Biographical

Portrait of Sean Doolittle

Sean Doolittle PReds

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2019 Projections (Preseason PECOTA - seasonal age 32)
IP ERA WHIP SO W L SV WARP
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Birth Date9-26-1986
Height6' 2"
Weight204 lbs
Age37 years, 6 months, 30 days
BatsL
ThrowsL
-0.12015
0.52016
1.02017
1.02018
0.52019
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
2012 OAK MLB 44 0 47.3 2 1 1 40 11 60 3 96 7.6 2.1 0.6 11.4 0% .316 1.08 2.02 3.04 83 2.85 65.3 1.1
2013 OAK MLB 70 0 69.0 5 5 2 53 13 60 4 93 6.9 1.7 0.5 7.8 0% .262 0.96 2.74 3.13 95 3.32 79.4 1.1
2014 OAK MLB 61 0 62.7 2 4 22 38 8 89 5 91 5.5 1.1 0.7 12.8 0% .246 0.73 1.74 2.73 79 2.55 62.5 1.5
2015 OAK MLB 12 0 13.7 1 0 4 12 5 15 1 100 7.9 3.3 0.7 9.9 0% .306 1.24 2.95 3.95 111 5.53 129.1 -0.1
2016 OAK MLB 44 0 39.0 2 3 4 33 8 45 6 99 7.6 1.8 1.4 10.4 33% .281 1.05 3.41 3.23 95 3.75 82.9 0.5
2017 OAK 0 23 0 21.3 1 0 3 12 2 31 3 5.1 0.8 1.3 13.1 37% .209 0.66 2.34 3.38 84 2.95 62.7 0.5
2017 WAS 0 30 0 30.0 1 0 21 22 8 31 2 6.6 2.4 0.6 9.3 28% .260 1.00 2.77 2.40 95 3.71 78.9 0.5
2018 WAS MLB 43 0 45.0 3 3 25 21 6 60 3 102 4.2 1.2 0.6 12.0 33% .196 0.60 1.85 1.60 84 2.99 66.8 1.0
2019 WAS MLB 63 0 60.0 6 5 29 63 15 66 11 104 9.5 2.3 1.7 9.9 27% .313 1.30 4.20 4.05 98 4.88 100.0 0.3
2017 TOT MLB 53 0 51.3 2 0 24 34 10 62 5 6.0 1.8 0.9 10.9 31% .242 0.86 2.59 2.81 91 3.39 72.2 1.0
CareerMLB3900388.023211112947645738846.81.80.910.631%.2690.952.673.02903.4777.86.4

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-
2011 ATH Rk AZL 1 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0.0 9.0 0.0 18.0 0% .000 1.00 3.36 9.00 87 3.50 71.4
2012 OAK MLB AL 44 0 47.3 2 1 1 40 11 60 3 96 7.6 2.1 0.6 11.4 0% .316 1.08 2.02 3.04 83 2.85 65.3
2012 STO A+ CAL 6 0 10.3 0 0 0 5 2 21 0 4.4 1.7 0.0 18.3 0% .357 0.68 0.90 0.87 28 1.49 31.0
2012 MID AA TEX 8 0 11.0 0 0 1 2 4 19 0 1.6 3.3 0.0 15.5 0% .118 0.55 1.18 0.82 35 1.77 36.8
2012 SAC AAA PCL 2 0 3.7 0 0 0 1 1 8 0 2.5 2.5 0.0 19.6 0% .250 0.55 0.11 0.00 36 1.50 31.3
2013 OAK MLB AL 70 0 69.0 5 5 2 53 13 60 4 93 6.9 1.7 0.5 7.8 0% .262 0.96 2.74 3.13 95 3.32 79.4
2014 OAK MLB AL 61 0 62.7 2 4 22 38 8 89 5 91 5.5 1.1 0.7 12.8 0% .246 0.73 1.74 2.73 79 2.55 62.5
2015 OAK MLB AL 12 0 13.7 1 0 4 12 5 15 1 100 7.9 3.3 0.7 9.9 0% .306 1.24 2.95 3.95 111 5.53 129.1
2015 STO A+ CAL 3 0 3.0 0 1 0 5 0 2 2 15.0 0.0 6.0 6.0 0% .333 1.67 11.11 12.00 116 6.37 139.6
2015 MID AA TEX 1 0 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 9.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0% .250 1.00 3.29 0.00 108 4.46 97.8
2015 NAS AAA PCL 6 0 6.0 0 0 0 3 0 13 2 4.5 0.0 3.0 19.5 0% .167 0.50 3.59 3.00 33 0.99 21.6
2016 OAK MLB AL 44 0 39.0 2 3 4 33 8 45 6 99 7.6 1.8 1.4 10.4 33% .281 1.05 3.41 3.23 95 3.75 82.9
2016 NAS AAA PCL 6 0 6.0 0 0 0 4 1 10 1 6.0 1.5 1.5 15.0 25% .273 0.83 3.05 1.50 64 1.84 40.7
2017 OAK MLB AL 23 0 21.3 1 0 3 12 2 31 3 5.1 0.8 1.3 13.1 37% .209 0.66 2.34 3.38 84 2.95 62.7
2017 WAS MLB NL 30 0 30.0 1 0 21 22 8 31 2 6.6 2.4 0.6 9.3 28% .260 1.00 2.77 2.40 95 3.71 78.9
2017 STO A+ CAL 2 0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 13.5 33% .000 0.00 0.92 0.00 74 2.69 57.1
2017 NAS AAA PCL 1 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 18.0 100% .000 0.00 -0.28 0.00 77 3.19 67.9
2018 WAS MLB NL 43 0 45.0 3 3 25 21 6 60 3 102 4.2 1.2 0.6 12.0 33% .196 0.60 1.85 1.60 84 2.99 66.8
2019 WAS MLB NL 63 0 60.0 6 5 29 63 15 66 11 104 9.5 2.3 1.7 9.9 27% .313 1.30 4.20 4.05 98 4.88 100.0
2019 POT A+ CAR 1 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 33% .000 0.00 3.37 0.00 106 4.37 90.0

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr%
2012 782 0.5652 0.5320 0.7404 0.6878 0.3294 0.7730 0.6518 0.2596
2013 1016 0.5876 0.5463 0.7604 0.6834 0.3508 0.7770 0.7143 0.2396
2014 903 0.5836 0.5493 0.6774 0.6584 0.3963 0.7233 0.5705 0.3226
2015 254 0.5709 0.5472 0.7914 0.7310 0.3028 0.8019 0.7576 0.2086
2016 586 0.5444 0.5597 0.6951 0.7085 0.3820 0.7212 0.6373 0.3049
2017 790 0.5241 0.5949 0.7149 0.7343 0.4415 0.7632 0.6265 0.2851
2018 620 0.5210 0.5581 0.6618 0.7616 0.3367 0.7236 0.5100 0.3382
2019 1074 0.5028 0.5866 0.7635 0.7944 0.3764 0.8065 0.6716 0.2365
Career60250.54890.56100.72480.71920.37090.76200.63880.2752

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
2014-08-24 2014-09-12 15-DL 19 18 Right Trunk Strain Ribcage -
2014-02-12 2014-02-17 Camp 5 0 - Lower Leg Strain Calf - -
2012-09-05 2012-09-07 DTD 2 1 Left Lower Leg Contusion Shin From Batted Ball - -
2011-04-05 2011-08-29 Minors 146 0 Right Wrist Strain ECU Tendon - -
2010-04-06 2010-09-13 Minors 160 0 Left Knee Surgery Patellar Tendon - Surgical Date Is Estimated 2010-07-15
2009-10-10 2009-10-10 Minors 0 0 Left Knee Surgery Partial Tear of Patellar Tendon Surgical Date Is Estimated 2009-10-10 -
2009-05-10 2009-09-19 Minors 132 0 Left Knee Strain Partial Tear of Patellar Tendon -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2023 WAS $
2022 WAS $1,500,000
2021 CIN $1,500,000
2020 WAS $6,500,000
2019 WAS $6,000,000
2018 WAS $4,380,000
2017 OAK $2,630,000
2016 OAK $1,580,000
2015 OAK $780,000
2014 OAK $630,000
2013 OAK $492,500
2012 OAK $
YearsDescriptionSalary
10 yrPrevious$25,992,500
10 yrTotal$25,992,500

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
10 y 122 dJason Cook1 year (2023)

Details
  • 1 year (2023). Re-signed by Washington as a free agent 11/6/22 (minor-league contract).
  • 1 year/$1.5M (2022). Signed by Washington as a free agent 3/15/22. Performance bonuses: $100,000 for 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34 games pitched. $200,000 each for 38, 42 games pitched. $250,000 each for 46, 50, 54, 58, 62 games pitched.
  • 1 year/$1.5M (2021). Signed by Cincinnati as a free agent 2/2/21. Claimed by Seattle off waivers 8/26/21 after being DFA by Cincinnati 8/24/21.
  • 5 years/$10.5M (2014-18), plus 2019-20 club options. Signed extension with Oakland 4/21/14. Replaced 1 year/$0.505M deal signed 3/14. $150,000 signing bonus. 14:$600,000, 15:$750,000, 16:$1.55M, 17:$2.6M, 18:$4.35M, 19:$6M club option ($500,000 buyout), 20:$6.5M club option ($500,000 buyout). Performance bonuses based on 2015-17 games finished. Salaries increase if Doolittle is arbitration-eligible after 2014 season: 15:$1.4M, 16:$2.45M 17:$3.65M, 18:$5M. 2020 becomes mutual option with 100 games finished in 2018-19. Assignment bonus of $250,000 with trade. Acquired by Washington in trade from Oakland 7/16/17. Washington exercised 2019 option 10/29/18. Washington exercised 2020 option 11/2/19.
  • 1 year/$492,500 (2013). Re-signed by Oakland 3/13.
  • 1 year (2012). Re-signed by Oakland 2/12.
  • 1 year (2011). Contract purchased by Oakland 11/19/10. Re-signed by Oakland 3/11.
  • Drafted by Oakland 2007 1s-41 (Virginia). Signed 6/19/07, $742,500 signing bonus.

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 0 0 0 0 0 15.4 10 4 19 2 .238 0.91 2.16 2.46 0.0 0.0
80o 0 0 0 0 0 10.0 7 3 13 1 .253 0.98 2.52 2.86 0.0 0.0
70o 0 0 0 0 0 6.2 5 2 8 1 .264 1.04 2.78 3.16 0.0 0.0
60o 0 0 0 0 0 3.1 2 1 4 0 .274 1.09 3.00 3.42 0.0 0.0
50o 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 0 0 0 0 .282 1.14 3.22 3.66 0.0 0.0
Weighted Mean?????0.0?00?.0000.000.00?0.00.0

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BP Articles

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BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2021-02-17 13:00:00 (link to chat)Who closes in Cinci? Amir? Sims?
(Ryan from Montreal)		Amir has definitely been campaigning for it, but might I interest you in a Sean Doolittle? (Mark Barry)
2019-12-09 13:00:00 (link to chat)Because they won a title, I can't imagine the Lerners or Rizzo are disappointed with the Eaton or Doolittle trades. That being said, given the Nats player dev, uh, mediocrity, how do they get anything out of the guys in this system? Could we see a franchise-altering trade this spring/summer to give the farm a jolt?
(Screech from NC)		I guess who is the guy heading out to get a big return. Turner fits best on service time, you'd be getting 2.5-3 seasons of control, and he's a nice player, but you'd like him to be a little better or a little healthier before you got an Adam Eaton level return or something. Past him, you can't trade Soto, so it's like Sean Doolittle who is a one year reliever rental. (Washington Nationals Top 10 Chat)
2019-08-23 15:30:00 (link to chat)I saw you retweet Sean Doolittle, who was promoting an organization that "supports" LGBT youth as young as 6. Do you think that was appropriate of you, and can it even be argued that fear mongering from conversatives was actually justified in retrospect? Do better man.
(mat43287 from Oakland)		Yeah I am content with my actions there. (Craig Goldstein)
2017-07-18 14:00:00 (link to chat)What do you think of the return the A's got for Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle? Jesus Luzardo seems like a great addition, though, the history of TJ surgery is always troubling (and he's so young). While I'm not sure where Sheldon Neuse fits with Matt Chapman just breaking into the big leagues.
(Mark from Palo Alto)		luzardo is a pretty good selection, arm is as you said troubling. We will see how it holds up.
I don't know what Neuse really is, but if he is an average 3B defensively with pop and luzardo is healthy, it is a good haul for two relievers. (Javier Barragan)
2017-05-15 17:00:00 (link to chat)How can the A's bullpen suck as bad as it does?
(John from San Francisco)		More than a few teams have this problem this year. The lack of starting pitchers going deep into games combined with the almost nightly demand on relievers is contributing to a lack of fresh arms. Add Sean Doolittle's injury to this and Santiago Casilla's ineffectiveness and there you go. (Mike Gianella)
2016-06-21 20:00:00 (link to chat)Is there a prospect that your colleagues are particularly high on but you are not?
(Todd from Ohio)		Good question. I'm not nearly as high on Joey Gallo as everyone else. Usually it's good to take that as an indication that I'm wrong rather than an indication that everyone else is wrong and I'm right, but something about his profile makes me think he'll never put it all together as a hitter.

Gallo has a huge arm, apparently, so if I'm right and the hitting thing doesn't work out, maybe he could go the Kenley Jansen / Sean Doolittle route and become a premium closer. (Scooter Hotz)
2016-04-21 19:00:00 (link to chat)Gomes is my C but Grandal and D'Arnaud both available. 14 team H2H weekly points format, and we start one C. How do the 3 shake out ROS? Also my RP 3 is Strickland. Dyson Kela and Zych are available. Doolittle was dropped and clears overnight. Saves worth 8, holds 4, and K's are 2 points. Thoughts on best option there Mike? Thanks.
(dylanrox from New Orleans )		I would rank them Yasmani Grandal, Yan Gomes, and Travis D'Arnaud in that format. All three all close, but I give Grandal an edge over the other two. I would drop Hunter Strickland and take a chance that Sean Doolittle is still the closer, given the point structure there. (Mike Gianella)
2016-04-21 19:00:00 (link to chat)Can Ryan Madison close 35 or more games for A's. Do you think the wins and opportunities will be there. Will he lose opps to Doolittle?
(Cubbie Bear from CHI-TOWN)		He can, although I suspect that there's going to be a job split and unless Sean Doolittle gets hurt there's a ceiling on Ryan Madson of 25-30. Madson is also coming off of a season that was preceded by a long layoff due to health (or lack thereof) so the A's might not simply roll him out there given the investment. (Mike Gianella)
2015-05-13 13:00:00 (link to chat)In my Yahoo league I am building for next year and thereafter. My roster is Russell Martin, Kendrys Morales, Josh Harrison, Brock Holt, Brett Gardner, Dexter Fowler, Gregory Polanco, Coco Crisp, Carlos Ruiz, Travis Snider, Kyle (and Corey) Seager, Jason Heyward, Carlos Correa, Desmond Jennings, Javier Baez, Matt Harvey, Carlos Martinez, Jimmy Nelson, Edinson Volquez, Jonathan Paplebon, Chris Heston, Noah Syndergaard, Lucas Giolito, Julio Urias, Jose Berrios, Matt Cain and Sean Doolittle. 8 keepers allowed. Comments? Suggestions?
(TimLandry from Montreal Quebec Canada)		Keep Matt Harvey eight times. (Christopher Crawford)
2015-02-16 11:00:00 (link to chat)RJ, who will be a closer by midseason who didn't start the season in that role?
(Cal Guy from Cal)		Jake McGee and Sean Doolittle.

Uh, but if we're talking about ascending types, then I'd say Ken Giles is the obvious pick. He'd just disgusting. Beyond Giles, I'd have to roll with Joakim Soria and perhaps Jairo Diaz, depending on what the Rockies do with LaTroy Hawkins. (R.J. Anderson)
2014-12-18 15:00:00 (link to chat)"Isn't cheap" in this scenario means trading my Sean Doolittle (I also have Kimbrel) for Eaton straight up. It's a 20 team dynasty league, 6x6 with OPS and holds. Too much to give up?
(Will from Chicago)		I think that's probably about right. Doolittle is a big deal but closers are generally pretty iffy, and he's not in that top echelon that makes me hesitate on something like this. It's a gamble, and while you can't lose what you don't put in the middle, you can't win either. (Craig Goldstein)
2014-08-25 13:00:00 (link to chat)Do you think Eric O'Flaherty keeps the Oak closing gig until Sean Doolittle comes back?
(Shawnykid23 from CT)		It sounds that way, although I'd be wary of the A's playing matchups. On the other hand, it sounds like they went O'Flaherty because they felt their set-ups were comfortable in their roles and didn't want to rock the boat. (Mike Gianella)
2014-09-08 13:00:00 (link to chat)So which active player makes you most happy?
(Pharrell from Virginia )		Ben Paulsen. Among star-types: Sal Perez, Sean Doolittle, Dellin Betances. (Sam Miller)
2014-05-21 13:00:00 (link to chat)Sean Doolittle, over/under top-10 closer rest of the season?
(TheTinDoor from DC)		Man, I wish I could trust that they will just leave him there and I'd probably say yes on top 10. But since I can't trust that, I'll say no, but definitely good while holding the role (Paul Sporer)
2013-08-08 17:30:00 (link to chat)I need to include some bench players in an AL only trade this week. Which 3 will I LEAST regret dealing of these guys: Doolittle, RHernandez, Ogando, TBauer, Rubby, Bedard, PHughes. Thanks!
(Bruce from Atlanta)		Hi Bruce.

Hmmm. I could go in a number of different directions, but I'll pick Sean Doolittle, Roberto Hernandez, and Phil Hughes. Doolittle is solid, but even in AL-only middle relievers are fairly fungible and there are no guarantees that Doolittle is a closer at any point in the future. Roberto Hernandez is a pretty pedestrian fifth SP for me. Hughes is a free agent after this year and could wind up with an NL club, but does it even matter? I don't get the love for Hughes. He has never put up a decent season as a starting pitcher, and people keep hanging onto this idea that he will. I think Hughes could be a solid reliever like he was way back in 2009, but why gamble on such a pedestrian starter? (Mike Gianella)
2013-06-20 13:00:00 (link to chat)What are your top LOOGYs that I should target to snipe me some holds?
(GC from 90210)		Cingrani still available? Alex Torres, Brett Cecil, Justin Wilson, Charlie Furbush (Ollie Perez temporarily closing gives him more opps), Sean Doolittle, Robbie Ross, and Tim Collins (Paul Sporer)
2013-06-11 14:00:00 (link to chat)So Sean Doolittle has been nearly unhittable in his first season-plus in the majors as a reliever. But in his last five appearances, he's given up 10 runs. Is he hurt/tired? Has the league figured him out? Or should A's fans just not worry because of small sample size?
(Dave from Chicago)		I haven't seen anything to suggest that fatigue or an injury is at play. Instead, I think this may be a product of the league slowly figuring out Doolittle's "grip it and rip it" approach. He should recover and be a solid reliever regardless, but improving his secondary-pitch command so that he can keep hitters on their heels instead of simply blowing them away could be critical to his ability to reemerge as an elite setup man. (Daniel Rathman)
2012-05-21 14:00:00 (link to chat)Sean Doolittle is dominating Double A as a reliever, does he look like the closer of the future for the A's?
(Bill from Minneapolis)		Let's not go there yet. He's looking like a big league reliever. 92-95 with a good breaking ball. (Kevin Goldstein)
2012-02-13 13:00:00 (link to chat)The A's are apparently converting Sean Doolittle to pitching - any guess on how that works out?
(Scot from somewhere)		Obviously, it's a long shot, but it's worth trying. (Kevin Goldstein)
2009-07-15 14:00:00 (link to chat)Is Sean Doolittle the A's starting rightfielder next year?
(Dave from Chicago)		I hope not, for the sake of A's fans. (Kevin Goldstein)
2009-02-17 13:00:00 (link to chat)Did UVA miss their window a few years ago to make the big leap into the elite college programs (i.e. consistent top 20 team)? This will probably be a down year since they're so young, but I'm wondering if the team will ever have enough offense to go with the strong pitching staffs.
(Ryan from Charlottesville, VA)		I considered Virginia for the bottom of this list, but in the end, I just really couldn't justify it. You're right, I do think Virginia didn't take that step forward; they should have reached Omaha at some point with Sean Doolittle or David Adams. There's some decent players on that offense, but in Jeremy Farrell, the team lost 11 of their 25 home runs from last season. Power is so hard to come by at Davenport, but at this point, that's really only an excuse for a non-park related issue. Enjoy Andrew Carraway though ... he's fun to watch. (Bryan Smith)
2008-09-03 14:00:00 (link to chat)Sean Doolittle, A's, He really improved his power numbers. What do you see in the future. Move to OF to make room for Chris Carter and/or Matt Spencer?
(jake1m from Jenny Lind, Ca)		Four home runs in 201 Double-A at-bats. I'm still not totally sold here on him. (Kevin Goldstein)
2008-08-20 13:00:00 (link to chat)What do you make of Sean Doolittle's struggles in Double-A? Temporary setback or indication that his numbers were inflated by the hitter-friendly Cal League?
(Dave from Chicago)		Little bit of both. (Kevin Goldstein)
2008-08-20 13:00:00 (link to chat)Too many boring baseball questions for you today Kevin. So I'll ask: Have you beaten Persona 3:FES yet, and what is your favorite non-Disgaea NIS game? Oh, and who do you like more at this point, Jemile Weeks or Sean Doolittle?
(Mike F from Gainesville)		Have NOT beat FES yet -- maybe 1/2 through. I thought Persona 3 was outstanding. As far as NIS games, I'm the guy dumn enough to like Phantom Brave. Favorite RPG of alltime -- Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. Best NON-RPG games: Fatal Frame II; Katamari Damacy, Portal. (Kevin Goldstein)


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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 2024, Sean Doolittle threw 7,553 pitches that were tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2012 and 2023, all of them occuring in Spring Training. In 2023, he relied primarily on his Fourseam Fastball (92mph) and Slider (78mph), also mixing in a Splitter (82mph).