP Articles

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BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2013-11-08 14:00:00 (link to chat)I think soccer is the only other (major) sport with no return after a substitution, and they are limited to just 2 or maybe 3. What if managers could only make 3 subs per game?
(flip coleman from Still in Clearwater)		This would probably be bad news for Randy Choate. (Ben Lindbergh)
2013-04-30 12:00:00 (link to chat)By the end of last season, the St. Louis bullpen had become a strength; now it's looking like a disaster, with practically the same cast of characters (plus Randy Choate, who's not the problem). Random SSS glitch, or evidence that the new bullpen coach (Blaise Ilsley) is having issues, or something else? What do you do about it?
(Bill from New Mexico)		It could be sample-size issues, it could be talent issues, or it could be a combination thereof. Without knowing what Ilsley's responsibilities are and how he goes about his business I'm not comfortable putting the issues on his back. There's only so much a big-league coach can do anyway. (R.J. Anderson)


BP Roundtables

DateRoundtable NameComment
2010-10-06 10:00:002010 Playoffs Day OneRegardless of whether or not Price comes out, I'm interested to see how quickly Ron Washington gets Borbon in center; the only lefty in the Raypen is Randy Choate, and the odds that he gets employed to go after Borbon seems fairly small. (Christina Kahrl)
 

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 2024, Randy Choate threw 3,844 pitches that were tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2009 and 2015, all of them occuring in Spring Training. In 2015, he relied primarily on his Sinker (84mph) and Slider (75mph).