Cla Meredith

From SoSH

Olise Claiborne "Cla" Meredith, (born June 4, 1983 in Chesterfield, Virginia), is a former Sox farmhand who now plays for the San Diego Padres as a relief pitcher.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Moment in the Sun 3 Trivia 4 Transactions 5 External Links

Overall Career

Drafted after his junior year at VCU, Meredith, as mentioned above was used almost exclusively as a reliever. He put up his best numbers in 2003, going 6-0 with a school record 1.19 ERA, which was 2nd best in the NCAA (Division 1). Meredith posted 8 saves that year, with 70 strikeouts, and only 16 walks. He is also VCU's all time ERA leader at 2.52.

Meredith was drafted by the Red Sox in the 6th round of the 2004 Amateur Draft, starting his pro career with the single A affiliate Augusta Greenjackets. In 13 games he gave up no runs and saved 6 games, while striking out 18 and walking 3.

He was promoted to the Sarasota Red Sox of the Florida State League after his great performance in Augusta and put up a 0-2 record with a 2.20 ERA in 16 games with 12 saves, 16 strikeouts and only 3 walks.

He made his major league debut on May 8, 2005 against Seattle. Meredith began this game by walking two batters before allowing a grand slam to Richie Sexson.

The right handed side-armer is best known for his sinking fastball, which is typically thrown in the 86-89 mph range. He is working to further develop his change up and average slider.

On May 1, 2006, Meredith was traded to the Padres, along with then-Red Sox backup catcher Josh Bard, for catcher Doug Mirabelli. Called up by the Padres on May 13, 2006, he earned his first major league win that day at Wrigley after pitching a scoreless inning against the Cubs. Meredith now holds the Padres franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings (34).

Moment in the Sun

• In 2006, as a rookie, Meredith posted a National League-low 1.07 ERA among relievers (at least 50.0 IP). He also held opposing batters to a league-low .170 among relief pitchers, and set a new franchise record with 28 consecutive scoreless appearances, a span of 33 2/3 innings from July 18 to September 12, eclipsing Randy Jones' 30-inning scoreless streak. The 33 2/3 straight scoreless innings also tied Orel Hershiser's mark in 1984 for the second-longest such streak by a rookie since 1970. It now stands as the longest scoreless stretch by a rookie relief pitcher in the live-ball era (1920).

Trivia

• In his major league debut, Meredith, who had never given up a home run at any stage in all of his 42 prior pro appearances, gave up a grand slam to Seattle's Richie Sexson.
• Is VCU's all-time leader with a 2.52 career ERA. Also holds the single-season school record with a 1.19 ERA in 2003.

Transactions

• June 7, 2004: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 6th round of the 2004 amateur draft. Player signed June 18, 2004.
• May 1, 2006: Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Josh Bard and cash to the San Diego Padres for Doug Mirabelli.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Cla Meredith at ESPN.com