30 Players in 30 Days: Mike MacDougal

Mike MacDougal

It was a tale of two seasons for MacDougal in 2009. He went from being discarded by the White Sox–4.1 innings with a 12.46 ERA and a .389 BAA in five April appearances–to being dominant as the Nationals closer. He can thank his confidence in a ferocious fastball for the turnaround.

It was quite the contrast to the start of the 2009 season. MacDougal started the season with the White Sox but struggled to hit his spots with his overpowering fastball, so he threw his slider more than 50 percent of the time. That changed when he was released by the Sox and signed a Minor League deal with the Nationals on May 3. He pitched for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs when then-Chiefs pitching coach Steve McCatty, later the Nationals pitching coach, told MacDougal to have faith in his fastball. It saved his season.   

In 38 appearances with the Nats from May 29 to August 30, MacDougal successfully converted 14 of 15 save opportunities and posted a blistering 1.93 ERA and .203 BAA. For as fantastic as those 38 appearances were, the majority of September was forgettable. He battled through injuries from September 2 to September 27, converting his only two save opportunities but went 1-1 with a 11.57 ERA and a .405 BAA in 10 games. But he never threw in the towel and finished the year with four straight scoreless appearances.

At 32, MacDougal is no longer the erratic fireballer that he was in Kansas City, he is now a lights-out closer. His career-best save percentage of 95 percent in 2009 is proof of that. Further, his fastball is still strong, averaging 95.7 mph but topping out at 99 mph.

Following the conclusion of the season, MacDougal underwent arthroscopic surgery on his hip, an injury he pitched through for the last month of the season. He should recover fully by Spring Training.