Chad Patrick Cordero (born March 18, 1982) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

. Cordero played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They p ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

. He currently serves as the bullpen coach for the Billings Mustangs, the Pioneer League rookie affiliate of the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. Cordero's best season was in 2005, when he was an All-Star and won the

Rolaids Relief Man Award The Rolaids Relief Man Award was an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given from 1976 to 2012 to the top relief pitchers of the regular season, one in the American League (AL) and one in the National League (NL). Relief pitchers enter th ...

. During the period of 2005–2007, he recorded 113 saves, second most in the National League behind

Trevor Hoffman Trevor William Hoffman (born October 13, 1967) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 2010. A long-time closer, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego P ...

's 131.

Biography

College years

At age 18, Cordero was drafted by the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

in the 26th round of the

2000 MLB draft First round selections Compensation picks Background The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...

, but he chose to enroll at

Cal State Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

, where he was a standout reliever. With an

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Com ...

of under 1.83 he made the 1st team All-America Freshman team and was selected to the Big West All-Conference team, the latter of which he repeated in each of his next two years. In , he was the Fullerton Regional MVP (College World Series), and then was drafted by the Expos in the 1st round (20th overall).

Pro career

First two years

Cordero pitched briefly in 2003, and then appeared in 69 games for the Expos in , compiling an ERA of 2.94, usually appearing as a closer. He earned a save in the last Montreal Expo victory in Hiram Bithorn Stadium on July 11, 2004. He also threw the final pitch for the Expos at Olympic Stadium on September 29, 2004 and the final pitch for a win on October 2 against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.

2005

The Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2005, and Cordero had a career-best season. In June 2005, Cordero tied the major league record for saves in one month with 15. He shares the record with Lee Smith and

John Wetteland John Karl Wetteland (born August 21, 1966) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (1989–2000). He pitched for four teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, and Texas Rang ...

. He also converted his 24th consecutive save, breaking the club record held by Mel Rojas. On September 9, 2005, Cordero's 44th save broke the franchise record. He completed the 2005 season with 47 saves, leading the major leagues, and was selected to the National League pitching staff for the 2005 MLB All-Star game, facing one batter,

Iván Rodríguez Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the Texas Rangers (in two separate stints, comprising the majority of his career), Florida ...

, and striking him out. He was the 2005 Washington Nationals Player of the Year, and won the National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award.

2006

In February , Cordero and his teammate Brian Schneider were chosen to play for Team USA in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

. During the season, however, his production tailed off. While he still got 29 saves (8th best in the league), his ERA went from 1.82 to 3.19.

2007

In the beginning of the season, Cordero faced a tough time against batters. By May 6, his ERA was 4.70. Cordero admitted he was distracted by the illness of his ailing grandmother, and missed six games for personal bereavement leave. He came back a changed man, and starting May 16 made 12 consecutive appearances without allowing a

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. On June 13, Cordero (at age 25 years and 86 days) became the second youngest player in baseball history to reach 100 saves in a career. ( Francisco Rodríguez is the youngest at 24 years and 246 days old.) Echoing his final pitches at Olympic Stadium and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in 2004 Cordero closed out the final Nationals game at RFK stadium getting a save on September 23, 2007. He is likely the only pitcher in major league history to throw the final pitch at three different home stadiums for the same franchise.

2008–2011

Cordero missed almost all of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a labrum tear, an injury he suffered in April. On October 30, 2008 the Nationals sent him outright to AAA

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, and he rejected the assignment, becoming a free agent. Among other reasons for Cordero's rejection was that he was displeased with how he found out that he would be "non-tendered" by the Nationals at the end of the season—via an impromptu comment made by Nationals' GM Jim Bowden on a radio show in July. On March 12, 2009, Cordero signed a minor league contract with the

with an invitation to spring training. He was to compete for the closer role once he fully recovered from surgery, but was unable to make a minor league appearance until July. He was called up to the Mariners on June 3, 2010, taking the spot of the retired Ken Griffey Jr. On July 15, 2010 he refused a minor league assignment from the Seattle Mariners and became a free agent. On July 21, 2010 Cordero agreed on a minor league deal with the

and was assigned to Triple A Buffalo. On January 3, 2011, Cordero signed a minor league contract with an invite to spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was released on May 17. Cordero later signed with the St. Paul Saints of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

, but retired on June 20, 2011. On February 13, 2013, Cordero signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

due to his desire to play again. He was assigned to the Inland Empire 66ers of the California League, the (high) Class-A affiliate of the Angels, to begin the season.

Personal life

Cordero has two children: Riley and Tehya. Tehya died of

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. SIDS usuall ...

in 2010. He was married to Jamie Cordero but the couple is now separated. Chad has no relation to

Francisco Cordero Francisco Javier Cordero (born May 11, 1975) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, and Housto ...

, another MLB closer sharing his last name and playing at the same time as him.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordero, Chad 1982 births Living people American baseball players of Mexican descent American expatriate baseball players in Canada Arizona League Mariners players Baseball players from California Brevard County Manatees players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players California State University, Fullerton alumni Everett AquaSox players Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball pitchers Montreal Expos players National League All-Stars National League saves champions People from Upland, California Potomac Nationals players Salt Lake Bees players Seattle Mariners players St. Paul Saints players Tacoma Rainiers players Washington Nationals players World Baseball Classic players of the United States 2006 World Baseball Classic players