From SoSH
Daniel Bard | Born: | June 25th, 1985 |
| Birthplace: | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Hometown: | |
| Height: | 6' 4" |
| Weight: | 205 lbs. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Drafted: | 2006: 1st Round, 28th Pick by the Boston Red Sox |
| College: | University of North Carolina |
| High School: | Charlotte Christian HS (NC) |
| Other Teams: | None |
| Years with Boston: | 2009 |
Daniel Bard (born June 25th, 1985 in Charlotte, NC), was drafted by the Red Sox with their first pick of the 2006 Amateur Draft out of the University of North Carolina. Bard received a signing bonus of $1,550,000 from the Red Sox.
Scouting Report
- Live arm with a smooth delivery. His fastball looks effortless, and sits around 96 mph with decent command and average movement. He can consistently hit 97-99 mph on the radar gun, and can reportedly get up to 101 mph when he reaches back. Bard also mixes in an 80-82 mph slider with some nice bite. His slider really keeps hitters off balance. It can also dip down to about 76-78 mph with more slurve action. He also has a few other pitches in his arsenal that aren't used very often, including a high 80s cutter, a low-90s two-seamer, and a circle change. If a batter is able to catch up to Bard's fastball, the ball can sail off the bat due to velocity. He struggled through major control issues throughout the entire 2007 season, particularly with his slurve (a pre-cursor to his slider). Has a strong frame and a mature demeanor, but has a history of confidence issues. Bard took well to a bullpen role in the Hawaii League in the 2007-08 off-season, and dominated as a full time reliever in 2008. He changed his delivery by lowering his arm slot prior to the 2008 season, adding a little bit of life to his fastball. In the 2008-09 off-season, Bard again altered his delivery slightly, starting his hands by his chest rather than his waist, eliminating some unnecessary body movement. ~ SoxProspects.com
Amateur Career
- Helped lead North Carolina to the 2006 College World Series finals. Finished 8-3 with a career-low 3.47 ERA in 2006, his junior season. Struck out a career-high 90 batters and walked just 33 in 85.2 innings. Went 7-5 his sophomore year and posted a 4.22 earned run average in 16 starts. Was third on the team with 77 strikeouts and 89.2 innings pitched. ACC Freshman of the Year in 2004. Posted an 8-4 record and ranked second among Carolina starters with a 3.88 ERA. A highly touted HS prospect, he was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 20th round of the 2003 Draft because he had committed to North Carolina.
- During the summer of 2005, he pitched for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod League, going 3-3 with a 1.25 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 65 innings. Led the league in strikeouts and was third in ERA. Was ranked as the 2nd best prospect in that league by Baseball America.
Amateur Awards
- 2004 ACC Freshman of the Year
Minor League Career
- 2006: Bard was drafted in the first round of the 2006 Draft by the Red Sox. After lengthy discussions, he signed with the Sox on August 24, 2006, for a bonus of $1.55 million. Due to his late signing that summer, Bard was not assigned to a team.
- 2007: To start his pro career, Bard has been a major disappointment for the Red Sox. He started 2007 in High-A Lancaster, but was demoted after just 13.1 innings when he allowed 15 ER to go along with 22 walks and 9 strikeouts. He was demoted to Greenville, and has gotten consistently worse since arriving there. He now pitched 62 innings and had a 6.39 ERA to go along with 56 walks and just 39 strikeouts.
Minor League Awards
- 2008 Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Quotes
- Andrew Miller told the Boston Globe that his college teammate, Daniel Bard, throws harder than he does
- "He's a really good pitcher. He's got an unbelievable arm. He throws as hard as anybody you'll see. For a starter, he can get it up in the mid-to-upper 90s. It's real hard and his delivery is really free and easy. He doesn't muscle up anything. I talked to him while he was down in the instructional league and he was throwing 100 and 101 m.p.h. when he was down there and he was pretty excited about that," Miller said. "He throws harder than me. Not even a question," Miller added. Bard was the Bosox' first rounder in June.
Trivia
- Rated by Baseball America as the 15th best prospect for the 2006 Amateur Draft.
- Delivery is compared to Mark Prior, due to the way he can seemingly effortlessly throw his fastball in the high 90s, almost like he's playing catch.
- Daniel Paul Bard is the son of Paul and Kathy Bard. He has two younger brothers, Jared and Luke.
- Bard majored in management and society at Carolina.
- Father played five years of minor league baseball in the Dodgers and Orioles organizations.
- Lists playing Uno as favorite way to pass time on bus trips.
- Modeled his game after Rob Dibble.
External Links
