Major League Baseball Review: Estrada shows staying power

The following are highlights from the 2016 season for local athletes playing Major League Baseball.

ESTRADA CONTINUES TO THRIVE NORTH OF BORDER

If 2015 was a coming out party for Glendale Community College pitching product Marco Estrada, then 2016 demonstrated that the 33-year-old right-hander hurler had staying power.

In 2015, Estrada put together what was his finest season as a professional.

He established career-highs in nearly every pitching category as Estrada finished with a 13-8 record, a 3.13 earned-run average and 131 strikeouts versus 55 walks in 181 innings. His opponent’s batting average of .203 was also the lowest in the American League.

Estrada helped the Blue Jays win an American League East Division title and advance to the American League Championship Series.

In the postseason, Estrada went 2-1 and posted a 2.33 ERA in three starts with 15 strikeouts versus one walk in 19 1/3 innings.

That effort netted Estrada a contract for two years and $26 million with a $1 million signing bonus.

Coming off that season and that contract, Estrada turned in another strong season and perhaps validated the deal.

Estrada finished 2016 with a 9-9 record and a 3.48 ERA with 165 punchouts countered by 66 walks over 176 innings. Estrada again owned the American League’s best opponent’s batting average of .203 while his walks-plus-hits-per-innings-pitched ratio of 1.12 was sixth-best in the league.

Estrada did all this in between two stints on the 15-day disabled list with back issues. Perhaps the highlight of Estrada’s career came when he was named to the American League All-Star team. Unfortunately, he didn’t play because of back problems.

In the postseason, Toronto won its wild-card against Baltimore, 5-2, before sweeping the American League West champion Texas Rangers in the American League Division series.

For a second straight year, however, the Blue Jays saw their playoff run in the league championship series as they defeated by the Cleveland Indians, 4-1.

In the playoffs, Estrada received starts in game one of both series and finished 1-2 with a sparkling 2.01 ERA in three starts with 19 strikeouts versus one walk in 22 1/3 innings.

RAMOS BOUNCES AROUND COUNTRY

When La Crescenta resident Cesar Ramos opted to test the free agent waters in December after a year with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, perhaps he should have purchased new luggage.

The 32-year-old southpaw bounced up and down from the minor leagues and spent time with three clubs.

Ramos initially signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers in January, was assigned to triple-A Round Rock (Texas) and was called up the majors on April 25.

The reliever finished 3-3 this past major league season with a 6.04 ERA over 47 2/3 innings pitched. Ramos fanned 27, but walked 21, while allowing 12 home runs.

Texas released Ramos on July 25 and the left-hander went more than a week without work before the Detroit Tigers signed Ramos and immediately designated him to the team’s triple-A affiliate Toledo.

BERGMAN ENDS UP IN ALBUQUERQUE

In one calendar year, the St. Francis High pitching product endured 10 changes to his status as a member of the Colorado Rockies organization, while he was shipped between Denver and triple-A Albuquerque seven times.

For the season, Bergman saw limited action in Rockies’ pinstripes as the 28-year-old right-hander finished with a 1-3 record primarily out of the bullpen with 15 appearances and one start.

Bergman finished with an ERA of 8.39, which is high even a mile up with 22 strikeouts versus six walks and seven home runs allowed in 24 2/3 innings.

Bergman saw action in five games in September after being called up on Sept. 2.

However, on Oct. 12, the Rockies sent Bergman outright back to Albuquerque.

Bergman’s season of ups and downs also included some bumps and bruises as he spent some time on the disabled list in May and June with a strained rib muscle.