Local products bid farewell to 2014 Major League Baseball season

The following are highlights from the 2014 season for local athletes playing Major League Baseball.

AFTER TRADE, MCCARTHY SHINES

Brandon McCarthy, a starter, found himself on both ends of the spectrum throughout the season. The Glendale native began the season with the Arizona Diamondbacks before being traded to the New York Yankees on July 6. With Arizona, McCarthy finished with a mark of 3-10 and a 5.01 earned-run average in 18 appearances covering 109 2/3 innings.

He joined a Yankees starting rotation riddled by injuries and proved to be one of their top pitchers for the last three months. With New York, McCarthy finished 7-5 with a 2.39 ERA in 14 starts.

Those numbers from the second half might bode well for McCarthy, a right-hander who is eligible to become a free agent in the offseason after finishing 10-15 with a 4.05 ERA and striking out a career-best 175 batters in 200 innings.

McCarthy has expressed a desire to return to the Yankees, who finished second in the American League’s East Division and missed the playoffs for the second straight campaign.

“There is nothing from my time here that I’ve seen that makes me think, ‘That’s a hands off,’“ McCarthy told yankees.com. “The coaching staff and team were great, the facilities, everything is top notch. Nothing turns you off to playing here.”

McCarthy, who stayed virtually injury free in 2014, had an unforgettable inning during a road contest against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 17. He enjoyed a rare immaculate inning in which he struck out the side on a minimum of nine pitches in the seventh inning in a 3-2 win. He became the second pitcher in 2014 to accomplish the feat and became the fifth pitcher in the history of the Yankees to achieve that milestone.

ESTRADA SHOWS VERSATILITY AGAIN

For Marco Estrada, a former All-Western State Conference selection at Glendale Community College, it turned out to be a mixed season. Milwaukee spent most of the season in first place in the National League’s Central Division before ultimately placing third and missing the playoffs.

Estrada, a right-hander who helped Milwaukee reach the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, began the campaign as a member of Milwaukee’s starting rotation before he was shifted to the bullpen near the All-Star break in July.

Estrada, who is arbitration-eligible in the offseason, finished 7-6 with a 4.36 earned-run average. He took part in 39 games, starting 18. In 150 2/3 innings, Estrada surrendered 77 runs (73 earned) and allowed a major league-leading 29 home runs. He finished with 127 strikeouts and 44 walks.

As a starter, Estrada went 7-6 with a 4.96 ERA. He finished with 92 strikeouts and allowed 101 hits in 107 innings. In 21 relief appearances, Estrada yielded 17 runs (14 earned) and registered a 2.89 ERA. He had 35 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings.

At least Estrada finished up 2014 on a positive note. In his last 10 appearances, all out of the bullpen, Estrada went 0-0 with a 2.46 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 12 innings.

“That’s all I’m trying to do, give the team a chance to win,” Estrada told mlb.com. “I know what my role is, what I’m supposed to do out there.”

BERGMAN FINALLY GETS CALL UP

Perhaps it was only fitting that Bergman, a Glendale native and St. Francis High graduate, made his final appearance of the season with the Colorado Rockies in Southern California on Sept. 28 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bergman began the year in the minor leagues before being called up by the Rockies in June.

Bergman, a right-hander, suffered a broken left hand after being struck by a line drive. He then began an extensive rehabilitation process in the minor leagues before rejoining Colorado for the last five weeks of the season following a stay on the 60-day disabled list.

The former California League Pitcher of the Year in 2012 and Texas League All-Star in 2013 began the season with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, the triple-A affiliate of the Rockies. Bergman went 4-4 in 12 starts with the Spring Sox before being summoned by the Rockies on June 7 to be a part of their rotation after they had suffered a couple of injuries to their starters.

Bergman, a former All-Area Baseball Player of the Year and All-Mission League honoree who was drafted in the 24th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Draft, made his major league debut June 9 against the visiting Atlanta Braves at Coors Field. He struck out four and allowed two earned runs on five hits over six innings in a 3-1 defeat. He also collected his first hit, a single in the third inning off Atlanta starting pitcher Gavin Floyd.

Bergman suffered a blow during an outing against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 20. Bergman was struck in the left hand by a line drive, resulting in him being shelved for about a month. He went to the double-A Tulsa Drillers and back to the Sky Sox. Following a couple of weeks of getting back into sync, Bergman rejoined the Rockies in late August and eventually picked up his first career victory.

Bergman won his first game Aug. 24 against the Miami Marlins. He went 6 1/3 innings and allowed four runs and nine hits in Colorado’s 7-4 home win. He would then go on to pick up wins against the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 3 and Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 21.

His final outing came against the Dodgers in a losing effort. Bergman allowed eight runs — seven earned — and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 10-5 defeat.

Bergman finished 3-5 with a 5.93 earned-run average. In 10 appearances covering 54 2/3 innings, Bergman struck out 31 and walked 10. He allowed 37 runs (36 earned), 75 hits and nine home runs.

ARM TROUBLES HAMPER BELL

It proved to be a very short season for Bell, a former All-Area Baseball player of the Year and the top draft pick of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005.

Bell, a Crescenta Valley High graduate, made the Cincinnati Reds roster out of the final week of spring training and was slotted to work out of the bullpen. It marked the first time in Bell’s career that he made a team out of spring training. Bell had last pitched in the big leagues with the Angels in 2011 and came to the Reds spring training as a non-roster invitee before making 10 spring appearances. He allowed one run and five hits and struck out 12 in 9 2/3 innings.

Cincinnati turned to Bell, a former Pacific League Most Valuable Player and All-CIF selection, immediately early in the season. The right-hander appeared in two games with the Reds before being placed on the 15-day disabled list April 8 with right-elbow inflammation. Unfortunately for Bell, he didn’t pitch again in 2014.

On the season, Bell went 0-0 with a 67.50 earned-run average. In two-thirds of an inning, Bell yielded five hits and five runs (all earned).