 |
|
|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics — No. -- | |
| Relief pitcher | Born: July 2 1980 |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| August 31, 2005 for the Chicago Cubs | Selected MLB statistics (through 2006) |
| Record | 1-2 |
| ERA | 9.00 |
| Games pitched | 16 |
| Teams | |
Jermaine Russell Van Buren (born July 2, 1980 in Laurel, Mississippi) is a middle relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Oakland Athletics.
Early career
Van Buren graduated from Hattiesburg High School, where he earned Mississippi Player of the Year honors in 1998 as a senior. He was drafted by the in the 2nd round of the 1998 draft by the Colorado Rockies.
Professional career
Van Buren spent four years playing Single-A baseball for the Rockies before being released in 2003 and signing with the Fort Worth Cats of the independent Central Baseball League. He would get a second shot at the major leagues when the Chicago Cubs signed him as a free agent in 2004. He would quickly go from being a low ranked prospect to becoming part of the Cubs Triple-A team in Iowa. In 2005 he finished second in the Pacific Coast League with 25 saves and posted up a 1.98 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings pitched before receive a late call-up to the majors He appeared in six games for the Cubs, ending with a 0-2 record, a 3.00 ERA, nine walks, and six strikeouts in 6.0 innings. At the end of the season, he was dealt by Chicago to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league outfielder Matt Ciaramella. In 2006, Van Buren was called up when David Wells went on the disabled list and made his Red Sox debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 21. He was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket a day later, and was recalled by Boston on May 24. Van Buren was optioned to Pawtucket June 19 but would return once again on July 28th. He was signed by the Washington Nationals to a minor league deal on November 7, 2006. On December 3, 2006, he debuted with the Criollos de Caguas (Caguas Creoles) in the Puerto Rico Winter Professional baseball, as a closing pitcher. On June 26, 2007, the Oakland Athletics acquired Van Buren from the Nationals for a player to be named later.
